Changes to the appraisal forum

this is indeed a very important point, because as much as it is nice to see activity and more posts going on around here, what is a bit hard to control would be empty and hollow posts made mostly for the reason of getting the post numbers and ranks up, instead of because there is something substantive to say. This was hard and prevalent enough when forum users just wanted to see their post counts high, but is even more so now that there are NP$ involved with posts.

Nothing very wrong with that, except that it would be better if there were a way so that what we see are actual messages with something to say, instead of the usual one, two or three-worder posts or "pm sent" posts.

I am for putting such controls on the Appraisals forum. If we place such controls, however, I suggest that we start with more liberal rules (smaller character length limits, larger appraisal frequency limits, etc.). Then we could gradually change these limits to stricter tolerances until we reach an optimum level that continues to encourage and reward appraisals while discouraging appraisal spamming.

I made this thread a sticky, as this is something we really need feedback on.

Also changed the thread title to help attract viewers. I missed this yesterday, as I thought you were going to discuss Mac computers.

I completely agree. When I visit Namepros for the first time each day, the first link I click is the view active threads. Recently though, it has been a case of searching through page after page of one word posts.

I now don't bother going to them and am probably missing out on some good info but when you see a posting rate of 3 a minute in some cases you just skip on by.

Definetely feel that some form of control is required. How about limiting the replies to members that are at a certain rank. That way anybody can post and view and reply to their own thread, but can only appraise using either the appraisal tool - which takes a bit longer or once they have achieved a certain rank through normal posting activity. Is this possible?

Benson, your ideas are great except i see one flaw- the "one word wonders" as I have begun calling them, have already moved up in rank becasue of there posts, so limiting others would be unfair at this junction and counterproductive since many of the "one word wonders" have already achieved senior status.

Yup - I was thinking about that as I was typing it and couldn't think of how to resolve that part. Have had a chat with someone and was wondering if it would be possible to change the way ranmks are assigned - ie base it on an algorithm revolving around number of posts, trader rating, length of time here etc etc - I wonder if that would be possible

Originally posted by bensontwenty
Yup - I was thinking about that as I was typing it and couldn't think of how to resolve that part. Have had a chat with someone and was wondering if it would be possible to change the way ranmks are assigned - ie base it on an algorithm revolving around number of posts, trader rating, length of time here etc etc - I wonder if that would be possible

Click to expand...

That is exactly what i was typing

This has got to be the greatest idea that I have seen that could possibly solve this and many future issues on this board...
Nice one Benson...

Only three people care to comment on this thread? Hmm...

I'm blown away! I came here to make an observation precisely on this subject (I believe). As an experiment, I am posting w/o reading beyond the 1st paragraph of initial post, to add my "uninfluenced" perspective to the discussion. (Will read other comments afterwards).
Have noticed the growing trend on appraisal board where some (too many) appraisers seem to be going down the list of requests, posting what would appear to be automated, "copy and paste", responses . ie "reg fees +/-", "low $xx's", "high$xx-low$xxx's IMO", "below reg" etc. etc. These are valid responses, if they are presented within a context, but this is not happenning.

Today, in the span of 17 minutes, one "appraiser" made "appraisals" of 43 names. Heck, I'd be lucky to make 2-3 appraisals in that time frame, if I examine the name using any tools and/or give any thought to it or offer any suggestions. Even in discussions, one line responses that echo a previously stated comment, adding no substance to the thread are becoming tiresome.

Frankly, I'm posting to hear from the approx 20% of the membership that have something meaningful and substantive to say. The only motive I can see behind all of the "appraisal spraying" and "head-nodding' discussion posts is to capture a stack of $NP which is unfair to those of us who "work" at giving an appraisal or who are truly involved w/ a discussion of ideas. It also devalues the $NP and is a disservice to the forum.

Now, to read the previous posts. (I hope this was indeed the topic!) :D

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OK I am at the right place, and sorry for echoing any comments, but this a unique instance.
My suggestion ( not sure of the feasibility or mechanics, so bear w/)
Any valuation, numeric or $xx, must be followed up w/ substantive content pertinent to the name in question, *period*. An appraisal should require at least a minute or two of research using a tool. In a transparant/obvious situation, or when going off of experience, appraiser should have some information based on a precedent established by other similar names, issues, or situations to support the valuation. Comments related directly to name (ie suggested use, links for more info etc.) would also be acceptable w/ or w/o appraisal. Length is not a good indicator, because sometimes a link or a couple of pertinent sentences can offer a wealth of info, and would be the product of some research, thought or experience.

Took a few days off and just reread above and feel I was somewhat presumptuous in assessment. Different forums have different personalities, and one of the nice qualities of the NP forum is the busy and enthusiastic appraisal board. I see both sides of this issue and personally can fly either way. Will go w/ the flow.

I've been following this thread and was reserving comment until hearing feedback from other members. I agree that the appraisal system and forum can be approved.

What I'm considering is creating a status, or special distinction that members can be approved into once they demonstrate appraisal ability or knowledge. Perhaps only these members would be rewarded with NP$ in those areas or appraisal system. Either that or their appraisals would be more promanent above others.

I do not want to exclude new members or lesser experienced domainers from being able to participate in the appraisal process. It's not always about giving a perfect value because the appraisal forum can just as well be used for the sharing of ideas about what uses a domain can be put to and ideas for finding buyers.

