Some suggestions that can help in the betterment of the community- Rising Star Articles. The Rising Star articles, too must be displayed on the home page of the community, just as Featured Articles. This will help in encouraging and motivating authors to create such high quality articles. Similarly, it should be with displaying users who recently joined the Welcome Wagon or Boosters or Admins group.
We do display articles given a Rising Star on the front page. Featured articles are shown at the top of the page, while articles given a Rising Star are shown towards the bottom. You can see if an article has been given a Rising Star by going to its discussion page. While we don’t display users who are have recently joined those groups on the front page, we make topics for new Boosters and Admins on the forums.
Is it @Lugia
? I didn’t know that we display RS article too on the front page. Now I am eager to get one of my RS on the front page too
Hey Lugia, I did’nt found it. There are only Featured Articles on the bottom of the page, too. Some articles are both Rising Stars and FA but those are shown for FA only, I think. Also, forums are less viewed as compared to the main wikiHow page. So, it would be better to display users who recently joined the groups to motivate them.
Keelan
5
Users shouldn’t be joining the groups for publicity and they shouldn’t see these groups as prizes to be won. Also, these users are just like regular users, they just have a few extra abilities. To display them on the home page would imply that they rank higher than other users, which isn’t the case.
What if Rising Stars were given bigger thumbnails when browsing categories? (Right now it seems to be based on how recently an article was modified, although I’m not sure.) This would motivate wikiHow writers to improve quality, and it would draw readers towards higher-quality articles.
Hibou8
7
I do agree that Rising Stars could be featured more prominently (although the article, not the author).
system
8
I’m not going to point fingers? but… The word “Editcountitis” comes to mind when reading this thread. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Editcountitis
If you’re here only for the RS on the front page, or the RS’s, or the thumbs up? Then you’re likely here for the wrong reason and will become disappointed very quickly. It’s wiser to write because you like to… and not because someone else notices.
No, Keelan. You took it wrong way. Not the publicity factor, users who started these topics will feel motivated and a part of the community, and would try to start more high quality articles. This will help the community rise and would be more close to create the quality How-to guides. And if ranking is the matter, then why the featured articles are displayed on the home page? According to you, this too would imply that they rank higher than other users. The fact is to motivate and inspire other users. I might be wrong too…
Loiswade, you took it otherwise. My motive was to motivate users to write such quality articles. Everyone feels quite good when his/her name is displayed on the community, even I and probably you too. Not much ago, I got my first FA and felt awesome when my aritcle was on the home page of the community. That’s my point, might be wrong…
Bit unfair
You can’t say for sure that that is the case. I think he is doing it to encourage users and that might be the case… @Loiswade42
system
13
Life observation is subjective to be sure!.. However… It is my observation that the quiet editors… the ones who “just do” the editing without regard to any points… rewards… RS’s… TU’s… Front Page notice… leaderboards and etcetera… are the ones who stick around and do the most good long term. And it is also my observation that the “flash and bang” new editors… the ones with the most “new” ideas… the most “helpful critiques”… (and the most grumbles about how little their contributions seem to be appreciated…) tend to be the ones who are gone in a few weeks or months. So… fair or unfair? Editcountitis is still a factor… and still something to be cautioned against regardless of whether it applies fully to any given individual. Still not pointing any fingers…
OoT2D
14
I see your point. Not editcountitis, but not modest wikiGnome.
@LoisWade42
+1 Getting a RS is a big thumbs up. It’s not supposed to get you more views or make you more popular. It’s a sign of appreciation towards the author. If it’s good enough to be on the front page, it will get featured. The first time I got a RS I was super motivated and thrilled that they thought my article was good. Just be happy if you can write a good article, whether you get a rising star or get it featured. One of my most popular articles doesn’t have a RS or featured status. I’m cool with that. As for showcasing members, we have the community widget for that. If you’re a member who sticked around for over a year, you will probably be featured in there.
Daniel, when you got your first FA and were displayed on the Home Page of the community, you felt good and happy for that, same was with me and probably with every user. But when you get RS, you don’t have that kind of motivation. Noone begs for a RS, but we enjoy writing when we are appreciated. A publisher publishes more and more books when his first writing is appreciated, because he is appreciated. Same can be done with RS
Basically you’re asking for the whole cake, when you get offered a slice, because you don’t feel motivated enough? Really? Look if you don’t feel motivated or not enough when you get a Rising Star, that’s completely your problem. The whole point of getting a Rising star isn’t to put an article on the home page. That would be the Featured articles. A Rising Star is basically a big thumbs up to show that we appreciate your work and effort. I love it when someone gives my article a Rising Star. Well, not this publisher. I am content with a RS. I am content with whatever I get. I don’t want more than is given, by (not to forget) other volunteers.
OoT2D
18
I love when I get a Rising Star. I only have six but it means a lot to me how Boosters would go through the trouble of boosting and give it a Rising Star. A FA? It’s basically a good article displayed so people can see it. I’d think it’d be cool to get one, but I’m content with my Rising Stars.
system
19
There’s a large boatload of us whom didn’t start wikiHow when there was rising star opportunities. This is what the front page of wikiHow looked like afterI received my first featured article, https://web.archive.org/web/20070509012534/http://www.wikihow.com/Main-Page
. It wasn’t until that summer when there was a redesign so a list of small links on the sidebar appeared for FA’s. There’s also a large amount of people whom don’t write to become appreciated. I sure don’t. I write articles when I have interest in writing something. Whether it will appeal to a large group of people or to a very small amount of people (because a large chunk of Harvest Moon articles I created 2 years ago still have single digit views, and I’m perfectly fine with that), I’ll still continue to find things to write.
OoT2D
20
I don’t write for recognition. I write for the interest of people on Earth and for the love of sharing my knowledge with other people.
