From the beginning, HuffPost has been blessed with a very passionate and engaged community.
And, over the years, we've tried to deepen the ways you can engage with the site and with each other. It's why we launched HuffPost Social News last summer -- so you can easily connect with your friends from Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo!, and Google Buzz, sharing stories and having conversations about the ideas, issues, and buzz-worthy items you care about.
Today we are taking that to the next level, with a redesign of our comment section and the introduction of HuffPost Badges -- a fun new way of recognizing and empowering our community.
To start with, we are recognizing our top users in three key areas of activity on HuffPost: connecting with others, engaging with our content, and moderating comments.
If you've attracted lots of fans and followers, you receive a "Networker" badge.
If you share a lot of stories via Facebook and Twitter, and have been busy commenting on HuffPost, you receive a "Superuser" badge.
And if you've flagged a number of inappropriate comments that we ended up deleting, you receive a "Moderator" badge. (For more details on each of these, and on how to earn one of these badges, see our HuffPost Badges FAQ.)
This last badge is part of something we've prioritized from day one. We've always wanted HuffPost to be home to conversations in which people connect, discuss, share ideas, and have lively debates about the issues -- while remaining civil. To this end, we've used a combination of human moderation, tech tools, and the input of our community members to flag inappropriate and objectionable comments.
The Moderator badge allows you to more actively participate in this process. If you are a Level 1 Moderator (earned by flagging at least 20 comments that we deleted, with a high ratio of good flags to mistaken ones), your flags now carry five times the weight of a standard flag. Level 2 Moderators (those who have flagged 100 comments that we deleted) are trusted to delete comments directly. We've seen how engaged you are in making sure the conversations on HuffPost remain interesting and productive, and are excited to have you become even more involved in helping maintain a non-toxic atmosphere.
We're also excited about a new feature that allows HuffPost commenters who are on Twitter to easily attract more followers. A reader just has to click on the Twitter icon under your username and they instantly are added to your followers.
And this is just the beginning. We have plans to add more badges and more features that will make being a part of the HuffPost community even more dynamic and rewarding.
Of course, if you don't want to participate in HuffPost Badges, you can easily opt-out by sending an email to badges@huffingtonpost.com. Be sure to send your email from the email address you used to register your HuffPost account, and include your username.
So far, people seem to like the new design. Yesterday, when we quietly rolled it out, we received the most comments we've ever gotten in a single day -- over 100,000. Our community members are now leaving over 2.3 million comments a month.
As always, we want to hear your feedback. Let us know what you think -- either in the comment section or by emailing badges@huffingtonpost.com.
And be sure to keep adding friends and fans, posting comments, sharing stories, and flagging inappropriate comments -- so you can earn a badge or level up the ones you already have.
Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff
What's happening? Are you guys making a bigger difference that you thought possible. Keep up the good cause. Below is the link to the page I am referring to above.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huffingtonpost/mcchrystal-rolling-stone_b_621251.html?show_comment_id=51561487#comment_51561487
Just say no to badges.
It is really not a good idea for the mods to constantly scrub a thread of of conversation.
Perhaps on a more positive note, another thread in the tech section , by Adam Estes, lot of discussions going on, why don`t you join in there. Actually Adam and Monica will answer to you , either on the site or to your personal email.You will see so many of your friends and then some others .....
First I am having similar problems. My comments are held and never posted. Not only on this thread but others.
I never implied you were technologically challenged or dumb. I don't see anywhere that I posted anything about you cleaning out cookies, logging off or on. I have to run my antivirus to rid it of whatever I'm picking up here.
My comment below said I was checking on you to see if everythings okay. Nothing more.
I don't think I deserved that.
~ Peace ~
In my thread your frustation with the mods was visible, which was my experience too., Your initial answer of my thread , together with x...`s answer were deleted. They were doing that to me too on another thread.
What I wrote to x was the repeat of what you said, meaning, I am going to read a book instead of posting and getting chucked.
I am so so sorry , I got you all upset, and if in any way I did offend you , it is all my fault, , love and hug from me..
Catch up with you tomorrow.
Mods, please post this
Good Night.
X
Oh well...
(Trimmed for simplicity.)
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Lion24
New paradigm.
Posters no one has ever heard of -- who have been members for ten minutes or so -- waltz in here with a thousand fans.
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ChardinisAngel
Unfan THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED!!!!
IT WAS FAN ROBBERY!!!! Call the mod squad!
Which reminds me, I had to share this one:
HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
Kellyk311 925 Fans
Become a fan
Unfan Follow
The flag and or delete button should have been given a pop up window with 'Why' and a comments section and or a drop down menu of the offense.
It should also email the person with who, what, when, where, and why.
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~hick0088/classes/csci_2101/false.html
What I gather from X.., by scrubbing your comments, they do post `em in your social activity but not on friend`s social page. Some convoluted scheme...I suppose.
One glitch still remains, MODS, after clicking the post button, certain thread genie says your comment is empty...
Other than that neighborhood BBQ tonight, I am planning to make a pastry, from Barefoot Contessa`s delight..
