Stop talking about Newsvine!

News Type: Opinion — Thu Mar 2, 2006 4:35 PM EST

The biggest problem on Newsvine right now is too many posts about Newsvine. As I write this, the top 3 "Most Votes" articles on the Front Page are all about Newsvine, the only "Most Chatters" story is about Newsvine, and two of the top three "Most Comments" stories are about Newsvine. If you go to the Technology section, it's worse: seven of the first eight items on the Vine are Newsvine-related. This post itself isn't helping, either.

Admittedly, this is The Launch, so some of this self-hype is to be expected, and even tolerated. Things will get better. But ultimately the problem, temporary or otherwise, stems from the fact that the only real place to talk about Newsvine with people who like Newsvine is... on Newsvine! Ultimately, it will fade down from its present state, but even so we would do well to consider alternate forums for discussion, since discussion of Newsvine is Not News.

Okay, there's my little rant - don't pay it too much attention, carry on... :)

38 Votes
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Public Discussion (24)

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1.6

{"commentId":46294,"authorDomain":"worldinreview"}

David

a little hypocritical, though a good point...

-d

{"commentId":46294,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"worldinreview"}

3 votes

#1 - Thu Mar 2, 2006 5:45 PM EST

{"commentId":46430,"authorDomain":"martin77"}

martin77

Good for you Fennec. I've been waiting for somebody to speak up.
All this banging on and on about Newsvine is sooo boring. Lets get back to talking about the news.

{"commentId":46430,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"martin77"}

2 votes

#2 - Thu Mar 2, 2006 7:08 PM EST

{"commentId":46483,"authorDomain":"aine"}

Aine MacDermot

Yeah, and trolling comments are another preoccupation to be rid of... heh.

{"commentId":46483,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"aine"}

#3 - Thu Mar 2, 2006 7:44 PM EST

{"commentId":46565,"authorDomain":"allenellis"}

Allen Ellis

I think adding forums for Newsvine at some point in the future wouldn't be a bad idea.

{"commentId":46565,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"allenellis"}

2 votes

#4 - Thu Mar 2, 2006 8:39 PM EST

{"commentId":46601,"authorDomain":"kulguyssj4"}

kulguyssj4

I think adding forums for Newsvine at some point in the future wouldn't be a bad idea.

That's a good idea, but how would the forums work?

{"commentId":46601,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"kulguyssj4"}

#5 - Thu Mar 2, 2006 8:58 PM EST

{"commentId":46632,"authorDomain":"tang"}

Calvin Tang

We definitely think this will die down once people get settled in. If not, we may need to designate an area for posts relating to Newsvine. I like to think of it as a community hitting puberty and pondering itself.

{"commentId":46632,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"tang"}

21 votes

#6 - Thu Mar 2, 2006 9:28 PM EST

{"commentId":46639,"authorDomain":"allenellis"}

Allen Ellis

They could be structured like any other forum - you could have categories for different topics, allowing people to start new discussions inside a given category.

I considered integration with newsvine stories (ie, newsvine stories automatically get added as topics in the forum), but that seems tricky. Would you mirror each posted comment as a post in the forum? That seems like it's asking for navigational problems. The nice thing about Newsvine currently is that you can't get lost, and doing this kind of integration would surley impede upon that.

I don't know, maybe it isn't a good idea. I'm not quite sure how it all should work. But I would like a way to publically post a Newsvine idea that I have, and posting it as a "news story" just doesn't seem appropriate to me.

{"commentId":46639,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"allenellis"}

#7 - Thu Mar 2, 2006 9:30 PM EST

{"commentId":46712,"authorDomain":"musti"}

musti

The first rule of Newsvine is you don't talk about Newsvine. (sorry, someone had to make this bad joke).

{"commentId":46712,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"musti"}

2 votes

#8 - Thu Mar 2, 2006 10:36 PM EST

{"commentId":46739,"authorDomain":"thetalkingmule"}

Harris from the Post

Isn't this like the first day it's public? Talk about impatience!

{"commentId":46739,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"thetalkingmule"}

#9 - Thu Mar 2, 2006 10:54 PM EST

{"commentId":46835,"authorDomain":"prompt"}

prompt

I like to think of it as a community hitting puberty and pondering itself.

s/pondering/touching

{"commentId":46835,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"prompt"}

1 vote

#10 - Fri Mar 3, 2006 12:03 AM EST

{"commentId":46933,"authorDomain":"phaedrus72"}

Phaedrus72

Coming from Digg, what is puberty??!! Another bad joke. Sorry.

{"commentId":46933,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"phaedrus72"}

#11 - Fri Mar 3, 2006 1:25 AM EST

{"commentId":47020,"authorDomain":"timothy-belgium"}

timothy-belgium

For that same reason I don't understand all that blogging/Technorati stuff: everyone is blogging about blogging. Pages and pages of blogs about blogs. It's a self contained world and a waste of perfectly good bits and bytes... Hope Newsvine escapes that!

{"commentId":47020,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"timothy-belgium"}

1 vote

#12 - Fri Mar 3, 2006 3:54 AM EST

{"commentId":47188,"authorDomain":"mohan37"}

Mokar

ugh i totally agree. it's a little sad that it takes a posting which technically adds to the problem to get it said.

