Showing how much you rate

Ciao's Favourite Member · Number of posts: 1075 Registration date: 2006-12-20

Caroline Ross wrote:

I don't know, can someone please explain to me what all the anger and hatered for Helium is about?

Thanks.

Hah!

Well, where do I start?

(And please note, these are only my points of view. The other so-called Helium Haters may have different ideas)

When I first joined Helium, it was a lot rougher around the edges. However, it lacked a community. Community is something that has, IMO, ruined other sites, such as Ciao. Quality material is/was ignored on these site in favour of a writer's profile or their relationships with other members. Helium looked as if it might actually concentrate on the content and the lack of community was extremely appealing.

That all disappeared within weeks. Members that left fawning comments to/about Helium on the message board gained regular spots on the front page. There were cries for more community focus in terms of tools etc. and I'm sure there's no coincidence that these cries for community stuff came shortly after an influx of Ciao members.

The rating system is a joke. Not being able to choose what to rate is a fundamental mistake in trying to get content sorted.

They launched a competition that encouraged nothing but "churning" (i.e. the posting of large numbers of articles with the emphasis on quantity over quality). The amount of so-called writers whoring themselves for cents was pretty disgusting. People that wanted to surf and write on the site for a couple of hours per week were just frozen out as the weekly winners were submitting HUNDREDS of articles.

For the first five months I was a member, I saw nothing to make me believe that Helium cared about the content of articles over and above certain "rules". Entire categories were/are unsorted to quality (of content).

For the first two or three weeks I was a member, my articles never moved up or down the rankings in their categories. That's far too slow for an internet site and doesn't provide any incentive to write further. Articles should be sorted within days, at the very most.

As a UK resident, the pay rates were extremely poor versus the time invested (in comparison to other sites).

These new quick poll things that they included when they "improved" the rating system go unpaid. You couldn't opt out of them, so they kept appearing during the rating process.

I got the impression from the message boards that if you didn't buy in to the whole "oh, look at us, we're aspiring professional writers" thing and just wanted some fun, then your time was wasted.

One of the staff members regularly took a spot on the front page was "writing tips" that, at the time, seemed to concentrate more on the rules of writing rather than be concerned with content. I think staff members posting on the site is a good thing, but the front page exposure should be a reward to members for good articles. Staff members shouldn't be there. Additionally, while all these "writing tips" were being posted, Helium's tag line was/is "Where Knowledge Rules" and there were plenty of writers who were posting on topics they knew nothing about, quite frankly, but were hailed as greatness itself.

I'm sure others will have different ideas, but there's mine.

You can read some of them here:

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/internet-sites/helium-com/

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Opinionators/Ciao /Dooyoo/Helium

helencbradshaw · Subject: Re: Showing how much you rate Sat 22 Dec 2007, 17:39

For me, it was being forced to rate the same type of reviews over and over that turned me off the place. I haven't been on it for months, andI don't even understand what they do or how it operates, because I cannot get past rating the same type of boring articles!

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Be the Change You Want to see in the World

Thingywhatsit · Subject: Re: Showing how much you rate Sat 22 Dec 2007, 18:44

That changes though Helen as the more areas you contribute to, the more you get in the way of choice. Now I hardly get any of the same topics, and the range I am rating compared to in February when I first joined is enormous.

Caroline Ross · Subject: Re: Showing how much you rate Sat 22 Dec 2007, 18:58

Ciao! (or as I will call you Mr. Angry)

I do appreciate the amount of time you put into responding to me. It is very well thought out, and actually doesn't sound angry at all.

I do like Helium, but I appreciate the fact that you don't.

Now, tell me what you do like. What are you passionate about, what do you spend your time doing that makes you smile. I would like to get to know you better, as something more than Mr. Angry. Laughing

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"Whether you turn to your left or your right you will hear a voice behind you saying, this is the way, walk in it."
[i][u]

Ciao's Favourite Member · Number of posts: 1075 Registration date: 2006-12-20

What do I like on Helium?

Well, it has been a while. The staff were very quick to get back to me and were very thorough in their replies when I contacted them directly. I think the forum on the site has its uses, though the amount of fawning and fanboy-ism that went on was a negative aspect. The fact you can write about almost anything was a good thing.

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Opinionators/Ciao /Dooyoo/Helium

Caroline Ross · Subject: Re: Showing how much you rate Sat 22 Dec 2007, 19:08

Wow, well thanks!

But, I wanted to know what you like in life.

Your frustrated with Ciao, and Helium. What are you pleased with.

I did read one of your Ciao reviews. Something about watching TV on your computer. It was thorough, I learned something, but too long for my liking. I didn't read it all, but I got the point.

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"Whether you turn to your left or your right you will hear a voice behind you saying, this is the way, walk in it."
[i][u]

Ciao's Favourite Member · Number of posts: 1075 Registration date: 2006-12-20

Well, thank you ma'am.

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Opinionators/Ciao /Dooyoo/Helium

helencbradshaw · Subject: Re: Showing how much you rate Sat 22 Dec 2007, 20:35

Thingywhatsit wrote:

That changes though Helen as the more areas you contribute to, the more you get in the way of choice. Now I hardly get any of the same topics, and the range I am rating compared to in February when I first joined is enormous.

I remain sceptical...

I find its categorisation difficult to contribute anything anyway!

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Be the Change You Want to see in the World

Caroline Ross · Subject: Re: Showing how much you rate Sun 23 Dec 2007, 02:12

You are most welcome, kind sir!

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"Whether you turn to your left or your right you will hear a voice behind you saying, this is the way, walk in it."
[i][u]

steerpyke · Subject: Re: Showing how much you rate Mon 31 Dec 2007, 14:41

helencbradshaw wrote:

I remain sceptical...

I find its categorisation difficult to contribute anything anyway!

IT just shows you that one mans meat is another mans poison. The one thing that stands out for me about Helium is the fact that I can write about such diverse topics as medieval theatre, the role of the French in Americas Independance, spirituality, philosoph, environmental issues, politics etc rather than just product reviews.

The monetry return does take a while to build up, though I have only been a memeber a year and probably make £5-£10 p.m. even in the months that I don't add anything new. Then againwho does this for the money? It amazes me the amount of people that complain about the rewards on such sites but then talk about the quality and integrity of articles. The two are generally mutually exclusive.

As for the rating system, well I know its not the way the game should be played but try not bothering to rate anything for a while and see what happens.