Comments on: Sort of Like the Wisdom of Crowds http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/ Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made Sun, 27 May 2012 00:43:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Jacques Distler http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/comment-page-1/#comment-170069 Jacques Distler Mon, 28 Aug 2006 02:56:26 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/#comment-170069 One word: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_blog" rel="nofollow">splogs</a>. There are thousands, if not millions of robotically-created blogspot blogs, whose sole purpose for existence is search-engine spam. These days, most of them make some feeble attempt to hide the Flag button. Which, I presume, is because the Flag button is a somewhat effective way to combat them. One word: splogs.

There are thousands, if not millions of robotically-created blogspot blogs, whose sole purpose for existence is search-engine spam.

These days, most of them make some feeble attempt to hide the Flag button. Which, I presume, is because the Flag button is a somewhat effective way to combat them.

]]> By: AA http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/comment-page-1/#comment-169685 AA Thu, 24 Aug 2006 23:47:05 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/#comment-169685 Maybe a "not objectionable" flag would be better. This is how forest paths get made. Not a bad idea to have a marked trail through blogistan for the morally obese. Maybe a “not objectionable” flag would be better.
This is how forest paths get made.
Not a bad idea to have a marked trail through
blogistan for the morally obese.

]]> By: greensmile http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/comment-page-1/#comment-169602 greensmile Thu, 24 Aug 2006 14:11:49 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/#comment-169602 Half of my hits are from google searches that include the potentially steamy word "thong" which is in my blog title. This is not the half of my hits that involve any reading of content. Another way to reduce traffic to blogspot pages is to set font color for some of the text to the background color: Google considers that a hazard for hidden and nefarious links and omits such pages from its inventory of the web. Some questions are not answered by Blogger's explanatory page: 1. just certain posts or the whole blog? 2. once flagged, always flagged? 3. how does the proprietor become aware that they have offended? Since it could be accidental or simple bad spelling, shouldn't blog owner have a chance to make corrections? 4. If it is only the single bit of data [offesive/inoffensive] when there are so many kinds of offese we can offer, how are we to guess the nature of the offense? We don't even know who is offended. Clearly, our cyberselves are subject to far harsher and more arbitrary rules than the standards of justice by which our physical persons can be denied the right to be out among the public. Half of my hits are from google searches that include the potentially steamy word “thong” which is in my blog title. This is not the half of my hits that involve any reading of content. Another way to reduce traffic to blogspot pages is to set font color for some of the text to the background color: Google considers that a hazard for hidden and nefarious links and omits such pages from its inventory of the web. Some questions are not answered by Blogger’s explanatory page:
1. just certain posts or the whole blog?
2. once flagged, always flagged?
3. how does the proprietor become aware that they have offended? Since it could be accidental or simple bad spelling, shouldn’t blog owner have a chance to make corrections?
4. If it is only the single bit of data [offesive/inoffensive] when there are so many kinds of offese we can offer, how are we to guess the nature of the offense? We don’t even know who is offended. Clearly, our cyberselves are subject to far harsher and more arbitrary rules than the standards of justice by which our physical persons can be denied the right to be out among the public.

]]> By: Theron http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/comment-page-1/#comment-169554 Theron Wed, 23 Aug 2006 22:49:24 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/#comment-169554 I think Porn Central is a great idea, just that Blogger may not be the best place for it. I think Porn Central is a great idea, just that Blogger may not be the best place for it.

]]> By: H. E. http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/comment-page-1/#comment-169550 H. E. Wed, 23 Aug 2006 21:43:47 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/#comment-169550 Different blogs have different corporate cultures and some seem to have huge populations of list-nannies, always on patrol for posts that aren't sufficiently nice, including those that are just argumentative, and always ready to report them to the Administration to get them zapped. I used to read some boards on Beliefnet.com where that dynamic was in play. Moreover regulars were insistent that anyone who posted identify himself, put up a profile and become a "member of the community." The wisdom of this crowd made the discussion so vapid and repetitious that it wasn't worth reading. I suppose it mirrors life outside where there are ostensibly public places that are really private spaces for like-minded people who're interested in schmoozing. You discover that what looks like a public forum is really a "community" and beat a retreat. Different blogs have different corporate cultures and some seem to have huge populations of list-nannies, always on patrol for posts that aren’t sufficiently nice, including those that are just argumentative, and always ready to report them to the Administration to get them zapped.