In a perfect world, all appraisers would do at least some research or have knowledge about the industry or type of name they are valuating. If I don't know about the market for a particular name, I will only appraise it after doing at minimum a Google search on a term, checking Overture suggestion tool and often Whois.sc to see other similar domains in use. There's no way to force the same procedure on everyone, and different people have different methods of valuating of course.

Still seeking more ideas on what we can do to improve appraisals on the site. Keep in mind the appraisal board is the most visited area on NamePros.

RJ, you are more thorough then me. I visit alot of different sites over the course of a week and get a feeling for what is selling and for how much. I try to use this info when giving out my appraisals.

ST

How about just letting the market decide?

Create a facility for the thread starter (and only that person!) to 'rate' appraisers who post on his/her appraisal thread. The rating should be a simple choice of 'helpful or not'. Appraisers who maintain an overall positive mark continue to earn NP$ for their efforts. Appraisers who have an overall negative appraisal rating can continue appraising, but they don't start earning anything until they get their rating back up.

A system like this would bring us away from mechanical issues of length or enforced appraisal frequency limits.

We should emphasize that a good rating isn't the same as a flattering one, nor is a bad rating equivalent to a deregatory one. Instead, good or bad should depend on the quality and amount of effort that appears to have been placed in making the appraisal, as pointed out above.

Come to think of it, we can expand this system to encompass all of Namepros, so thread starters can rate posts on their thread as being 'spam or not'. Those perceived to be spammers shall not earn any NP$ (or post count) on any area of NP until such time that their peers decide that they deserve it. To avoid embarassment, only the concerned member should be able to see his or her own 'spam meter', possibly somewhere in the user profile page.

All good ideas Apollo, now we just need to get more member interaction on this thread!

Let me opine.

First of all, you can probably include me in the group of three worders. But I must say that the vast majority of domain names put on the board for appraisal are basically crap. I really don't feel like spending a whole lot of time telling people why they are crap when it should be plainly obvious. That's why I sometimes only include the comment "reg fee" or "low $xx." If I really start explaining why its crap, we're going to have a lot of pissing matches.

Another three worder is use is "what xxx said". Sometimes another poster pretty much says exactly what I would have said about the domain. But rather than not saying anything, I post "what xxx said" because it reinforces their comment and gives the appraisee a better idea on the value.

On some occassions I do make longer comments. But I have seen so few "marketable" domains. So that's why there are less of these types of comments.

Let me also address the practice of making a high number of appraisals in a row. I visit NP while I'm at work. When I have a spare few minutes I come to the appraisal forum and look at as many domains up for appraisal as I can and give comments. Then, I'm outta there for awhile. But I diversify my comments, some short, some long. It is VERY obvious that others are just copying and pasting comments in to get more NB.

I don't think the NB for appraisals should be changed. It's hard enough to get some just to buy an avatar. Those suspected of pasting appraisals should be warned. The forum has been working fine overall since I joined.

There, that's my two cents.

Spike

A couple of points:
1) I disagree w/ your view stating that most names listed are "crap".
-Very quick perusal of names on pg 1 of today's Appraisal Forum shows: kid.net, php.info, iblog.com, RateMySites.com,NYC.biz GreatSites.com, Wimp.com- not exactly crap, from my POV.
-Newbies are not going to always have good names, and they should not be discouraged from posting names for appraisal.

2)Many names listed (perhaps the majority) have good development potential, but have low value at whse. These names are not "crap" and deserve some input of ideas concerning development potential and are deserving of more than useless "$xx" or "reg fee" appraisal posts. (Not saying that there is not a place for these, however).

3) If you are echoing someone elses opinions, or $xx/reg fee appraisal for a "crap" name, why bother? Just move along to a name that you find interesting and worthy of your time and effort

Originally posted by armstrong
Come to think of it, we can expand this system to encompass all of Namepros, so thread starters can rate posts on their thread as being 'spam or not'.

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I like this concept a lot, but see some danger areas.

We've all come across the occasional post where the original poster criticizes appraisals that don't correspond with their perception of their domain's value. I would hate to see thread ratings lead to users posting ego stroke appraisals just for positive ratings.

Anyone who has used Amazon.com has likely found the user reviews very helpful. This idea reminds me of the "Was this review helpful to you?" feature they have on reviews.

I think this is the dilema of most forums. When a forum is new, you welcome almost all kinds of members and post. When the forum gets to the status of being established (like NP), you have the problem of weeding out what you think are "dumb, stupid, or worthless" posts.

I think there's a thread in NP comparing it with other domain forums like Domain State and DNF. And the major concensus was that NP was more "free-flowing and friendly" than the rest. I take that as meaning "less high-browed and snobish"

I myself am guilty of the one-liners. But not on serious topics or threads. The most that I posted on appraisals could be twice. That's because I don't know anything about appraising names.

I'm also aware of the fact that some members are accumulating numerous posts on the appraisal forum in a short span of time. All posting $xx or reg fee. There were instances that 2 pages on the appraisal forum or section were "dominated" by a single member posting $xx or reg fee. I'm sorry, but to me that s*cks big time!

Thanks.

How about if we simply limit the amount of NP$ that can be accumulated in a day? This should discourage spamming for NP$, while allowing the board to remain as "free flowing" as possible.

You limit the amount of NP$ that members can accumulate in a day. But they can still post "till they drop" just to propel their post counts