NEW: Galt's Gulch Hot List
In preparation for the summer rush, we’re doing a little spring cleaning in the Gulch. One of our first chores? Tidying up the Galt’s Gulch Hot List.
We started by sweeping out the posts with 0 comments (sorry, those aren’t hot… yet!). Then we popped the hood and gave the Hot List motor (a.k.a. algorithm) a tune up to ensure the hottest, stay hot, for as long as they’re… uhm… hot.
Lastly, we put on our hard hats and built a new feature: the Activity Indicator. This notification, located only on Hot List posts, shows you when the post was last commented on.
Check out the new Hot List and share your feedback here.
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Gulch Hot List: http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/hot
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We started by sweeping out the posts with 0 comments (sorry, those aren’t hot… yet!). Then we popped the hood and gave the Hot List motor (a.k.a. algorithm) a tune up to ensure the hottest, stay hot, for as long as they’re… uhm… hot.
Lastly, we put on our hard hats and built a new feature: the Activity Indicator. This notification, located only on Hot List posts, shows you when the post was last commented on.
Check out the new Hot List and share your feedback here.
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Gulch Hot List: http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/hot
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As to the algorithm change, it does seem less cluttery :)
Have you analysed where users are on your site when they click to post or comment?
If they mostly start posting from the Hot List, that is, the location that the site sticks them in at startup, then they will miss lots of NEW posts that might be much more interesting than the restricted Hot List. Hot List now even more restricted than before.
How do you think things will get to HOT if most visitors are responding to HOT because of the site default?
You should also look at how things become HOT. Are all the early posts/replies from frequent posters? OK, they probably will be, but is it even more skewed than overall posting? If so, then the frequent posters and the site startup default are herding people into the HOT topics. If so, then do frequent posters post mostly from Hot list or New list?
My Gulch defaults to Hot List when I start it. I immediately switch to New because HotList is not MY HOT LIST, it's someone elses definition of Hot. However, I think that because the Gulch automatically dumps everyone on Hot list to start, those topics automatically get more views AND more posts (self fulfilling new definition of Hot?) and many New topics are ignored, and missed by many Gulchers.
I think you need to analyse the traffic. Restricting the Hot List weighting on number of comments instead of points is more indictative of Hot than just based on points, but it may be skewed by the default site navigation.
I never use HOT List at all. The New list is where the action is. Unfiltered, unfined, uncensored, no unknown algorithm defining it.
I just wanted to point out
a) that since Hot is the default, that would skew traffic away from other posts
b) that posts from frequent posters may exaggerate that skewing effect
c) the algorithm may then exaggerate that effect again
I suggested that traffic analysis might shed some light on this.
So far we have 2 data points from frequent posters, you and me, that ignore Hot. What does the rest of the traffic data show? (Rhetorical question, don't expect an answer from anyone;^)
And, are you seeing all of them say literally the same thing, "23 hours and 26 minutes ago?"