And also with you. One thing I like about Hubski is that the conversations aren't "me & anon". I have been thinking about that. I have no desire to make Hubski big or popular or to make money. I am seriously considering closing the open signup process, and doing the following: Thoughts? 1. If you want to join Hubski, write a small blurb about yourself. No identifying details, just your hobbies, favorite reads, what you'd like to discuss, etc. 2. Hubskiers with a Hubwheel can see this feed of apps, and approve new users as they like.
I love the fact that hubski people have personalities and I know many of us and I too would not like it being a massive site, so thank you for being dedicated to keeping it thoughtful. However, it's a very quiet website and I think more people would be good. Years ago when there were more people, there was more discussion and I miss the deep, complex, long-lasting discussions. I think making the sign up process more difficult would reduce the number of spam, but it'd also drastically reduce the number of potential newbies coming in. And speaking of newbies, I know there's been discussion from newbies (Daffodil that I can think of recently) that because the lack of action on Hubski, earning a hubwheel is a lot more difficult, and since there is functionality attached to that, being a new person is that much more difficult. It's already daunting since we've all been here for years. Are there plans to fix that should you change the sign up process, or even leaving the sign up process how it is?
We have very few newbies coming in, and I doubt changing the signup in that way will reduce the numbers. In fact, I suspect it might have the opposite effect. Also, spam is a massive pain in the ass. Just three regularly engaged users can have a significant impact on this place. Signaling from the outset that Hubski is clearly more interested in users than growth might be beneficial. I can definitely tweak the rate at which a hubwheel is earned.
mk, c_hawkthorne mentioned to me in passing that the chat function isn’t visible when logged out. I recall older lurkers not being logged in when lurking. Is this a possible change that can occur?
It’s definitely one of the more creative solutions you’ve come up with. Far cry from the old days when we’d get up in the middle of the night to make sure that people were being engaged! I honestly have no clue of this is a good idea, but I don’t think there’s any harm in trying. This whole website is one big experiment, so this seems like it’s in the spirit of the place.
Can't find it, but pretty sure I suggested vouching back in the day, inspired by Blinkenshell system, and was universally ignored. I'm all for it now still.
It is an unusual model to ask people to 'apply' for an account on the site ... so I like it. I always like iterating on things and trying new things out. From the newbie's perspective, though, it seems like they should have a way to see our 'applications' as well. Scan through the participants on the site, their little mini-bios, and decide if this is the community they want to throw their hat in with. Maybe the 'application' blurb appears on each of our profile pages? So newbies can figure out the difference between WasOxygen and mike and b_b, etc?
This is an appropriate Hubski idea and can be the next installment of #writebetterdammit