I used to read some boards on Beliefnet.com where that dynamic was in play. Moreover regulars were insistent that anyone who posted identify himself, put up a profile and become a “member of the community.” The wisdom of this crowd made the discussion so vapid and repetitious that it wasn’t worth reading.

I suppose it mirrors life outside where there are ostensibly public places that are really private spaces for like-minded people who’re interested in schmoozing. You discover that what looks like a public forum is really a “community” and beat a retreat.

]]> By: Nonny Mouse http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/comment-page-1/#comment-169531 Nonny Mouse Wed, 23 Aug 2006 17:49:02 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/#comment-169531 Unless you are a geek with no life like me, you probably haven't heard of Fanfiction.net. But this system reminds me exactly of one of the major problems of Fanfiction.net: their "Report Abuse" system has little or no human oversight, and stories are deleted based on how many people report them, not on whether or not they actually break the rules. Because of the flamewares and incessant idiocy inherent in online fandom, popular stories are at serious risk of being deleted at any time. People will report stories for reasons from hating the author, to hating the relationships in the story (many hate homosexual relationships and will report any story that contains them, and even more have "pet" relationships that they hate seeing broken up in others' stories, and so on and so forth), to actual breaking of the rules. Of course this doesn't really hurt Fanfiction.net, and probably never will. It only hurts the feelings of the authors whose stories are deleted or whose accounts are suspended, and there aren't enough of them to make a difference to Fanfiction.net's bottom line. If there's not enough oversight on the blogger system, then I don't see how it matters whether or not the rule is only targeted at porn, rather than at political speech. People *will* lie just to get content that they don't like pulled. Unless you are a geek with no life like me, you probably haven’t heard of Fanfiction.net.

But this system reminds me exactly of one of the major problems of Fanfiction.net: their “Report Abuse” system has little or no human oversight, and stories are deleted based on how many people report them, not on whether or not they actually break the rules.

Because of the flamewares and incessant idiocy inherent in online fandom, popular stories are at serious risk of being deleted at any time. People will report stories for reasons from hating the author, to hating the relationships in the story (many hate homosexual relationships and will report any story that contains them, and even more have “pet” relationships that they hate seeing broken up in others’ stories, and so on and so forth), to actual breaking of the rules.

Of course this doesn’t really hurt Fanfiction.net, and probably never will. It only hurts the feelings of the authors whose stories are deleted or whose accounts are suspended, and there aren’t enough of them to make a difference to Fanfiction.net’s bottom line.

If there’s not enough oversight on the blogger system, then I don’t see how it matters whether or not the rule is only targeted at porn, rather than at political speech. People will lie just to get content that they don’t like pulled.

]]> By: tps12 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/comment-page-1/#comment-169518 tps12 Wed, 23 Aug 2006 16:51:01 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/#comment-169518 Wait, what's wrong with Porn Central? Wait, what’s wrong with Porn Central?

]]> By: Theron http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/comment-page-1/#comment-169500 Theron Wed, 23 Aug 2006 15:19:52 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/23/sort-of-like-the-wisdom-of-crowds/#comment-169500 So, <i>The Wisdom of Crowds</i> is a good way to set standards for speech? I think that's what the First Amendment was meant to prevent. Of course, Blogger's Google overlords can do what they want - they are footing the bills, as Blogger is a free service - but I would hope they stick to preventing Blogger from turning into Porn Central, and stay out of politics. So, The Wisdom of Crowds is a good way to set standards for speech? I think that’s what the First Amendment was meant to prevent. Of course, Blogger’s Google overlords can do what they want – they are footing the bills, as Blogger is a free service – but I would hope they stick to preventing Blogger from turning into Porn Central, and stay out of politics.

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