Triond Hot List
Is the Triond hot list fair? What are the criteria for writers to make it onto the list? Is it truly based on great content, or is there also a popularity contest going on for some? This is a blunt opinion and is not directed at any particular writer.
Triond is a great place to publish articles, poems and anything else that a writer wishes to publish. It is also a great place to make friendships. I have made friendships with several writers who I respect and enjoy following their material. However, I have been on Triond long enough to notice certain trends which are questionable. One of the items that causes questions is Triond’s hot list.
Just what is it that qualifies an item to make the so-called “Hot List?” I think everyone would like to get on the hot list, occasionally, because it helps get page views. Is there a formula or is it all arbitrary? Initially, I thought it was because of high page views and content, but after observing many articles on the hot list, I have begun to wonder and doubt.
While many articles on the hot list are good and some even great, I have seen many that were not. I have also noticed that some of these not-so-hot articles were by regularly seen authors. I have noticed that some of these articles make the hot list immediately after submission – not enough time to see how they are received by others.
Many writers that I see on the hot list deserve to be on it. I would not take anything away from them, but do we have a popularity contest here? If it is, then it should be called that. It is a fact that some authors make hundred of friends just to get their views, so when they publish something, they get a rash of views. I don’t think that is a fair criterion to use to put someone’s item on the hot list. Anyone of us can do that.
I have read articles and poems that were well written and could move someone to tears or elation – I would say that is great content. However, I did not see those items on the hot list. My suspicion is that editors have their favorite authors who can do no wrong – I do not believe I am alone on this view.
I believe that if there is going to be a hot list, it should be fair; there should be some sort of a formula and individual editors should not be able to arbitrarily submit favorites to the lis -, or there should not be a hot list. As it stands now, some writers will chase something that will never happen for them, no matter how good they write.
I have asked Triond for a rebuttal and will share when I get it. I welcome and appreciate all ideas and opinions on this subject. Have you seen consistent good work by some that never ends up on the hot list?
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January 8th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Good to see you stirring up that interest Westbrook.I’m relative new here;learning a lot and trying to meet as many friends as possible. I do notice some of the Hot List Writers are offering a wide range of topics;as well as good advice on their success.
Thanks for your boldness.I’ll be watching for answers.
January 8th, 2009 at 10:46 am
Yes, I have read articles, poems and stories that I think were great and should have been on the Hot List but weren’t. I’m really not sure how they go about choosing people for it though.
January 8th, 2009 at 11:29 am
I wonder too.The first time I made the list,someone else told me.I don’t even look at it everyday,but I have been on there a few times.I try to produce good work,but I submit some half hearted articles occasionally,just to keep my name fresh in peoples minds.I think Triond has their own politics,and does whatever they want.
January 8th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I am new here. What is a Hot List?
January 8th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Colleen, I probably should have called it by the way it is titled. It is the “Hot Content” list that you see when you first go on to Triond.com… before you sign in. Once you sign in, you will also see it below the listing of your articles. Supposedly, articles considered the “hottest” show up there. Articles or items on the list get more views because they get more exposure than just by the friends that you make. The name of the game on Triond for anyone trying to make a couple of bucks or wanting recognition is a lot of views. Let me know if you are still not sure what it is.
January 8th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Thanks for good article and a question that has been on my mind. I strive to make the list but never seem to. I wasn’t sure what it took to make the list. That’s another reason why I slowed my submissions. I got disheartened. Thanks for writing this article now I know I am not the only one that questioned this scenerio. I agree there are many people that deserve to be there, and on a constant basis, but there are a few one does question why this one made it and not that one. Happy writing!
January 8th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Very interesting point. I don’t follow the hot list. But some time back I checked the hot list and found a name. I clicked on the name and found that the author had no content of any kind. This author was on the hot list for many weeks, but this week that name is not there any more. Wonder if it was a mistake?
January 8th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
I pay little attention to the hot list. I do know that some people remain on the list because their work contain visual material. I’m not saying that’s wrong it’s just a fact.The work I read on Triond is either published by friends or I looked for the subject on the Triond’s search engine.
January 8th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
I had also wondered about the hot list. Because I like rooting for the underdog, I try each time I post to read two or three articles NOT listed in it. I’ve seen some pretty good things that didn’t make it; and I’ve seen some items that it was plain why they didn’t. Either way, clicking around and looking at other people’s work and the comments on it is informative.
January 8th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
I’ve been on the hot content list a few times but have still felt it was based on some part favoritism. I have seen some important and beautiful work get passed by.
I honestly would not rank it as being fair because the only ones judging are the Triond staff, but even if it’s judged by the Triond community how will you know if there is still no favoritism?
So, the real question is, is the hot content being judged by favoritism or the balance of it’s content, or both? Although many of them deserve to be there, I believe the latter.
Great article and point, Wess.
