AC Viewer Experiment: Your Associated Content Habits
While it may not be obvious, my writing skills have improved greatly in the past two months. With that improvement the rate of pay for my articles has grown to a respectable average. Not that I am going to pay the bills anytime soon, it is just nice to see the extra appreciation for my work. That improve is mainly due to constructive feedback that was difficult to obtain. Hopefully, the results of this experiment will make it easier for other new content producers to get that needed feedback.
The experiment involves a short list of questions that I would like comments from Associate Content producers and average viewers. With the larger number of content producer's at Associated Content it is hard to judge the reaction of typical viewers to the site. The typical viewer would be less likely to leave comments. Please leave your comments even it is a simple "No Comment."
Finding articles.
On the AC home page featured articles, newest, most emailed, top rated articles and breaking news prominently displayed. Most attention is focused on featured/spotlight articles and top rated articles. Do you limit your AC visit to the easily visible content or do you browse by category?
Rating Content.
Each article published has a rating system. From one star for poor up to five stars for excellent. Each article starts life with a three stars or average rating. High rated content improves the articles chances of being viewed more often. As a reader you can vote once for each article. How often do you rate an article after reading?
Featured by Category.
Each category has featured content in the spotlight on its page. Some of the categories are at AC are very broad. The Sports category for example is very broad with every sport under the sun from football to cricket. This would make it difficult for non-content producers to locate the specific content they may like. Do you feel that more subcategories would improve your AC experience?
Clout.
Associate Content has a clout meter associated with each content producer. The clout meter is an indication of how may views a CP has and how many articles the CP has produced. I should mention that the clout meter has been broken for several months. AC content producers are disappointed that they are not getting feedback from their clout status. As a viewer, are you more inclined to read articles by content producers with higher clout?
View meters.
View meters or hit counters record the total number of times an article has been viewed. It is not an indication as to whether the article was read, only if it was clicked on. Content producers feel this is a necessary tool for them to evaluate their performance. As their clout and their pay rate are tied to views, this is not unreasonable. Associated Content has stated that they are in the process of installing view meters to resolve this issue. The view meter can be visible only to the CP or to both reader and CP. As a reader, do you feel that a view meter would influence your choice in the articles you prefer to view?
Comments.
Each article has a comment section at the bottom for a viewer to express his/her opinion. Some high rated articles have many comments while others have only a few. The majority of the comments appear to be from content producers. With this article as an exception, how often do leave comments?
If you were to answer every question this would be a survey. For it to be an experiment, answer only the question you feel is the most compelling. If you are not a content producer, we can tell from the comment block. If you are a part time CP and feel you are more of a viewer that a CP, state so at the beginning of your comments.
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Florida Keys life inspires many to artistic endeavor. CaptDallas2 is no exception. Writing songs, music and articles fills his time off the water. From boating to how to wipe your butt, the politically in... View profile
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11 Comments
Post a CommentI am a new CP. At this point, I am part time and more of a viewer. My ratings are based on how compelling I find the article. If an article is informative, interesting, creative, or simply holds my attention, then I give it a high rating. I will give high ratings to interesting articles, even if the writing is not perfect from a technical perspective. The clout rating holds no meaning for me. BTW: Nice article.
I try to check the library every day but don't have a lot of time to read. As a result, I try to read from the categories and titles that catch my eye. Clout carries no weight with me, though if I start reading and there are four grammatical errors in the first sentence, the window experiences immediate closure. It's a given that anything on the front page gets more views, regardless of whether warranted or not. Unless I close the window at first sentence, however, I do comment and rate articles. Just my two cents' worth, so I owe you counting inflation!
I glance through the showcase, newest, top rated, etc., but I only read if the title catches my eye. Most of the time, the showcase articles don't interest me. I also look through the library occasionally. The categories are very broad, but I think that's necessary to cover everything. I rate articles after I read them, although the numbers are arbitrary. Clout means nothing to me. A page view meter would be helpful in determining what type of articles to write. Comments are nice, but I don't expect casual readers to critique my articles.
I answered all before I got to the end. So you're stuck with em. lol Most important is the comments beause it feels like home to see familiar faces. I usually limit my AC visit to the easily visible content, like the front page or friends' pages. I rate articles after reading (but you can re-vote every few days, glitch). I'd like more subcategories. Clout's meaningless to me. A view meter would be good but wouldn't influence my choice in the articles I prefer to view. I leave comments on particularly good or interesting articles, to debate, to leave my mark, plug my stuff, on friends' pages or whenever I think of something witty..so often.
I sort of avoid the spotlight articles because many have been so poorly written and often they are about celebrities I don't care about. I do look at top rated nearly every day. I always rate after reading. Clout does not matter to me - I look for interesting titles and abstracts instead. I would love to have a view meter! Also, if someone leaves a comment on an article, I always check out their latest offerings and leave a comment in return. We've got to support each other.
Clout, Rating and Views do not affect my choice of what content to read. I skim through headlines and read the articles that interest me, period. I feel that clout, ratings and number of views can often become a popularity contest that has no basis in talent or what might interest me. -- Neat article!
I view profile pages of people on front page - spotlight or high ratings and newbies - as well as most people who comment on my articles. I'll read if the article title catches my attention. Abstracts help in that decision. I usually subscribe to those who comment on my stuff as well. Clout Meter should be turned off until fixed - it is like being judged today for my kindergarten report card. Ancient news! (Great article idea BTW) I may be back with more comments later!
Wendy, that is enlightening. Thank you all for your comments.
I usually read stuff in the spotlight, top-rated, and breaking news-but only if the title catches my attention. I also tend to click on a lot of people's content based on their comments in the forums, lol.
I do tend to be more inclined to read an article by someone with a higher clout than someone with a lower one.