Do you honestly think this is a fair scenario?

I would love to Pixrawr! Thanks for the request. I think you are my kind, consistent and keeping up with the good will of the place and adding value to it! Looking forward to a great time here..

I agree with you James. Hope you eye brows grew back and you are thinking correctly. Of course you are, your thoughts telling me so.... Jokes apart, you always think right. I think, i have my method to remove users from my list. Once someone removed me from hers for I negated her opinion. Even though, I thought it was nicely refuted she deleted me! I do not follow this line of action. On the contrary, I think a healthy interaction includes all of those. We are different and entitled to voice our opinions which might or might not differ from us! The only thing should be a decent approach. I try to maintain that all the time. And, James, I find you consistent with all those and even though you have to refute I just love that... So keep refuting..

Great minds and all that mimpi! As I have said in my main discussion, I am not going to be pointing fingers specifically as this is not productive I don't think. But I do appreciate exactly what you are referring to. I wouldn't worry about your star either as surely people aren't THAT pedantic! You have offered up a very valid opinion for God's sake! Time IS a factor, yes and when we do get the time to be active, we of course want to interact with people, not just type for the sake of a post point or a few cents! I too am making the effort to remove people that make no effort to interact with me and I don't blame anyone else who does this either. I don't expect EVERY response to get an answer each and every time, but a 3 strikes your out rule is what I use and I am aware of other members using a similar approach. Anyways, in due course we quickly learn where our best efforts should be placed. Thanks for the response mimpi.

Hinting at you ? Certainly not Mimpi. I know that you comment back on each of your responses and you are most certainly in the category of friends along with James who i think most certainly desrve the highest rated tag whenever i have seen your discussions there. You keep the interactions going and the discussions coming, for it feels great to see good friends having their discussions being rated the highest.

Yes, I agre with you Alok, James being most consistent follow upper!! I just hope you are not hinting at me . I agree I couldn't really catch up with you guys of late. But trust me, I will soon.

Yep, it's ALL you mimpi! It's rewarding to hear that not only yourself, but others agree with my own views on this. You are one of the people that has always made the effort to interact with others and this type of attitude is of benefit to all of us! If I start a discussion, I want to have just that..... A DISCUSSION! Not create a repository for text! lol. Thanks for the response bhai.

This is why I think the top discussion decision is actually computer generated. Perhaps, as I suggested above, by the number of positive ratings given within the entire discussion.

I'm sure it is patgalca. There would be some sort of algorithm running at the back end that would take into account factors such as duration, number of responses and the level of positive ratings. All of these statistics combined would play a strong role in deciding which discussion qualifies for sure! I just wish that interactivity measuring played a role in it as well.

I donlt even received the digest actually, so all I can go on here is what I see on my home page as the top rated discussion each day. I don't doubt for one second though that many discussions in the digest will be in violation from time to time! Yes this site is monitored to a degree by admin, but the larger voice appears to be us as users. Even if a discussion is clearly in violation, unless someone reports it, then it stays! And yes, it IS a touchy subject, which in itself is ridiculously unfortunate if you ask me. Heaven help us if we have an opinion on a topic like this! Thanks for your comments mysdianait.

Hi pike! Where is this bit please? myLot make it clear in their Guidelines that commenting back to a responder will not make you money I make a point of responding back and commenting over and over to those who take time to respond to me and I am certain that I am earning for it as on some days it is all I have done. I do not start many discussions but I spend a lot of time commenting. I can assure you it is definatley well worth it whatever those in power have led others to believe.

Hi p1kef1sh, nice to interact with you after long. I think its after your discussion about DEVONSHIRE Beauty... I think you are right about the earning bit. A few only care for the 'added value' and i think its a conglomeration of responses and comments that takes you up to the top section if not the highest rated discussion. Thanks.

The precise wording is: "Thank everyone that responds or comments on your discussion. This will not increase your earnings." I guess that my interpretation of the word "Thank.." maybe looser than some others.

Glad to hear it Diddly! Top of the morning to you! Your last statement is extremely valid here. Why bother starting a "discussion" if you're not even going to discuss anything with anyone??? And no, you aren't someone who starts a lot of discussions at all, but you definitely give your attention to the ones that you do! This is how it SHOULD be as far as I'm concerned. Thanks for the response.

Is this a compliment? Or are we playing mind games again? lol. We have the MOST fun in the post-reply banter, no question! Why the heck would we want to change this approach and lose this aspect of our time here? I just wish more people got it is all.