January 8th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Thank you for sharing your opinions. I believe that the “Hot Content” list is created by various factors that are quite objective and unbiased, they are, but not limited to:
1. Catchy memorable titles
2. Smart use of popular keywords/tags
3. Popularity of author or subject matter
4. Number of views
Sometimes, what becomes hot, becomes hot for more than one reason. I believe that the factors of what articles make the list have more to do with statistics than Triond individually selecting an article.
Blessings.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
January 8th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
a very interesting article that worth looking, actually this Hot list feature is a big puzzle to me.. Though some of my poems have been there for sometime still I’m wondering what criteria do Triond editors are applying to come out with the list. But what is important is there are lots of writers like you who look at the welfare of fellow writers, that indeed is a great deed and I thank you for that..
January 9th, 2009 at 1:22 am
I actually asked Trion some of those same questions and here is the answer I recieved.
“Hi Jasin,
Thanks for your message.
The more views an article gets, and the more popular it is (determined by how many comments it receives and by how many people have clicked “I Like It”), the higher up the author of the article will go on the list of “Hot Users.” Additionally, newer articles will receive preference on the list, because we do not want to keep old material up for a long period of time. All of these factors are figured into an algorithm on our computers, and the list of Hot Content and corresponding Hot Users is generated automatically – we do not hand select article to go on the homepage – it is all generated by users like you, out there in cyberspace, commenting and clicking “I Like It.”
Please feel free to contact me with any further questions.
Best,
Ellie
support@triond.com
http://www.Triond.com“
Not much we can do.
Nice article.
January 9th, 2009 at 4:09 am
Jasin, Maybe the more views, the more comments and the more clicks “I Like” determine how popular an article is, and possibly how long it will remain on the list, but it cannot be what gets an article on the list. I have seen articles on the hot list with very low numbers of all of these actions, but I have seen them get on the list as soon as they are submitted, not enough time to gather that kind of momentum. I doubt that an algorithm is used to figure in all of the factors they claim are used to automatically generate the list of hot Content and corresponding Hot Users. I still suspect much handpicking is done to make the selections. Writing is an art and is subject to subjectivity, not so much objectiveness. If an Algorithm is used, it probably considers names that have been on the list, which is wrong. Triond claims to you that new names must be considered because it does not want to keep old stuff on the list. That may be the case in theory, but it still appears to be a popularity process because so much good material is never seen on the list and much of the same kind of material from many regulars hit the list almost immediately.
I agree with my good friend Liane Schmitd that popularity of authors (which is my point) or subject matter are key to making it onto the list, but I respectfully have my doubts that catchy memorable titles and smart use of popular keywords and tags will get just anyone on the list, even though they should. Again, I have seen articles with great titles and many great keywords, but they do not get on the list. I have seen some articles on the list that had very poor titles.
January 9th, 2009 at 4:58 am
I agree with Liane, her list is exactly what are needed to get to the hot content. I have noticed too that some of very good article never made it to the hot list and some of very good writers with many high quality articles never made it as hot user either, but again, it is not only about quality. Promotion is the key. Every writer with good promotion stand better chance to see his article in the hot list. Well, just my two cent.
January 9th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Westbrook, I was just thinking of writing an article like this because even though I am new to triond, I would like to get on the list at least once to see if that would create more page views for my stories.
I do also want to ask about the “Hot Tags” and “Hot Users”
Do we all see the same words and names or could you possible see my name listed where as I don’t and say someone else can see your name listed there?
Thanks for writing this article because I would really really really like to know the answer.
Thanks
January 9th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Thanks LC. Based on the various comments on my article, I see that many writers have had questions about the hot content list. I am not certain what your question is. I think you are asking whether we all see the same thing or do we idividually see different things? If that is your question, my guess is that we all do see the same things, however, it is a thought provoking question. Your questions about “Hot Tags” and “Hot Users” are interesting. My thinking has been that hot users are those who have made the hot content list, and hot tags are the key words that they used, which are more easily picked up or noticed by an automated process, often called “crawling.” Key words are essential if you want your material to be noticed by this process. Maybe we can get more views on this subject.
January 10th, 2009 at 7:03 am
Thanks for posting this — it’s useful and interesting information. This ties in trying to get a lot of article hits. I’m relatively new here and have been trying to figure out how all this works. So far I’ve spent a LOT of time reading other Triond authors’ works and posting Likes and Comments. It feels that most of my articles’ hits, Likes, and Comments are from other Triond writers. Occasionally I’ll see a comment from a non Triond writer. I’m experimenting with posting articles to Facemark, Yahoo Buzz, and Google Bookmarks. I have Stumbled yet but will try that too. Anyway, I’ll keep trying …
January 10th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
I have ton’s of friends but only a few are my real favorites, b0 and Wes are a few of mine.
My point is though I read close to 80 articles everyday and those are just people in my community, every day I find atleast 4-5 new friends, from hot users list, so they do put alot of new members work on there.
Thanks to those they support me back.
