make the GREAT HITS section for members only

Discussion in 'General' started by rricplay, Nov 28, 2012.

?

Should the "GREAT HITs" section be restricted to members only?

  1. Yes

    85 vote(s)
    52.8%
  2. No

    76 vote(s)
    47.2%
  1. j0sh

    j0sh User

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2012
    Messages:
    627
    Likes Received:
    0
    There was nothing malicious in my posting. I was merely having a little fun messing with Andy. Personally I am one of the NO's and that's how I voted. I do not think we need a poll to tell us what we already know. As you said earlier, the thread knows how to moderate itself.
     
  2. RWStein

    RWStein User

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2012
    Messages:
    1,815
    Likes Received:
    0
    Hiya Josh...

    I was agreeing with you in terms of your 'NO' vote. Sorry if it came out wrong. Doing 10000 things at once.

    The polls on the other hand are important in my opinion to let people know how to proceed. Especially the ones that are most active such as yourself. I personally would really like to know what the active members want in the forum and the daily thread. I just want a fair and balanced discussion on the topic.
     
  3. frogman31680

    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2012
    Messages:
    4,460
    Likes Received:
    0
    Members only?

    Really?

    I voted NO and would do it 100 times more if I could.

    We are here to help people. Some of the lurkers are members that time out on the website. I think that a more appropriate rule would be that everyone on the board has to contribute at least one hit for the day to continue, but then how would you moderate that?

    Restricting us to a members only crowd will do one main thing. Decrease the amount of hits that are available on here.

    Think about it. We become members only. Lurkers cannot see what we post. Don't want to waste the time registering and seeing what we are about. So they move on. You are all happy now.

    But what if that lurker was to become another Granit? Think of all of those hits that you now DON'T have. And what happens when someone that does post a lot of hits takes off and quits Mturk? We don't have anyone to replace him or her.

    So there you have it. Keep it free. Keep it open. Keep the hits coming.
     
  4. Protowyn

    Protowyn User

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2012
    Messages:
    387
    Likes Received:
    0
    As somebody who has just (yesterday) started posting, I would honestly never have started using it if it weren't available for "lurkers". I think it would scare a LOT of potential people away if you made it members-only.
     
  5. j0sh

    j0sh User

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2012
    Messages:
    627
    Likes Received:
    0
    You can't always please everyone, it never works out in the end. Someone, somewhere is going to disagree, feel left out, get their feelings hurt, etc... That's partly why we are having this discussion today, which IMO has been beaten into the ground. But this is Andy's house and we have to play by his (and your) rules. If you two feel that a poll will help in making this place better, than I am for it. Just know that IMO the system is not broken so no need to fix it.

    Oh and you better be nice to me, it's almost my half Birthday! You didn't come off wrong, there is no need for apologies. I was simply making a statement to CYOA. I had my last final today, so I am little cranky. However, I am always cranky as you can tell by my avatar (that you made me get *cough cough).
     
  6. vordai

    vordai User

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2012
    Messages:
    51
    Likes Received:
    0
    Hi,

    As someone who mostly sticks to transcriptions, and turks outside of work, I actually find the Great HITs thread very entertaining. I like the chitchat, and I click the survey links to see if any are still active.

    Most of the time, the surveys are all done, and the batches are pretty much finished by the time I get to check them out. I'll read the thread and be like, "Two Lakes are up!" and then realize that was 40 minutes ago.

    I like it the way it is, and I try to contribute if I'm not too far behind on the thread when I think of refreshing the forum. Mostly for me, it's to see what other people are up to and find a few interesting HITs to do while taking a break from whatever blah blah meditation retreat I'm transcribing.
     
  7. ash breaks stuff

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2012
    Messages:
    874
    Likes Received:
    0
    I'd just like to say that just because it shows I'm online sometimes, it doesn't mean I'm lurking and leeching. I haven't had much time in the past couple weeks. I check in to see what's up with everyone, but haven't been able to turk much. :(

    Also, what I like about this forum is that it's not like the other forums.

    Two Lakes and others are going to disappear whether they are posted here or not. With the self-refreshing scripts and TA, not much lasts anymore.
     
    #87 ash breaks stuff, Dec 6, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 6, 2012
  8. brandorphins

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2012
    Messages:
    235
    Likes Received:
    0
    I vote yes if I haven't already before, haha. It's been a week or two since I've turked.
     
  9. razorbacks0121

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2012
    Messages:
    2,241
    Likes Received:
    0
    edit* wrong thread
     
    #89 razorbacks0121, Dec 6, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 6, 2012
  10. RWStein

    RWStein User

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2012
    Messages:
    1,815
    Likes Received:
    0
    Why do you vote yes?
     
  11. Lori1985

    Lori1985 User

    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2012
    Messages:
    14,058
    Likes Received:
    0
    I voted yes. The thread is for us to help each other.
     
  12. veronicany87

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2012
    Messages:
    309
    Likes Received:
    0
    I have no idea how to vote, I see no option? But anyway, I would vote yes. It takes literally 2 minutes to sign up, so It's not like you would be locking anyone out. It's not fair for lurkers to come along and grab all the hits without signing up or contributing. Just my opinion!

    EDIT: I can't vote because it says I already did vote? Oh well, lol
     
  13. RWStein

    RWStein User

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2012
    Messages:
    1,815
    Likes Received:
    0
    Agreed...

    But remember - most members joined because they SAW what there was to offer... With out access they would never have joined?

    Am I wrong?
     
  14. Cowfin

    Cowfin Community Manager
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2012
    Messages:
    3,737
    Likes Received:
    0
    Locking out the thread would hurt everyone. It would result in less traffic, which means that even people who would want to sign up may not be as willing. It could prevent a potentially ultra-helpful person from finding the forum. I don't see any of the benefits.

