So, I was pretty thrilled when mk implemented my suggestion earlier today and added the "unshared" page to the sidebar. I've been using it to find new content off and on all day. However, I just checked it a little bit ago and noticed this thread. Notice the tag - #hubskiblowsnow - how very witty.
- title say it all, I don't want to use reddit and I thought hubski was a good alternative but now it's lost its functionality. With the changesI might as well find users on tumbler to follow.
- I don't expect this to be seen because I have 1 follower, and that's the problem.
Well, obviously he didn't consider the "unshared" page - I found it, didn't I? Then I noticed that quite a few other people had found the thread, too. Saydrah, theZproject, ecib, verables, harryjames and panadol all felt the need to leave a comment in that thread, but no one wanted to share it, of course - so it's still sitting there in the unshared queue, waiting for more people to stumble upon it.
I wouldn't consider the OP of this particular thread to be a troll, just more noise than signal. However, what happens when the userbase is several times larger than it is now, and the "good" posts are rapidly snatched from the unshared queue even faster than they are now? Is it destined to become a haven for trolls and malcontents seeking attention?
I don't know the solution to this problem, or even if one exists, I just felt like talking about it. What do you think?
Perhaps mk could set up a system where some number of comments will pull a post off of Unshared without it actually being shared?
I like that idea. It's simple. I should also add that there is a 'globally ignored' function, syncretic. There are only a few accounts that have qualified, mostly selling French hotel rooms, but if a user gets lots of ignores with few positive signals, they can still post, be shared, and followed, but they don't appear in these streams. I am planning to add a 'see-globally-ignored' toggle in the controls page, where users have the ability to include what everyone else doesn't want to. Maybe you need a French hotel room. It will default to off, of course.
That sounds reasonable - the entire point of the "unshared" tab is to find new content from new users (stuff that might not have gotten shared if you hadn't been looking for it). If several people have commented in a thread, but no one has shared it, that's probably a good sign that the post is not worth discovering in the first place.
I read that tag and read Hubski blow snow and got a pretty cool image of snow blowing everywhere.
HA. That's hilarious. I read that post too and have to say that the response from Saydrah and the others on the thread really made me happy. I don't want to get too sentimental but damn, there sure are some cool people in this community. I think someone in this thread or perhaps another suggested that once a post gets a few comments it should be out of the "unshared" list. -Good suggestion.
I think, "Great!" When I'm in the mood to do some snatching I go to unshared, and otherwise it never ends up in my feed. I mean, when you log on do you say "Alright, gonna go check out unshared! Since unshared means 'widely disliked or unfollowed!'" I doubt you do, and I doubt you will. It'll be a nice vacation home for finding new users and reminding yourself how awesome your feed is.
I'm thinking that a possible way to combat this phenomenon, if it becomes a problem, would be with alt accounts, one designed specifically to share shitty posts from the unshared queue (obvious spammers, trolls etc), so they wouldn't be visible to the "regular" users anymore. I'm not sure about hubski's policy on alternate accounts - mk, can you clue us in? I could even see some people having fun with the usernames - worstofhubski, trollkiller, etc. If you look at their share history, it would be full the horrible posts they pulled off the unshared queue. People who were so inclined could even follow them (for a good laugh? I don't know). Just an interesting thought I had. Could this be the first type of hubski "novelty" account, albeit one that would be performing a useful function?
If someone wants to make a feed of the worst of hubski and other people like it, that's just called "using hubski." It really doesn't matter if you hate the unshared page because it will not and almost cannot find its way into your feed. In fact, on the controls setting you can force it so that you never see an unshared post in your feed. Ever. And then all you have to do is not follow people you don't like. Which is the whole point of the Hubski site in the first place.
Yes, I quite understand that the entire point of hubski is tweaking your feed by following or ignoring users. Of course these types of posts will never show up in your feed unless you're a glutton for punishment and actually follow those types of people. I was just making an observation about the new feature... navel gazing, really, hence my use of the tag #theoryofhubski. I love this sort of discussion about reddit over at /r/TheoryOfReddit.
Sorry if that came off as super rude (which it did). 2 AM is not the time to do good posting. Not for me!