My take on G@G updates (January edition)
Hello GAGers! As we all know, our beloved site is updated frequently. Those updates are meant to be indispensable, which would make this site more convenient to use, however, a lot of users call it a downfall because they were happy with the old UI and features. For the sake of a pragmatic and dispassionate approach, I would like to review almost all of the updates which caught my eye this month, to better connect the community with the administration by acting as a critical emissary.
1. "Like" Feature
Sanguine opening > Rebellious interval > Hypothetical climax. The story of the most tendentious update in the history of G@G. This was the prime update of January. It grabbed the attention of every user. A total of 3 myTakes, 59 questions & a whooping 945 opinions have been shared regarding this new feature. This package included the following features :-
⚫ You cannot downvote anymore.
⚫ Upvote has been replaced with "like" having heart as its symbol.
⚫ Voting is not irrevocable anymore.
⚫ You will earn +3 Xper for every 5 or more likes.
⚫ You can now like questions and myTakes too which is similar to last year's "was this helpful" feature.
Pros:
- It is symmetrical. You can like questions, myTakes and opinions in similar manner.
- It obligates users to speak regarding their disagreements. It will foster discussions, debates, communications. Good for an online community.
- Because of this increase in conversations, users will have a better insight regarding their erroneous and implausible opinions by their fellow users. Back then, users had nothing but red numbers.
- It will decrease the hate on this site. Users will now feel less hesitation in posting an honest opinion.
- It will obliterate downvoter stalker trolls. Sometimes people downvote by reading their username, not their opinions.
- More chances to earn Xper.
Suggested reading :- Why I'm Glad To Lose The Downvote by editor @pavlove
Cons:
- It does not really decrease the hate. Downvoting was ostensibly, a peaceful way to disagree with someone.
- Discussions & debates or arguements & feuds?
- Downvoting saves time.
- People are not ready to "love" each others' opinions, just "like". The heart picture is repellant.
- It is misleading. Your opinion can only be acclaimed unless someone shows some courage to disagree and write a comment.
- People feel ignored. Users are apathetic about this system now and barely like opinions. When we had downvotes, we felt a satisfaction that someone really read our input, at least.
- It is no fun.
Suggested reading :- Why Removing The Downvote Button Was a (For the Most Part) Bad Idea by editor @RainbowFanGirl
myTake:
Personally, I felt absolutely no hesitation because there's no one to judge me now. But, I am feeling ignored at the same time. I reviewed my opinions. I got likes ONLY by the asker. Other users liked my opinions when they were humorous. So, it is not feeling that great because I'm not here to joke, but I'm here to help. And without any criticism, I won't learn anything. The best thing for me is that, I'm not being trolled anymore. You may think this is no big deal, but you'll never know what was happening to me in my last several active months. I got massively downvoted without any reason and by just one person with several accounts. Check (possibly) his opinion on one my recent questions :-
Realised how I'm feeling now? But still I want downvotes back because of YOU. I will compromise. Back then, I asked a question regarding banning @mentions because of popularity contests and harassment. The MHO by @HandsomeRaj was a stunner.
@mention is a very good feature and while there are good uses to it which is much appreciated there's bound to be those who misuse it too which is why we have mods, admin etc.
If we start shutting down features because of trolls and those who misuse it, then GAG may have to shut shop itself :)
Theoretically, abandoning downvotes seems awesome, if we compare pros and cons, but practically, we lost a privilege. But, we all will get over it.
Ratings: ★★★1/2 (Good)
Community Ratings: 1/2 (Disaster)
Possibilities:
I think the developers will reinstate the downvotes because of rebellious reactions of the community. But it will be hard to do so because they'll have to take back the xper system and the 'likes' of questions/myTakes will lose their charm like the previous year's "was this helpful?" feature. Furthermore, it is very confusing (to like questions/myTakes) because the questions & myTakes I used "follow" (a discontinued feature) are already "liked" by me. What if the follow feature will be back and all of my likes will change into "follow"? I'd not like it because LIKE ≠ FOLLOW. There are three choices now,
1. Keep it the way it is. (neutral)
2. Bring back the downvotes and keep the Xper system the way it is, but 'automatically hide' the opinion if it is downvoted more than 10 times. Then give the users ability to see that by clicking/tapping on it. (risky)
3. Bring back the downvotes and don't grant Xper for votes. (safe)
2. New "look" for the Interaction Bar
#1 update was so influential that nobody paid attention to #2 update. It was just a fancy update. This package included the following features :-
⚫ New "like" button (heart)
⚫ New "more" button which includes flag for reporting (three dots)
⚫ Same old 'opinion count', 'next' & 'share an opinion'
⚫ New "Reply to this comment" button (on opinion comments)
Pros:
- Refreshing and user-friendly
- Takes less space
- Everything in one place
Cons:
- No button to easily scroll down to specific gender
- Takes two clicks to report. Some mods won't like it.
