This is meant as a response to the "Obligatory influx opinions" thread (http://hubski.com/pub?id=104887).
I am a new user as of yesterday. Yes I came here from Reddit.
It is obvious that no one wants this site to go the way of Reddit. I have read a lot of negativity from more experienced hubski users despairing that the influx of Reddit users will harm this community.
It is also obvious that hubski is going to grow. The open question, it seems to me, is how that growth will happen.
So tell me, what can I do as a new user to add value to this community, to help it grow in a positive way?
Thanks for your time.
Li'l story. As long-time users of this site are aware, I have completed a novel. And as I was nearing the finish line, I began to think of clever, snide ways to announce to my Facebook friends that I had finished a novel - after all, many of them are also writers. It was a thought I had for a week or two, as I knew I was a few hundred words from done. Then I typed the last sentence, and sat there, and realized that I'd accomplished something pretty monumental, as far as accomplishments go, and the whole idea of posting ANYTHING on Facebook got really unappealing. My change of heart was directly related to my perception of Facebook. I have friends that only post when they've accomplished something monumental (one guy has a picture of him with DeNiro, another with the Dalai Lama). I have friends that never accomplish something monumental, so they post their breakfasts. I have friends that post vocabulary words. I have friends that check in whenever they're on vacation. And into this miasma of varying relevancy, I was trying to find some coy, clever way to say "finished a novel, bitchez." No. The act of announcing it on facebook would have trivialized my accomplishment. It's like texting a marriage proposal - why would you do that? Why would you sully such a thing with such a nonsensical platform? * * * Reddit refugees all have their reasons for leaving the Snoo behind. Most of them are related to the chatter, the chaff, the lack of substance, the insufficiency of content. Speaking as a mod of a default, most of them have no idea just how bad it could be but at the same time, I recognize and appreciate that it still isn't good enough. Over there, I mostly crack skulls. Over here, I mostly talk. I talk because I think I have something to say. That, in my trademark overly-verbose manner, is your answer: make the place more of what brought you here. Those things that drove you from Reddit? Do not share them, do not contribute to them, do not encourage them. Those things that brought you here? Add to them, share them, contribute to them. I will say this. Hubski often has an overly-friendly relationship with self-produced content. Your pictures are going to be shared because many users don't understand the difference between "I support you" and "I want others to see your work." Do not expect a fair critique on anything, and understand that the more you flood the place with sub-par stuff just because you created it, the more likely others are to do the same. Got poetry? try it out on poetry groups, and if they like it, share it. Got photography? try it out on Flickr or the SFWPorn network and if they like it, share it. Got prose? Critters Critique is perfect for you. Hubski lacks the ruthlessness that makes Reddit what it is and in many ways, vacation pictures here will be regarded like Facebook but proliferated like Reddit. Which is a roundabout way to say "step up your game." We've got some severely talented artisans here and I love to see their work... but I also hate to see their efforts drowned in a miasma of "hot chick shooting in black and white equals art." It's what you bring to it. If you bring your best, that's what you'll see. If you bring your pun threads, I will mute and ignore you and anyone who responds.
Do you think this is a result of the hubwheel being the same for sharing and for upvoting a comment? Given that they're the same icon, I suppose it may be confusing. I wonder if this needs fixing.Hubski often has an overly-friendly relationship with self-produced content. Your pictures are going to be shared because many users don't understand the difference between "I support you" and "I want others to see your work."
This is actually really tricky and has been kind of confusing since I got here. I wasn't sure what was happening to the comments when I clicked the wheel. Does this make the post "more shared"? Does it put this comment at the top, but only for people that follow me? Or is just like a reddit upvote? I understand how the post voting works, that's pretty simple. It's like reddit, and people can subscribe to things you share. That understanding came pretty quick while I was on here. Up until now, I've been hesitant to "share" comments, seeing as they aren't all something I want to "share". But if they just move the topic up and say "this is a good comment" then I'd be more likely to "share" it.
Did you ever figure out what does happen to a comment when you click the wheel? I haven't been able to figure that out myself.
Yes. Clicking the wheel essentially says "I like this and want others to see it." So when you click it for a submission/link, it "curates" that into a feed for the people following you. For comments, it makes that particular comment show up higher in the list. Similar to an up-vote on reddit.
As a new user, I absolutely agree. It wasn't until I read the FAQ that I found out the hub wheel by comments wasn't sharing the comments. I didn't really want to share comments so, I hadn't upvoted any. Furthermore, I found myself sharing posts too liberally. Anything that wasn't horrible I was sharing again. I ended up going back to unshare a lot of things I had originally shared.
Just on your novel issue: what you should be doing is posting it not in the sense of a brag/accomplishment, but for publicity so people download/buy your work. I would expect a friend to publicise their novel on Facebook or email me about it. I have one friend who has posted several updates, not spammy, but once in a while if there is new or related news (like he changed his agent, or is writing a new novel, or has published it in a new language, or if there is a topical news article that relates to his book). So it's not: It's: I'm no fan of Facebook, but it's not "sullying" your work to use it as a marketing channel. After all, many of your friends probably have the same interests as you, and may be the perfect target readership.*"I've written a book!"*
*"Here's my book you may wish to read"*
I have a zero tolerance policy on memes and images with text on them. Instant ignore/mute on Hubski.And no memes.
Even though I came here 2 days ago, I'm already in love with this place. The people are super nice and helpful here and the community as a whole is great. My advice would be to be active around here and don't talk rudely to people. I've seen nothing but nice things here.
Thank you. I think you mean this one. I was considering linking to it under here as well, so now that you've gone and called me out, here goes. Hope it helps wannabe_smartguy. Also, if you haven't, check out the tutorial, faq, and tmi in the bottom bar. They're fun. Edit: I meant FAQ. I put a different letter there instead. It was kind of hilarious, but corrected now.
This is great, thanks guys. I'll also check out the info bar.
I think the simplest way to say it is just to ask yourself three questions: 1. "Do I want others to see this?" 2. "Would this be helpful for other people?" 3. "Am I proud of this content?" If you answer yes to any of these questions, chances are it would be good to post. If you do not, maybe you should try to revise your work so you can say yes to one of these questions.
Very good question! I'm hope participation is as good as in the other thread with criticism :) Although, personally, I assume it will go into the direction of participating in discussions and posting (mostly) thoughtful links :) But I'm in for a surprise and of course some tips.