thoughts on "ignore", anonymity and reputational systems- Page 3

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:18pm

You raise some very interesting points ullabelt.

I agree that if the anonymity is taken out of the equation it *will* affect those whose only source of social interaction is this board, or any other internet forum they are a part of that chooses to do so.

I myself, would not have a problem with that. CarlosAlberto is my real name and some on here have met me in person and/or were facebook friends, when I had facebook so those I interact with on a daily basis here know who I am and what I look like in real life.

It could be a problem for those who want complete anonymity, but not for me.

Updated On: 8/23/13 at 02:18 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:24pm

2. Reputational Systems: (a better explanation)... This is not as the poster who condemned such technology believed. There is no "scorecard" in the traditional sense. It is not gamification or even a contest. It is a tracking system that accounts for many aspects of social media. Using an algorithm system, it considers each user and each user's reaction to each and every posts.
...

Each user is given what in the industry is considered, "karma" points. Everyone gets them. As you become more and more a trusted source, your karma increases. If on the other hand your activities are suspect, they decrease. Attached to every post is a flagging system where a user can "like" "dislike" "report" etc. a post that they find positive or offensive. That flag is valued based on the user who does the flagging and how many flags a post receives. Again, a very complex algorithm. If there are multiple flags reporting a post as abusive, the karma points reflect that. Know that the karma points don't just go against the poster, but also for those who point out the abuse. Again, also weighted by the history of the poster and those users reporting the post.


This is absolutely, unequivocally gamification. It's turning a message board environment into a game show, as I said before. It will change the focus from discussions to "who has the most points" or "the best karma." Who survived the cut? Who was deleted?

No thanks. I'm sick of everything being turned into a game. And that's coming from someone who worked on them as an interactive graphics producer and designer for a decade in Hollywood. "Points" don't always have to be awarded to justify opinions. I don't want to wander through a museum (in the future) and see points tallied next to the artwork either.

I still think the answer that allows for the most freedom all around here is to employ the ignore/block feature. It allows people to post what they want and how they want (unless they violate the message board rules), and it also allows members of the board to choose not to read a certain posters comments or threads. Is it perfect? No. But every time you get two or more people in the same (virtual) room, "perfect" becomes a subjective opinion itself, based on user experience.

As for the anonymity issue, there is a big difference between "being yourself" in a roomful of likeminded people and freely speaking your mind on a given subject, and "being yourself" on a published website that is connected to the entire world. Anonymity allows for some privacy to free up the discussion. Of course, people take advantage of it and abuse their "masks."

I see it working two ways in the future: 1) Remove the anonymity, but make the message boards private, visible only to the people who have registered and logged in. Similar to the "friends only" settings for Facebook. Or 2) keep the message boards public on the web, and allow anonymous users to post under current board guidelines.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:26pm

The lack of anonymity would be a problem for me. Not only would it curtail the information I currently feel safe sharing, someone on this board who has issues with me has threatened to do their best to ruin my reputation should they discover my actual identity. I take that threat seriously.

It's one of the reasons I come here less and less.

There certainly is something to be said for removing the anonymity, though. It would mostly eliminate trolls, and would make many think twice about what they post.







Updated On: 8/23/13 at 02:26 PM

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:26pm

wait, carlos. so was that or wasn't that you in the "art film" that was forwarded to me?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:29pm

"gamification" I have never heard that before but I like it.

[Kad]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:31pm

I agree, Ghostlight. I would certainly censor myself a great deal when it comes to "insider" information. And opinions on productions whose companies I may be/ may have been affiliated with.

Updated On: 8/23/13 at 02:31 PM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:31pm

i was young papa...i needed the money...don't judge.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:32pm

See that's the thing that the trolls/socks don't seem to understand, we're not all anonymous. If you've been posting here for any amount of time, chances are you've probably met people here in person or have Facebooked them. I'm going to guesstimate that I've met 100+ BWWers face to face. Some of us are more than just posters, we're family. You don't f*ck with family.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:35pm

ghostlight2---I appreciate your posts. I don't "need" to know who you are in real life, because I enjoy reading what you have to offer as far as information and opinions. If you were exposed, as you say, at the very least, you would curb your tongue. You would probably go away entirely. I can only imagine how bored everyone would get here (quicker than one day) if people were on their best "Sunday school behavior."

I'm also smart enough to know fake identities would be created quicker than you can say "I'm the real Betty Buckley." Yeah, right.

My name is Sarah Brown. No, really. I'm from New York, NY, and I work for the Salvation Army. Here's my recent photo.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:37pm

It would just be another Facebook then. And one of those is more than enough. Look at this kitten video!