Well, ya know, I learned from one of the best here.*S*

Exactly right chaitra! Even by loose definition, a discussion is an exchange between more than one entity. Take others out of the equation and it's nothing but a statement I guess! I won't bother for long with people that never reply to me either, but this is not my main focus here. I just don't think it's right to choose a one-sided discussion as the best for the day is all. Thanks for the response.

Fair enough bama. I'm certainly not going to criticize you for your own opinion on this subject. But isn't it great that we can exchange comments like this about it? Is this not what being a member here should be about? There's participation and there's playing numbers games. In my opinion, numbers game attempts are NOT in the spirit of this site, so shouldn't be counted as runners for top rated response. And people who never reply to me will keep get my attention for long, end of story!

Once again I have to reiterate a statement that I made above. This is a forum where people are here for various reasons. To make friends and earn a little extra money. It might not be a lot of money but participation is key. I am not really upset when a conversation seems one sided. If something is a top rated discussion for the day then that is just how it is.

I agree, James. At least you do your part by posting this discussion, and me and the others responding here by supporting your statement. It's isn't likely that it will change indeed, but it does give out the wrong message you are right about that. And that's a pity because there can be so much fun, laughter, learning and sharing when a good discussion kicks off. Oh well, like you said.. nothing more than discussing is what we can do.

The wonderful thing cyberfluf, is that this very discussion has been chosen as the top rated discussion for today! I couldn't have asked for a better way to be able to get my point across! Lead by example, yes? I'm very happy!

Exactly right, cyberfluf! A discussion is a conversation too and no conversation can exist if only one person is speaking alone! It really should be a 2 way street as much as possible of you're ever going to get the most out of it! For many offenders, it's once again this belief that quantity is more important than quality. And the thing is, if they did one tenth as many discussions and actually interacted with people in each, they'd earn MORE! And "discussions" that have no interactions should never be considered for the top rated award in my opinion. Thanks for your comments.

I see what you are saying about what the definition of "top discussion" should mean. I have seen discussions with only a couple of comments and be listed as today's top. How can that be? I'm not sure the discussion starter responding to all comments qualifies it as to whether it is or isn't a top discussion. I think it's the number of comments it generates. Still, I think it's computer generated because a lot of the time they just don't make sense.

You are definitely not alone in how you think things should be here Daffodil. Yes, of course it's a warm feeling to be acknowledged for taking the time to respond to someone's discussion! And never being replied to can leave us feeling hollow at times too. Sure, I don't expect every member to reply to me each and every time, but at least SOME of the time! If they never do, then why should I bother? I'm here to interact with people, not view my own words on a screen! lol. And as you have shared, even replying to 50% of responses is a positive thing to do, yet many reply to no-one at all! And then they receive the title of top rated response??? Kind of a flat victory if you ask me. If people want to play numbers games, then go and be an accountant! lol. I will always give most of my attention and efforts towards friends that make a return effort. It's as simple as that really! Thanks for your comments Daffodil.

The situation you are alluding to is actually a dynamic listof discussions that never stays static for long. The discussions listed will change pretty much every time you refresh the page! But the top rated discussion for the day remains as this for 24 hours and is then replaced with another the following day.

Double the fun then is it sparky? No need to go on strike! Jeez, it took me a while to dig up the treasure that is YOU as it is! And who knows what's around the corner..... Yep, discussions with no replies getting chosen as the top rated each day could be a definite possibility though! Ooooh, maybe multiple accounts owned by single troublemakers could come next too??? The horror, THE HORROR!

Horror is simply the other side of LOL don't you know! My dad and I used to watch the old black and white horror films together. We'd laugh and my mother would scream and we'd laugh some more and she'd go to bed with a headache! LOL Not much scares me anymore. But I sure would like to have a troll or two to play with..........

Well hells bells, it posted in the wrong place! Damn this site is messed up! Next thing you know they'll be featuring as top discussions, ones without responses! What kind of discussion is that for crying out loud!

Sconi you are by no means a serial ignorer! You've also been sick too! I am not suggesting that a person has to reply to each and every response by the way, because I know that's not always feasible. But someone practically NEVER replying and then being awarded the top rated dicsussion just doesn't make sense to me at all. Thanks for the comments mate and lose the guilt!