Catch up with you tomorrow...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-clark-estes/help-huffpost-name-our-ne_b_598328.html
Thank you for your astute comment.
This should go the the Jake knots thread.
Friends, only ten in the morning and I am totally frustated to say mildly..
Last two days more often than not I am trying to post, it clicks and tells me my comment is empty, I can not post. HuffPo if any of you are reading I appreciates it you fix it, I am wasting my time here and out of here for now..
Any of my friends have been harrassed by this ?
The other day I was happy to see the site looking less cluttered on the main page, but today, it looks pretty messy - just like before. Another commenter on a thread pointed out that the stories on HP are just swarming with ads, buttons, links, twitterfeeds, it's pretty crazy. Once again, it feels like the "newspaper" is reading me, rather than the other way around...
Hope your day is l-o-v-e-l-y!
Main page messy as ever, actually worse...yesterday I was clicking in to comment wolla it takes me to an ad....
It's not uncommon for HuffPost reporters like Sam Stein and Shahien Nasiripour to find a great story tip in the comments section or for our editors to look through the comments for guidance on future coverage. Furthermore, our most active commenters forge relationships and make new discoveries in the comments.
Read More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-clark-estes/help-huffpost-name-our-ne_b_598328.html
Did you notice that replies posted on that thread ALSO go into "pending"? Unbelievable.
But, most of all, I cannot believe that they're thinking of making *another* badge!? We don't need more badges. We need the glitches fixed.
Don't know what to say about new badges, they still look odd to me.
Keep up the good work.
By the way, right after I tried to post that comment, which wasn't really a comment at all - mainly just a copy and paste of something already posted in another thread - the abusive comment by that "community moderator" was removed, and my reply questioning their comment was never posted.
I wonder - are there any consequences for community moderators who themselves post abusive comments? In the future, I intend to reply to any "moderator" who publically abuses someone. I will not in any way be rude or abusive myself - I will simply question whether it is appropriate for them to be behaving in this manner. And I will flag their post as abusive.
I do not understand why HuffPost is not concerned about this behaviour. I see it in almost every thread, albeit less frequently than before. Most moderators who engage in this behaviour do it repeatedly. I guess nobody is moderating the community mods, other than a computer program based on flag quotas and accuracy.
I ran across a comment on a thread by someone who was very upset with a community mod for the comment they made. The person said community moderators make the rudest comments and should be held to a different standard. They definitely didn't think it was fair. I agree with you about replying to some of these mods who are abusive; I think that may be the only way for HP to see for themselves and too hopefully address it.
The harsh criticism some people get doesn't bother me, it's the name calling and personal attacks that seem to have grown as the site has changed. Also there's a lot of flagging when someone just disagrees with a comment.
Very good points CPad.
Very true. I don't mind a good fired-up debate (I welcome it). It's the ugly personal attacks that get old very quickly.
At times, the "flagging thing" definitely seems to be out of control? Posters are flagging each other just because they have different opinions; this tactic is overused and abused, constantly.
For me, this site really is "The Internet Newspaper." I come here first to get my bearings on what is happening in the world, and to see where I should take my search for news and information.
The site seems to be refining and becoming more complex at the same time - the Front Page seems more streamlined, as does the comment sections. I believe it's critically important that HP remains primarily a news and information site. The participation of a world-wide community, the brilliant writing of some truly world-class thinkers, and the endless access to important breaking news really drive the site.
I'm happy to see that the site is becoming "flatter" visually, and that as they work on the design of it, it's less about jumping out and grabbing at the viewer, and more about welcoming the viewer to engage and participate.
Does anybody else notice the site improving? If so what do you like about the site as it is now? I'm curious to know how people see things from that angle.
We are Canadian but we both prefer HuffPost to any of our Canadian sites.
It is precisely because I am so very fond of my "newspaper" that I am distressed about this new badge program. Were I not so attached to my favorite paper (and my favorite people!) I would have been long gone.
Thanks for your post. That's a cool idea - sharing what we like about the site - because we sure as blazes complain enough about it. Or at least I do, lol.
What I agree with: I come here first to get my bearings on what is happening in the world, and to see where I should take my search for news and information.
This is what attracted me to HP and why I usually check here daily. Top headlines and stories on the front page. It's my jumping off point for the day from there I can check other news sources for more information. That I really like about HP. A quick look at what's going on, you know relevant, timely, all that. But I always remember I'm NOT getting the full story and that's okay; that's how its designed here.
All of the different sections that HP has is great; a lot of really good information. I just found the Living Section (holistic, organic, healthy living stuff there). The navigation really works well on a site that has so much information. Bravo to HP on that, pretty easy to get around.
Visually, X IMO there's a lot going on with photos, graphics, advertisements, sidebars, etc. (sometimes referred to as a hot mess) HOWEVER, this is what makes it alive, exciting and invites people just dropping by to stay longer (sticky). You don't want to miss anything, I read some of the comments to find out what the sentiments are or the debates pro and con. So it works well.