[ARTc3]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:38pm

best12bars... I still haven't made myself clear to you. Many of the systems I speak of don't allow you access to knowing your karma points. Do you know your karma points on facebook? CNN? The Huffington Post? Most news based sites and almost all large ones? Your bank? The list goes on. This is a completely behind the scenes tracking information about your usage, a certain aspect of how you're perceived within the community and then making judgments based on a very complex set of algorithms. The purpose is to include you in a queue, and a position within that queue to be moderated.

I hope this is clearer. There is no contest to gain karma points. There have been systems like that, but as I've written there has been a learning curve and today's good reputational systems have learned from that mistake.

Another very interest post is about someone who is socially awkward... I am so thankful for the ideas of some of the posters here.

Something interesting about me... My partner has Aspergers and as such I want to believe that I am extremely sensitive to that audience's needs.

As I wrote early about "famous" people, there is a lot to consider and I am still forming my beliefs. The idea of removing the anonymous nature of the Internet is huge. Its not brand new, but its pretty new and there is going to be an intense and heated discussion about how - and if - it will ever happen.

One think I know I'd advocate is that you could still "lurk" anonymously.

People are concerned. Rightfully so. The Internet is extremely powerful. These are very important questions.

Honestly, I'm hoping that the "Ignore" button will work this time.

Updated On: 8/23/13 at 02:38 PM

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:38pm

Nice to meet you Sarah. I love the sheen of your hair.

[tazber]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:39pm

Hey!

don't knock kitten videos

Updated On: 8/23/13 at 02:39 PM

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:40pm

My goodness, but you're adorable, best12 - and sincerely, thank you very much for your kind words.

I don't think I am indiscrete in my posts, but yes, the very knowledge that I post here would not sit well with some people, and that would keep me from posting.

[tazber]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:41pm

Art, how could someone not lurk anonymously?

If you're just reading a site all you are is an IP address, right?

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:41pm

"Gamification" is an industry term, Namo.

It's a popular buzzword now for marketing & design firms and ad agencies looking to reach the younger "mobile app" generation.

The popular theory is that essentially anything can be "gamified" in order to sell a product or increase awareness.

Adding "points" to a museum visit or logging in at a Broadway theatre and "voting" for your favorite performer or giving a rating to the overall show are only years (if not months) around the corner.

It's all a way for tracking consumers, through what they buy, what they "like," and encouraging repeat business (you get extra points if you come back). Some offer prizes or discounts or "codes" for getting stuff. Others just do it for the fun of the game.

But it's primary purposes are gathering information and increasing revenue.

[Kad]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:41pm

The thing is, Huffpo, CNN, etc. have a much, MUCH larger volume of posts and users than BWW. A rating system there is almost necessary to bring pertinent/useful/interesting posts to the forefront.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:44pm

ghostlight2 ... so you are Patti Lupone. I knew it.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:45pm

"don't like seeing ads for anal bleaching? well, stop googling it, einstein!"

Funny you should bring that up!

For some reason, I don't see those ads, and I'm in the market for a new anal-bleaching salon. My old salon must have switched to a weaker bleach or something, I dunno...

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:47pm

Adding "points" to a museum visit or logging in at a Broadway theatre and "voting" for your favorite performer or giving a rating to the overall show are only years (if not months) around the corner.

They've tried that and nobody cares, right? Four Square... and that thing that preceded Level Up, I can't remember what it was. It was a Cambridge-based company and it was supposed to turn your whole life of commerce and consumption into a game. And it never took off.

[ARTc3]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:47pm

More good points. True. I believe that there are things that could be done to improve BroadwayWorld's quota of negativity, but economics and audience are key limiting factors.

best12bars, your knowledge of gamification is excellent and right on. I'm surprised that you aren't more aware of current reputational system theory and how they work.

You are absolutely correct in that some earlier attempts were disasters and even today's best attempts are limited. I truly believe you are mistaken in assuming that they continue to be "games".

Updated On: 8/23/13 at 02:47 PM

[tazber]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:49pm

It all sounds rather NSA-ish to me.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:52pm

ARTc3---if all of that tracking is strictly behind the scenes, it seems like an enormous amount of effort (and money) that doesn't actually work very well. All you have to do is visit the CNN or HuffPo message boards to be horrified in less that five seconds flat. It seriously does make the BWW boards look like a love-fest, by comparison.

So if all that micro-evaluating and karma coding and tracking is going on behind the scenes just to tip off a handful of mods, why is it "seemingly" ineffectual to those of us who dare to read through them even for a quick visit?

In short, what's the point of all of that if it doesn't really work?

[ARTc3]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:52pm

A good example of gamification is Broadway Boosters.

Oh, and this is exactly NSA, but far worse. We've all - those who have embraced social media - signed up for it.


Broadway Boosters

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 2:52pm

for some reason, i don't see those ads, and i'm in the market for a new anal-bleaching salon. my old salon must have switched to a weaker bleach or something, i dunno...

we'll need comparison photos you realize.