In February, I asked whether 3 socs should be needed for an article on JapanSoc to be promoted from the “Upcoming” page to the “Top Stories” page. At that time, articles were averaging 2.9 votes each and users voted in favor of the 3-soc requirement.
As JapanSoc continues to grow, the average number of socs per article has risen to 4.6. So, the question is, should 4 socs be needed to hit the front page?
The case for a 4 soc promotion requirement
- Four votes would make sure higher quality articles make the front page.
- With fewer articles getting promoted, existing front page articles can get more exposure.
- Currently, almost everything gets on the front page, which defeats the purpose of “Top” stories.
The case against a 4 soc promotion requirement
- Breaking news stories might not be so new by the time they hit the front page.
- Submissions might disappear down the Upcoming page before enough people see them.
- Special interest topics might not get the exposure they deserve, e.g. ESL or anime.
- Users might be discouraged from submitting articles if it is harder to make the front page.
I should point out that a submission must get enough socs within 7 days to be promoted to the font page.
Time to vote… Update: Voting has now closed. 4 socs it is!
[poll id=”8″]
If you like, you can find me on Twitter at @nick_ramsay. I'd love to hear from you!
Sure, let’s up it to 4. If something disastrous happens you can always just change it back. I don’t think that will be necessary though.
As the site grows, it only makes sense for a higher standard to be applied. As it is gaining 4 soc’s is pretty easy, so it seems like a good idea for me. I absolutely love the site. It is a great way to get more exposure to the J-blogosphere as well as to get one’s site involved. Makes the network tighter.
Cheers!
Couldn’t say it better myself. To quote Jordan, “As the site grows, it only makes sense for a higher standard to be applied.” So yeah, let’s shift gears a bit and shrink the size of our mesh before we continue sifting.
(And I say that even with a story still chilling out in the Upcoming queue…)
NOT ANYMORE, YOU ARE FRONT PAGE MATERIAL NOW, BUDDY! HIGH TOUCH! (aka japanese hi five)
Upping the ante seems like the logical next step.
I didn’t leave the poll up for long, but it looks pretty obvious that most people support the change, so that’s it! Done! 4 socs to hit the front page as of 2am on Wednesday morning. Thanks for your votes. 🙂
I was thinking about this a couple of days ago – so I’m on board too!
Thanks for managing this Nick, and for asking for feedback – how very democratic of you 🙂
It looks like we might have to go up to 5 in the not too distant future!
4 socs is fine by me ^_^