January 10th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Oh and those 80 or so I read thats 1 from each person in my friends list that posted that day.
Lotta people here in Triond just gotta find um.
January 10th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Just one more thing…
I add all these friends and read all their things but still they do not add me to their friends list, that is the only thing that bugs me about all my hard work in trying to make friends.
Does my stuff suck that much? or do people just not like me?
January 10th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Thanks for the mention again Jasin,Wess,just came back to see what people have been saying about this,it really sparked my interest.
January 10th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
No way J,you’ve got some great stuff out there,and they are often very pensive and enjoyable.I always like what you put out.
January 10th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Thanks Jasin, but one of the questions here is how does a user make the “hot user” list? I have been writing and reading articles for quite sometime and I don’t believe I have ever been on it.
January 10th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Your work helps me a lot! I really enjoy it…You’re also my good gurus! Thanks for sharing
January 10th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Thanks Mr Ghaz. Glad that I have been able to help you. I have been writing on Triond for months and I still have a lot of questions that seem to get varied answers. It seems everyone has a different idea about any particular issue.
January 11th, 2009 at 1:28 am
Yeah, sorry Wes, I let my feelings run a little in this.
Great article though.
January 11th, 2009 at 1:32 am
I am new here, less than a week, but I have already read two other articles which have discussed the hot content list. Judging by these articles,as well as the comments you have received, this appears to be a hot topic.
January 11th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
As Robbie said above – what a topic! I think you’ve really struck a nerve in the Triond community with this one. As another new user, I found this to be a very interesting look at the Hot Lists.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:33 am
Though it’s great to be included in the hot content list once in a while, but I think the better gauge on whether our articles are doing good or not would be the search engines. The higher the rank the better.
Unless Triond reveals the criteria it used to create the Hot lists, all we do would be mere speculation. So let’s hope that Triond will make them known soon.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:40 am
I agree eddiego. I wrote this article because I saw the problems and read so much about writers confusion about the lists. I suspected that it would be a sensitive issue. Based on the comments it has received, I was right.
January 13th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
You are right. Much more will be coming down the road too. Just catching up a bit with this from you. thank you for the postof good info. I have learned many read and do not comment. That does not yeild to readership. No one is aware of a ghost stopping by to view. If a person wants friends to read, they need to read and leave calling card. The hot list has some factors that I think Lianne explained some here.
January 19th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
I don’t keep up with the hot list. I did a little when I first came to Triond, but it didn’t take long to see that somethingwasn’t right about it and quit trying to keep up with it. I wasn’t particularly interested in getting on it anyway as long as I have good friends making comments that I can use to improve my pieces.
I think you did a great job writing this one Wess.
Johnny Yuma
January 26th, 2009 at 10:11 am
I had often wondered how one gets on the hot list.
January 27th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
I have no clue how they pick the hot list, but I do know when you make it on it, its fun! The first time I made it someone else told me I was there. I was shocked and very surprised. The main thing is making great friends and getting your post viewed, the hot list is an extra in my opinion. Great article.
January 28th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
I had to come back and make another post. The more I think about this, the more it bothers me. It would be fair if it were by page views or likes. But ones who have very few page views or likes making it to the hotlist while ones with hundreds and/or thousands of page views and likes do not make it to the hotlist? That is not fair at all. If this is the case, they are on the same page as associated content, being biased. They should not show partiality and put the ones on the hot list that THEY want on there… they should let the viewers decide. Ultimately, it’s the viewers that are making them (and us) money.
January 28th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Does anyone know of any other good sites that pays for writing? Possibly one that isn’t biased?
Thanks in advance!
January 31st, 2009 at 2:48 am
A very valid question. A lot of those names are not changed. The hot list should be dynamic
February 5th, 2009 at 10:18 am
You have a good point here. I haven’t looked at the Hot Content thing for a long while. It used to be a lot easier to get on there and seemed to me to be more dynamic(although part of this was the fact there weren’t so many of us back then, I guess), but it’s gotten worse recently I think. Always the same names and the same sorts of articles. I don’t like how they cherrypick new stuff over older pieces that have suddenly recieved attention, either.
Hmm.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
I have only been a Triond user since December 11th and have been on the hot list a few times, but it sure wasn’t by the number of hits I’ve had. I’ve never had more than 20 in one day. I’m also sure I’m not a favorite with the editors since I’ve argued with them more than once about my content. (especially yesterday)
I’ve looked at some of the work that appears on the list and some don’t even have any hits until mine, and the work is less than stellar, so I have no idea what criteria they are using. Maybe everyone gets a turn? That seems fair, but I don’t think that’s how they roll here.
February 22nd, 2009 at 3:21 pm
No matter which articles gets onto the hot list, just keep commenting on all of them. That will give a lot of exposure to our articles.
I will be happy to get more page views in the long run, even if I do not get into the hot list. I am not writing exams or getting any degree. Isn’t it???
April 29th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
I love making friends and helping with their views