myTake:
This is nothing but an ornamental change. Perhaps, they changed it to include the "like" button. I really didn't like that they removed that scrolling button. I used to use that a lot. It is still in mobile version though. I didn't see anyone talking about this.
Ratings: ★1/2 (Poor)
Community Ratings: ★★★ (Above average)
Possibilities:
Websites often do decorative updates. You can expect anything.
3. Xper Changes
As the site gets some traffic and popularity, it tends to lower the rewards. But girlsaskguys.com is still loyal and generous.They updated Xper point system. The updates are :-
⚫ Having a question/myTake/opinion liked 5 or more times, you'll be rewarded +3 Xper points.
⚫ Once earned, it does not remove the Xper points even if the users unlike your post(s).
Pros:
- More bonus
- Motivates users to post good things.
- Minimum threshold for earning Xper for myTakes has been decreased. (as compared to 10 follow = 10 Xper)
Cons:
- N/A
- Encourages favouritism?
myTake:
No, there are no cons. This was a very good update. Thanks.
Ratings: ★★★★★ (Perfect)
Community Ratings: ★★★★★ (Perfect)
Possibilities:
If developers decided to reintroduce downvotes, stay ready to say bye-bye to your earnings.
4. Mute Notifications
Much awaited feature has been arrived. No more irritating notifications on your thread. You can keep your post while others chat on it.
⚫ Once muted, you'll no longer get notifications from a specific thread.
⚫ You can also unmute if you want.
Pros:
- No more irritating notifications.
- You don't have to shut up chat buddies anymore.
Cons:
- You have to post in order to mute a thread.
- You cannot mute specific opinions. You have to mute the whole thread.
- You cannot check if the thread has been muted by the OP or not.
myTake:
I wanted this feature so bad. I'm glad they introduced it. But point '#2 in cons' is the reason why I didn't use this feature. I want the notifications of new opinions. All I want is to mute chat buddies. Furthermore, if OP has muted his/her post, what'd be the point in posting my opinion there? You should "mark" them as "Muted by OP". Community is using this happily and probably, they didn't find anything wrong with it.
Ratings: ★★ (Below average)
Community Ratings: ★★★★1/2 (Excellent)
5. Play icon for Videos
Another fancy update. No apparent use.
⚫ If you saw a play icon (triangle with one angle on the right) on a question/myTake, it means it contains a video.
Pros:
- Bigger icon than it used to.
Cons:
- N/A
myTake:
I have nothing to say regarding this.
Ratings: ★★1/2 (Average)
Community Ratings: ★★1/2 (Average)
Possibilities:
Refer to "Possibilities" of point #2
6. New Font
GirlsAskGuys has updated fonts. The old ones are Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, and Arial. Right now Merriweather (titles) + roboto (details text). No change in mobile version.
Pros:
- Refreshing.
- Helps developers experimenting.
Cons:
- You may not like it.
Ratings: ★★★1/2 (Very good)
Community Ratings: ★★ (Below average)
myTake:
I support you for trying several things :)
Possibilities:
It will be updated. Confirmed by admin @menguc
[credits]
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zam.com
michaelpruiksma.com
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@ClariceOwen23
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PS: This take is not meant to offend anyone. I don't take responsibility that all of the information provided in this myTake is 100% correct. I'm just a regular user of this site and I wrote what I observed.
Calculation criteria for community ratings is based on several different attributes.
Thanks for reading. Hope you liked it. I tried my best to stay impartial and elaborate every update. My apologies in advance if I missed anything or hurt the sentiments of anyone.
What about you? How do you rate each update? Share your thoughts. Admins ARE listening. Believe me. They care. They "liked" my question regarding the updates (no sarcasm :P ). We would love to hear from you.
Game on folks, believe!
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