It's not only stories about newsvine...it's like all of newsvine is being saturated with lame stories. Isn't rule #1 something about considering if the story adds to the newsvine community?

I'm afraid that this will become like Digg, where people post any and every story just to try and get noticed. Right now, submitting a story to the "tech" section is fruitless b/c people are posting anything and everything about Apple-stuff. I wish there was a way to put negative flags on lame stories.

haha ok I guess it'd be pretty extreme to tell someone their news sucks.

{"commentId":47188,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"mohan37"}

1 vote

#13 - Fri Mar 3, 2006 8:38 AM EST

{"commentId":47325,"authorDomain":"EvaG"}

EvaG

I'm changing the subject to try to end this thread. Bush is in India getting dissed and lauded at the same time. This morning on NBC, the lede was "Is Bush Safe in India?" That has got to be the lamest reason to write the story I've ever heard. Comments?

{"commentId":47325,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"EvaG"}

#14 - Fri Mar 3, 2006 10:12 AM EST

{"commentId":47449,"authorDomain":"theannalog"}

theannalog

Now now timothy, lots of us blog about real stuff. I think a little bit of, um, self-abuse is only expected in the first coupla days and will die down.

{"commentId":47449,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"theannalog"}

1 vote

#15 - Fri Mar 3, 2006 11:35 AM EST

{"commentId":47663,"authorDomain":"brianford"}

Brian Ford

And, even if it doesn't die down, I have faith that the Newsvine guys will just figure out a way to keep it off the front page.

Hrm... self-abuse...

;)

{"commentId":47663,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"brianford"}

1 vote

#16 - Fri Mar 3, 2006 1:53 PM EST

{"commentId":47724,"authorDomain":"timothy-belgium"}

timothy-belgium

Now now, theannalog, I know I exaggerated a bit. I read some (Belgian and international) blogs that are interesting, and cover the real world. But I also notice a lot of blogs that just right about what others wrote. And then you get the "blog waves", days when the entire blogging world seems to be following each other, writing about the same subject, linking obsessively to other blogs, who link to other blogs ... ending in a whole lot of aimless nonsense.

{"commentId":47724,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"timothy-belgium"}

#17 - Fri Mar 3, 2006 2:36 PM EST

{"commentId":47812,"authorDomain":"WilliamSDean"}

WilliamSDean

So my article/essay piece about how Newsvine is helping communicate the public voice like good ol' Peter Zenger isn't even listed? Well, that just historically sux then. heh.

{"commentId":47812,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"WilliamSDean"}

#18 - Fri Mar 3, 2006 3:30 PM EST

{"commentId":47849,"authorDomain":"alexchousa"}

Alex Chousa

Hopefully the hype will die down within the week. I'm interested to see how other news sources will report about Newsvine.

{"commentId":47849,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"alexchousa"}

#19 - Fri Mar 3, 2006 3:56 PM EST

{"commentId":47883,"authorDomain":"martin77"}

martin77

" For that same reason I don't understand all that blogging/Technorati stuff: everyone is blogging about blogging. Pages and pages of blogs about blogs. It's a self contained world and a waste of perfectly good bits and bytes".

Wise words from the Belgian gentleman. Personally I look at blogs and bloggers ( of which I'm one ) and think " who reads all this nonsense ? " . Its like a digital version of white noise. Or a radio which is on in the background as you do some studying. Most of the time it means nothing to you but occasionally you'll hear a good song. Blogs are a bit like that. Most of them are just clogging up valuable bandwidth but now and again I'll read something interesting. Anyway thats enough talk about blogging .....lets get back to talking about Newsvine.

{"commentId":47883,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"martin77"}

#20 - Fri Mar 3, 2006 4:20 PM EST

{"commentId":47987,"authorDomain":"sheep"}

evano

Seems like the problem is not so much the posts about Newsvine, but the fact that they're cluttering up the front page and the section front pages. Calvin, is it possible to filter out "Newsvine" tags from the algorithm which determines ranking? People who want to read about Newsvine can add a watch for it.

{"commentId":47987,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"sheep"}

1 vote

#21 - Fri Mar 3, 2006 5:40 PM EST

{"commentId":48192,"authorDomain":"tang"}

Calvin Tang

Evano, we've debated that topic at length here in the office. I am a big proponent of the front page filter, but the other guys have convinced me that it's worthwhile to wait and see if the chatter dies down. Writing posts about how people shouldn't write posts about Newsvine makes us snicker though. It's similar to people leaving comments consisting of: "why is this a top seed? Not news!!", thereby pushing that item up the Vine.

Here's a tip: please categorize these types of posts as "other", rather than one of the "news" options.

{"commentId":48192,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"tang"}

1 vote

#22 - Fri Mar 3, 2006 8:20 PM EST

{"commentId":50319,"authorDomain":"smashbot"}

Anthony YoungDeleted

{"commentId":51760,"authorDomain":"ansab"}

Ansab

The first rule of Newsvine is you don't talk about Newsvine.

YES!!! BRILLIANCE AT ITS FINEST

{"commentId":51760,"threadId":"29177","contentId":"116271","authorDomain":"ansab"}

#24 - Mon Mar 6, 2006 11:04 PM EST

{"canLink":false,"threadId":"29177","isPrivate":false}

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FENNEC

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Stop talking about Newsvine!

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