    Locking the thread would do nothing for the content that is posted, if anything it would make it worse, with the same people posting, and no variety.

    Locking the thread to prevent people from finding HITs is both selfish and pointless anyways. People will go to HWTF on Reddit, CMB, or even TN to find HITs, regardless of whether HITs are posted here or not.
     
  15. 2muchTurkin

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2012
    Messages:
    1,281
    Likes Received:
    0
    Can you get a chicken to grow if there is no egg? Leave it open for the lurkers so they can grow to members is what I say.
     
  16. Jak

    Jak User

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2012
    Messages:
    2,397
    Likes Received:
    0
    On the subject of the Greatest Hits thread being regulated, I find it weird how off the ratio of votes to actual posters in the thread is. I personally think that those who haven't really posted or contributed shouldn't have a say in what happens to the thread regulation.

    I think those of us who do post and contribute to the thread are pretty good at knowing when too much off-topic talk is too much. When/If we hit that point, we notice it and stop.

    Sorry if there's any typos or anything, I'm typing this on my phone.
     
  17. Lori1985

    Lori1985 User

    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2012
    Messages:
    14,058
    Likes Received:
    0
    I signed up because I didn't have anyone to talk to about turking or now anyone else in real life who turks. I didn't even find that thread till after I signed up and searched around the website.

    There's another forum that not only makes you sign up, but makes you post so many times in other threads before the hits forum will unlock. That is a bit redundant to me. But having people join and participate in order to gain the benefits seems like a great idea to me.

    I often wonder how many times when hits like Two Lakes are up, me and many others are busy typing up a reply or talking to someone that we get in on them late. Whereas the lurkers who just sit and hit refresh all day on it are grabbing up the good stuff while the rest of us are busy helping and talking to each other.
     
  18. Cowfin

    Cowfin Community Manager
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2012
    Messages:
    3,737
    Likes Received:
    0
    If you are in chrome, use this https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/auto-refresh-plus/oilipfekkmncanaajkapbpancpelijih , it gives you a notification when the keyword appears on the page. You can be among the first to get on the batch.

    Personally, I rarely use it anymore, but I am definitely looking to get back to active turking again.
     
  19. 2muchTurkin

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2012
    Messages:
    1,281
    Likes Received:
    0
    That is the program I live by when turking. ARP. Currently have 2 guides about using it. A very important tool for turkers.
     
  20. sasquatch

    sasquatch User

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2012
    Messages:
    4,446
    Likes Received:
    0
    the real issue here is contributors and participants vs lurkers of any flavor, registered or not. yes, it only takes 2 minutes to sign up, and then formerly anonymous lurkers can go back to lurking with a username instead. we already have a lot of those as it is, and the principle is still the same whether or not they've joined. and so the real question is not whether to make the greatest hits thread for members only, but rather, whether it should be for contributors or active participants only. and as i mentioned much earlier in the thread, this would be very difficult to measure or formalize, and also to ensure that the 'right' users have access and the 'wrong' ones don't, a distinction which is dangerously subjective. and without being allowed in this thread, how would new contributors and participants get recognized so that they could eventually gain access to it?

    i think we all need to take a step back and consider how much of a negative impact lurkers have really had on our earnings. i personally think it's very little. i honestly don't think the few two lakes or whatever hits we might miss because we're busy in the thread amounts to much in terms of missed opportunities at earning money. i think i contribute to the daily thread as much as anyone else, and there have been plenty of times that even the act of posting a hit to the thread, let alone general discussion, caused me to miss something, even hits that pay as much as a $17 goldsmith article, because my first impulse was to get the info back here and i forgot to accept it.

    i also don't think there are enough lurkers here, even as large as the forum has gotten and as populated as the thread is every day, to impact our ability to grab enough of these hits for ourselves. organized teams of scammers? yes. general popularity of certain hits? quite possibly. a couple dozen registered or unregistered thread lurkers? probably not. we are not the only place on the internet that posts hits. we are not the only people refreshing search pages. we are not the only turkalert subscribers. i'd be willing to bet multiple limbs that the majority of people gobbling up the hits we love so much are people who have probably never even been here.

    i found this forum on the mturk and hwtf subreddits, as well as the other two main mturk forums. i personally don't like reddit very much, so i signed up for all three forums at the same time hoping to find an mturk 'home', and it was mainly the openness and informality of this place compared with the others that made me stay. so if you've ever been helped by suggestions or hits that i've posted, the only reason that i stuck around long enough to learn anything worth posting is because this forum, and the daily hits thread in particular, is as open and helpful to new people as it is and has been since i joined. and i'm definitely not the only contributor to the forum who joined, learned, and eventually started helping others as a result of this.

    is it perfect? no, but nothing is perfect, so a more reasonable question is, are its flaws really doing any palpable damage to our ability to find great hits, enjoy the discussion, let off some steam, and learn from each other? i don't think so. i think the way the thread works now makes all of those things, and turking in general, much easier. listening to some opinions in this thread makes me think of cartoons where two characters are locked up in a cabin with no food and they start imagining each other as cooked chickens and proceed to chase each other around with forks, or that scene in some movie adaptation of a tale of two cities where a barrel of wine falls and breaks on the street in paris and all the poor people run over and start fighting to scoop some up off the cobble. it's not like that. and this is coming from someone who relies on turking for 110% of his income. if i've missed a few hits here and there because lurkers jumped on them while i was posting a hit, discussing a requester, or talking about 90s rap music, fine. they can have it. if you really think about it, the greatest hits thread has earned all of us a lot more than we could have lost to lurkers or anyone else, and the fact that it's open to everyone has been a big part of this.

    /book
     

Share This Page