New Kinja

"King Ginger, not writing for Business Insider" (king-ginger)
02/26/2014 at 12:34 • Filed to: None

Because having your comments appear for others to respond to isn't really important in the "next gen commenting system of the future world" thing.

I guess what is the point in commenting if you aren't in the top 4 "highlights"?

DISCUSSION (22)

ttyymmnn > King Ginger, not writing for Business Insider
02/26/2014 at 12:38

I was reading some of Denton's comments in Matt's threads yesterday. Apparently, the way to get your comments to the top is to have the author interact with you and vice versa. What Denton doesn't seem to understand is that some of the best discussions are ones where the OP never chimes in. And for Oppo, I don't necessarily want to babysit my post all day long. I've got things to do.

RacecaR > King Ginger, not writing for Business Insider
02/26/2014 at 12:39

Yeah, the whole old school BBS "waterfall" type commenting system kind of irks me. But I'll get over it.

Leadbull > King Ginger, not writing for Business Insider
02/26/2014 at 12:43

/?tiger=off

Gamecat235 > ttyymmnn
02/26/2014 at 12:44

The algorithm will be refined over time. Just like it was after the launch of kinja v1. For a while, based on my followers and algorithmic rank, I was featured along with, and sometimes above authors on the front page. It was WEIRD.

Things like followers (who you follow), previous interactions, and all sorts of factors likely will play into this. And Nick said that this system will evolve. (And author "proxies", which in the case of Oppo or the front page, should mean that others with author status (and speculation here, but possibly author status and directions of following) may be able to curate for author absent posts.

Plus, they are looking at a different view system ( http://product.kinja.com/thanks-and-we-… )

Victorious Secret > ttyymmnn
02/26/2014 at 12:44

As much as I like taking shots at the authors for some good old fashioned shenanigans, they have shit to do. More important shit.

The amount of times I've actually garnered a response from a author? Rarely. Why? Because I rarely address the author directly. Rarely does the author chime in unless they really need to.

Hell, you're right. How often do you really jump back into the mess you create? I rarely do. I don't want to sit there all day making more posts.

Does Denton not realize that author interaction isn't what makes discussions work here? its the 50+ participant threads that go their own course, threads that live without help.

Sure, any thread that an author engages on should probably be at the top, but limiting the top articles to only that? Whats the point anymore?

Hooker > King Ginger, not writing for Business Insider
02/26/2014 at 12:49

The thing that kills me (and maybe there is a workaround?) is when you select to "View all replies by time" you don't get that nested, comment/response that you do with the top discussions. I see a reply but have no idea what it's replying too. And at that point, I no longer care because trying to cypher out where the comments came from is something the comment system should kind of do for you. Am I making any sense?

Huell Howitzer > King Ginger, not writing for Business Insider
02/26/2014 at 12:49

Try to edit your post in the new Kinja.

FFS, there's only like a half dozen buttons. Don't they test this shit?

$kaycog > Leadbull
02/26/2014 at 12:53

That's what I'm doing. I just don't understand the new commenting system.

JEM > Hooker
02/26/2014 at 12:55

THIS!!

I can't fathom how a view all, that's un-nested, makes any sort of sense. As a QA Engineer, I literally can't understand how this is supposed to make sense, and I can't understand how someone could green light this pile of shit.

I'm fine with changing things up, sure, it might take a little getting used to and I'll grumble along a bit but I can always figure it out.

Now, now I can't. I've tried clicking everything and I still can't find replies. And to top if off, I get three copies of the same replies when I click on things sometimes, and a bunch of other threads completely disappear never to be seen again.

JEM > Huell Howitzer
02/26/2014 at 12:55

I think the answer is no, no they don't.

King Ginger, not writing for Business Insider > ttyymmnn
02/26/2014 at 12:57

I guess to be fair this IS still a business. The goal here is to create meaningful content within the community.

Comments on these sites aren't about getting an increase in responses from everybody. It is about finding favorites worthy of contribution/reposting (reposting = free content = free money). It is the exact opposite of a peer driven "electorate" where the other commentators bubble up the best opinions with their recommendations or response.

Its not bad per se, just annoying when you aren't used to it. I'll just need to slip Matt some money or something :-)

Volvosaurus-Rex > King Ginger, not writing for Business Insider
02/26/2014 at 12:59

You get the chance to let out your feelings without having to deal with FP posters.

King Ginger, not writing for Business Insider > RacecaR
02/26/2014 at 13:02

Yea I mean most of us are pretty capable and intelligent. We'll adapt...but if that means we are LESS involved (as already very active members) I would consider that to be a loss for the overall identity of the community.

Gamecat235 > JEM
02/26/2014 at 13:05

This is why, within a few minutes of this going live, I provided this feedback directly to Greg over on the Product blog.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Hooker > JEM
02/26/2014 at 13:14

This. Hopefully they can come up with a door number 3 and give us another, more nested view.

Hooker > Hooker
02/26/2014 at 13:14

I will add that a reply without any sense of context is useless.

JEM > Gamecat235
02/26/2014 at 13:34

Awesome, I commented on his reply to. I'm curious what View All was supposed to be for, other than making everything into a dripping bag of random shit.

Gamecat235 > JEM
02/26/2014 at 13:39

I have a pretty good rapport with the folks over in the response/help/front line crew, and I like em all as people. So I tend to pad my feedback in "customer service speak"... plus, I'm generally pretty polite anyway. It seems to work and I always get responses to my questions and suggestions.

And I do like some of the refinements, and speed improvements and the aesthetic to the new format... but... it's not 100% yet... Because commenting is still a bit difficult to deal with. Get that part straightened out and I think the rest will just be adjusting.

JEM > Gamecat235
02/26/2014 at 13:41

Oh believe me, I'm only calling it a bag of shit over here in Oppo :-)

I did tech support for years before doing QA so I always ask as politely as possible. In this case, I'm genuinely curious as to what the intended function of the View All was. I'm half baffled and half wondering if I'm just completely missing the point.

Totally agree that once they fix that, sure, anything else will be a minor thing to get used to.

Racescort666 > Victorious Secret
02/26/2014 at 14:43

Several articles in the recent past come to mind. Ones where we the commentators have called out authors for blatant click-bait. Oddly, but perhaps unironically, these are the ones that have some of the more meaningful discussions because it was a deliberate attempt to get people agitated.

Racescort666 > King Ginger, not writing for Business Insider
02/26/2014 at 14:47

I can't tell if your view of Gawker Media being a business is in favor of the difficulty to navigate the comments in the new system.

Using your same "it's a business" argument, having a debate in the comments that is hard to follow and meaningful responses getting lost detracts from it's usefulness.

Several people in this "article" have mentioned a perceived futility in commenting in the new system.

King Ginger, not writing for Business Insider > Racescort666
02/26/2014 at 15:08

My purpose in the initial post was complain in a knee-jerk fashion. My followup response to ttyymmnn is based on additional reflection as to why this change is being implemented. My mind works fast and is not prone to stay put with one opinion until I've looked it over enough to determine factual state (in this case, Oppo is the recipient of this pattern of thought).

Were you looking for a moral relativism behind it? If so, I don't really have one. Gawker is in the business of making money, the commenting system helps them do that by creating a rapport with a few individuals (yes, Tiger more so than Kinja) that they can repost to the FP...it is neither good nor bad, it is simply a component of the system that allows Jalopnik to exist. So take that as you will I guess.