Pray tell sconi..... Where may one find these Barons? Thouest wisheth to smite them all! I hope to God you're not right on that front. Serial friend adders are right up there with the worst of them too, no argument there. A numbers game is a numbers game I guess. Oh well, as long as I'm not one of the numbers, then I'm fine to just ignore 'em.

yeah, there are a few people on here that try to gather 20 gazzilion friends, then they ask questions like "what did you have for breakfast?" and get like 300 responses. of course they could never respond to all those people. but they don't reply to anyone because they're too busy starting like 50 of these discussions everyday. these people are the "Greedy myLot Barons," and some day they're gonna run this place.

I agree with you that the number of overall responses in a given period of time, is a major contributing factor. Actual ratings throughout the thread would be a factr as well, I'm sure. You'll get no argument from me in regards to a one-sided statement with responses and no replies NOT being a discussion as well! Give and take is what it should be all about; and in my opinion, any post that is completely one way traffic, shouldn't be in the running for the top rated discussion of the day. Thanks for your comments Annie.

I don't understand it either to be honest. There have even been some members here that have thousands and thousands of friends in their lists that are viewed on outside forums as some kind of mylot Gods???? It's not really sending a very productive mssage to people now, is it? Thanks for the response Dawn.

Praise be to the sarcasm! * James lights a candle and bows his head accordingly * Only God himself knows how someone else becomes a mylot version! lol. But yes, playing numbers games and interacting with the smallest amount of people as possible seems to be at least two of the criteria.....

wow - there are myLot gods? how does one become one, I wonder? by ignoring your worshipers apparently... and there is my sarcastic remark for the day!

I wish to make it clear that I DO understand that people are not always able to reply back to everybody, but at least SOME replies would be nice! I am struggling to find the time lately myself, but to date I've always replied back to each and every response. It's in my best interests to do so on a number of levels. It's also courteous. I couldn't care less if I'm paid for this attention or not! Thanks for the response giay and I hope for the same things you do!

No i don't think it is

I too have been here for over 3 years. I guess the reason it doesn't bug me so much is because I don't START a whole lot of discussions. I do respond to a lot where I feel I can answer/respond/contribute but I never get offended when the discussion starter doesn't respond to my comment. I look at it the other way around. I appreciate it when someone DOES respond. I guess I prefer to weigh the good with the bad, the positive with the negative. Happy for a response, shrug off if I don't. I certainly don't want to be guilted into making a response because of discussions like these (and believe me, yours has not been the first on this topic!) Everyone is here for different reasons on their own timelines. Some have hours to dedicate to the site, others pop in now and then a couple of times a day or a couple of times a week. I have seen discussions started where people were supposedly saying "good-bye" to myLot for some reason or another. Many people respond to those discussions trying to get them to stay, telling them to ignore the ignorants. In most cases the discussion starter responds to some of the responses but in one case recently I saw absolutely no response from the discussion starter. Guess they made a hasty exit and didn't bother to see what people had to say about their dicussion. That is the kind of discussion I would want to see if someone had something to say to me to keep me here or whatever. There can be incidences where someone starts a discussion and then disappears due to life, health or other reasons. I know you are then going to say, "Yeah, but I see them commenting on other discussions". Those aren't the people I'm referring to, obviously. Your discussion made it into the myLot Digest and is the only reason I even saw it. And I must say, on average, there would be three discussions a week in the Digest where I find a discussion I am interested in responding to. Congratulations! You got my attention.

I'm happy I managed to grab your attention patgalca! I am not someone who starts a lot of discussions either, maybe one every few days or so on average? But I WILL reply to every response and will continue to do so as long as I am able. If the time comes that I cannot give my discussion this attention, then I'll become a responder instead and won't post any discussions anymore! My reasoning is not just based on exercising a common courtesy towards those that make the effort to respond. it's also all about exposure. The more activity I can generate within my discussion, the higher it will rank in the lists and I have the chance of getting even MORE responses! So in a sense, I guess I too am playing the numbers game somewhat, but I do believe I'm doing it in a far more positive way. And don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not a negative person! I too am very grateful for every response I get and I definitely don't focus mainly on the ones I DON'T get replies to. I just won't bother interacting with people anymore that repeatedly ignore my efforts to interact with them. Why should I bother with people like that? How long would you put up with meeting a friend in a cafe if every time you met, they never spoke to you? Wouldn't you go off and find someone that did? I see it the same way here, so will always act accordingly..... And by the way, I agree that many, many discussions have been done regarding people replying to responses. This discussion is not about that! It just so happened that many of the ongoing conversations within this discussion ended up focusing on this aspect. My angle is in relation to top rated discussion choices by mylot and how I feel that discussions with NO interaction by the poster, should NOT be considered. Even after all the viewpoits shared to date, I still maintain the same opinions on it. Thanks again for your inputs, they are much appreciated!

