I buried something and it just went up the list. So I guess that's not going to work either. I say if there is NO POINT to the KICKS system then I propose BigSoccer to eliminate it. I truly doubt that they will because via the system they intend to charge for ads or click thrus ads. It's brilliant, just brilliant how they manipulate the sleeping masses!
If it actually helps with the revenue in some way, to keep this site working for all of us, then great. The thing is, I still have no idea what it does. And I have yet to see anyone explain it. My wife told me just a bit ago that the Kicks system is implemented in other websites, as some sort of social ranking system for people web-wide. Don't know if that's actually the case, it's just what she said. I haven't seen it anywhere else. Me, personally, I find it even more annoying. My eye is drawn right to the 'Kick' crap, rather than to the headlines, which is what *I* care about. But I'll probably get used to it. I get grumpy every time something changes because I'm fine with how things were.
VioletCrown, check out digg.com. it;s a news site. you digg stuff you like, and bury stuff you don't. If everyone on the site does it, it weeds out the stories that the majority of site visitors don't like. Kicks are the same system but for forum threads. This forum already has a feature that accomplishes the same thing. Star ratings. If a thread has only 1 star out of 5 it's generally accepted that the content within is crap.
So then basically it's a redundant tool. If it's a redundant tool with such a major implementation then it has an alternative use. Let's not kid ourselves. They aren't going to tell us, "hey please use the KICK system to help the website make money!" lol it's a load of redbull!
My question is this. If the system was fine like it was and NO ONE was complaining, why the change? Why spend the money to upgrade if its not neccessary? The thing that I hate is the "instructions being handed down" USE THE KICK SYSTEM, USE THE KICK SYSTEM, etc, etc. Just tell the truth, you want to increase the traffic from BS to other sites. Doing this you can increase the revenue of BS which in turn helps us stay afloat. Or a simple "please patronize our sponors" blah blah blah.
Again, what's the point? Is anyone overwhelmed with the amount of threads that they just don't know which ones to read? I think you can tell which threads are useful and which are fluff based on the title, and I only frequent about 3 boards and am able to handle new threads without someone telling me which ones have been "kicked" and which ones haven't. Besides, when no one is using the system, its pretty pointless when all threads have "1 Kick".
why don't the admins post a "kicks FAQ". As it stands, i dont quite understand it, and think its kinda stupid, so im not gonna use it.
A great idea. In fact we've been drafting one all day today. Dark Knight should have it done shortly.
the most kicked threads make it to the homepage or something. which isn't gonna be all that great if the thread contains a result.
I'm sorry admins but certain things just don't feel right from the START. Just like NEW COKE and several other blunders this just doesnt pan out. The kick system is pointless and redundant. You can FAQ it all you want but even the admins know its worthless. At one point I was posting anywhere from 50-100 posts per day and I didnt need a kick system to tell me what is interesting and what isnt. Also by using the MYBIGSOCCER feautre, now called MY PROFILE, I was able to keep track of all the threads that I was subscribed to. I think it's time for even the Admins to break rank and admit that the KICK SYSTEM IS FLAWED! Clearly the point of the KICK system is to serve an agenda which is NOT the users! The content of this site is what really makes the site what it is. It's the interaction and the insight which all the users bring to the forums which make this site rich and attractive. So in the end it should be up to the USERS to decide whether we should keep this nonsense KICK system or not! Admins Speak UP!
A thread shouldn't stay up or go down because of votes or "kicks", but because of the amount of traffic and discussion it receives. After people lose interest, it will go down all on its own...if people want to talk about it, the thread will stay up. THATS HOW IT WORKS!!! That as all is needed to keep a thread alive or to lose it...this whole "kick it"/"bury it" cr@p is unecessary!! Truly serves no purpose other than to allow the idiots to abuse an otherwise great system. I personally switched to the "365" skin and all those useless add-ons as well as advertisment is gone!!
Count me among those who just don't see the use. I think I understand it, but it's frankly made me less likely to visit the site. Feels cluttered and confusing. If it creates revenue for the site, more power to you, but IMHO, it hasn't enhanced the site "experience."
I love digg, social networking, social news, user generated content, yada yada yada. I like the concept, and most people will eventually understand it. Social networking site users (which bigsoccer is) are fickle and don't like change no matter how small. Hell, even I was pissed when the site changed to bigsoccer. I though it was dumb, but it makes sense now. Refusal to change is what eventually leads to websites being replaced, so I applaud you on your efforts to keep up with the jonses. But... there are a few things that you should take a look at. - Remove the "kicks" count from next to the story in the forum view page. It clutters up the page and I don't think serves any real purpose for the user looking around for threads to check out. Yes, I know you can change your theme, but most users don't/won't. I don't think I'll ever use it in my own mental filter for determining which threads to view. View count is much more important to me. Most users won't understand or care about kicks for the time being. - Trim the character count for each story that shows up on the kicks homepage. GPK's "Relax" post takes up and entire "view" of the page, along with some others. Digg is great because it's a lot of quick hits of news & info all in one quick view. I don't want to have to scroll down through the entire page just to see 5 posts, I want that in 1 view. - For kick front page stories that have an external link, make that go to the external link, not the bigsoccer thread. If I'm clicking on the headline, I'm obviously interested in the story and am going to click on the external link anyways. less clicks = happier user. - Replace the "Bigsoccer Blogs" section on the right side with a quick description of what the "kicks" homepage is. Most users who aren't familiar with social news won't get it. And also keep in mind, there will be some users who never get it. Communities that have tried to implement this same feature on to an existing site have failed horribly. Why? It's a different breed of user and they have a different agenda. - As a community based site, cater to your users more. If they are confused (and even I was for a while), there is something fundamentally flawed in the feature, so you are going to have to figure out ways to help them understand it more. Combining the new thread & new headline together was a good step since that would have never worked (as you found out). And drop the "Like it and deal with it" attitude, those who are confused are already not happy to begin with, no need to make them even more angry. This is a community based site, treat those in the community with a little more respect since well... we're the reason you are successful. Yes, yes, I know it's a blow to your egos. But if BigSoccer died all of a sudden, everyone would find another forum and nobody would really care that much. That's just the world of social networking. Ask friendster how much they wish they listened to their users concerns way back when a little more. Anyways, nice work guys.
I opted to sort by date, in the forums tab, and so while the kicks are still there on the right, they don't affect the order in which I see the threads. One of the main points of this reorg process is that it is customizable to a certain extent. Customize it!
just for the record I wanted to mention that while I'm a moderator I had nothing to do with implementing kicks. I personally think they need to be a bit more understated or eliminated.
Unless you change them, forums function as they always have. By date. We agree. All those screaming 1s in Forum Display were too much. Better now? Also, major tweaking has muchly improved the homepage... Huss
Please everyone a round of applause for a Moderator willing to voice his personal opinion! GutBomb I want to thank you for having the courage to say what you feel about the KICKS system. REPPED!
Is kicking positive or negative? I have no idea, but I just can't resist hitting that "Kick It" button. Woooo!