There are 2 different areas to note here patgalca. There is the "Top Discussions" list, which changes constantly throughtout the day; and then there's the "Top rated discussion" which remains listed as the overall top discussion for the day until it is replaced by another discussion 24 hours later. And I too am pretty sure that a majority of the calculations done to select these discussion are indeed computer generated, if not all of them! For the record, I will NOT delete a "friend" that never responds to my discussions. But I WILL delete someone who never acknowledges my own responses to their discussions with a reply. I basically have a 3 strikes your out rule on that front. It may seem harsh to some, but I am here to interact with people, not add text to someone's thread! And as for the repetitiveness that occurs sometimes with replying to one response after another, yes, it may be the 10 th time YOU have said something similar, but it's the FIRST time the responder has received your comments specifically for them. But I do understand it's not always possible to reply to everyone. But at least SOME replies are better than none at all! And for further clarification I've been "enjoying the ride" on mylot for close to 3 years now! Based on my own experiences, there are ways to participate in a positive manner; and ways to participate that are NOT in the spirit of this site. If my discussion here changes the mindset of even 1 member and makes them more interactive rather than numbers game focused, then I feel I've achieved something! Thanks for the response patgalca and I appreciate your other comments throughout the discussion too.

Kudos, I'm glad you expressed your view :)

That was a quick reply kareng! Thanks for the encouragement.

There have been a number of instances of this lately and I really did wish to bring it up. I agree that they do need to consider their selection criteria and also decide what's really important here. Is it positive and engaging interaction between members, or is it just activity for activity's sake? If it's activity in whatever form as the only thing that matters, then I guess I'm making a moot point! Anyways, I doubt they'll ever change anything, I'm just happy to have said my piece. Thanks for the response kareng.

I am not sure how many times I've received this honour myself in the three years I've been here, but it's certainly not in double figures! But at least both you and I INTERACT with people who take the time to respond! Thanks for the comments Rose and yes, I'd love a brownie thanks. It's been days since I've had one and that's just not acceptable I'm afraid...... You'd better give me three actually!

Whoo hoo! * James takes the entire plate and then defensively guards it's contents * Last weekend was incredibly quiet, Rose. I finally had some time free to go hard on here and very few people were around! Oh well, I have brownies now, so all's good!

Since no one else asked, you can have them all to get caught up to me....seems last night most were forgeting to sit down and haven't heard from them till this morning..

I do believe that the poster has to make at least one or maybe it is two comments before that posting is credited to their earnings.

Really? Now this I didn't know! I have noticed that we don't get a post point for a discussion until we reply, but I never knew about the earnings part. But why would people keep spamming out discussions without replying if this were the case?

I wish I knew the secret formula for ensuring constant success with discussions savak, but I honestly have no idea! We all get glum every now and then, so yes, I'm sure you will feel better about everything soon. Tomorrow's another day right? Don't you go getting all defeatist on us now! Thanks for the comments and hang in there. You are much loved and you know that!

Ooooooh, you get to play Matlock! You are most welcome as always savak and I wish you success in the courtroom. Keep positive too! We all get down every now and then, but you have many of us here that are more than happy to lift you back up! You just gotta LET us!

Thanks James. I needed that shot in the arm. Sometimes life just gets us down I guess. I've got to go represent my daughter in court again today against the person who sold her this house. Oh well, at least I know how to behave in a court room.

There is certainly no winning formula for ensuring our discussions are always popular. I've been a member for close to 3 years now and I have no idea how to be consistent on this front! lol. Sometimes we just get lucky. It could be timing. it could be any number of factors really. Anyways, as long as I get at least 1 response, then I'm generally happy these days! The discussions chosen as top rated by the way are decided by a number of background factors such as ratings, number of responses, time frame for those responses etc. I am not sure of the exact way, but it would be something along these lines. Thanks for the response Lore.

If you've been here for 3 years now and don't know.. I shouldn't know better than you! Haha. It's like playing Russian Roulette. Good luck.