WA Ranking System & Gaming The System
I do not think there is a way to poll the members here so I am going to attemt to do it in a post.
I, and some other members, would be greatful to hear your thoughts on the subject.
There has been a conversation going on within the comments of a post titled "Get your act together" written by Andre (apache1). It is a brilliant post which you can find here ( https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/apache1/blog/get-your-act-together ) if you are interested in reading about the reason behind this post / poll.
I will leave out names and if you would like to know who said what, feel free to follow the link above.
Some of the key points from the conversation are as follows...
* There are many who promote WA that have still not updated their WA reviews to reflect the new pricing and offers that have taken place which have led to many new referrals/members feeling like they have been misled.
*Some of those same WA affiliates do not follow through with the communication aspect once they ger their referrals and that leaves them feeling lost and confused.
*Another point that was brought up is that where the platform and the affiliates used to be about "paying it forward" and 'Everything nowadays is about "look at me, Look at me, aren't I great because I help people, even though I give out the wrong information most of the time"...'
*Members gaming the system in order to rank higher in the WA ranking system.
All of this leads to some negative feelings which can lead to a negative reputation for WA and the community as a whole.
Why?
These affiliates "are not only doing a disservice to Wealthy Affiliate but also giving false information to your referrals, Why? For the sake of a commission?"
THE POLL PART OF THE POST
Here are my thoughts on the subject and I would like to see who/how many of the other members think this would be a good solution or start to a solution...
-A- Maybe WA needs to update the WA Terms and Conditions to say that any affiliate giving false information will forfeit their rights in perpetuity to any commissions resulting from false and misleading information after an initial 14-day warning (because sh*t happens and can be an honest oversight).
-B- As for the point of it being "all about ego and attention-seeking" I think it can at least partially be mitigated by removing the visibility of the ranking system and making it visible only to the algorithm.
This would not only mitigate the issue of "gaming the system" it will also get rid of the negative feelings it can induce in members old and new feeling as though they are not doing enough when they see their lower than another member when they are doing more for the community in terms of information and help or when one sees their rankings drop for no apparent reason.
This can be very discouraging and even lead to some referrals never comitting to the journey in the first place or just giving up all together.
AGAIN just my two cents in the form of a poll to see...
1. How many members agree vs disagree.
2. What everyone else (members and starter members) thinks whether they agree or not.
Please leave your opinions and thoughts below.
Recent Comments
33
This is all very interesting and informative for me, and I feel I don't know enough about all the factors involved to give my opinion on it one way or the other. Like Partha, if I don't know a subject or issue very well, I tend to keep my mouth shut and just educate myself more if the subject is something I want to know more about. For THAT reason, I very much appreciate BOTH posts about this matter, as I've learned a LOT I didn't know just by reading both and the responses. Thank you.
Hi Kevin,
You are very welcome.
I agree, with that thought. I don't speak out either if I do not feel as though I know about the subject or I am asking questions not giving an opinion.
I, too, am learning a lot from member responses and opinions.
Have a wonderful week ahead!
Hi there, Cathy.
Thank you for shining a spotlight on some major issues that need attention ASAP. Personally I like both of your suggestions. There are MAJOR algorithm issues looming that I seriously doubt that things will change.
My website is being maintained in a very safe environment and I have built long-term relations. However, I am also a member of other platforms. My focus is on my online business, everything else is peripheral.
Rachele (OEC)
Hi Rachele,
Thank you!
You are very welcome.
I just feel that we need to have an open conversation about these topics and I hope that Kyle and Carson have a read through these posts. Even if they do not implement any of the suggestions whether they are mine or anyone else's.
Have a wonderful day and week ahead!
A company's core values is easily corrupted by miniscule oversights. It is not worth losing good reputation.
Rachele
p.s. People will start writing harsh reviews as a result.
Hi Rachele,
I happen to agree and do not want to see the reputation of WA damaged at all.
I guess we will see.
Have a wonderful day!
Bran-Bran,
Although the earth appears to be flat, scientists know that it is spheric (round). Things may not Be what they appear to be. Have no worries, water seeks its own level.
Rachele
While I haven’t personally seen anyone asking about $19 first month in forever, it’s absolutely possible that it can still happen.
The new member could be asking that question after coming back from a break away from WA, having had some familiarly with the platform in the past, and they’re asking if that’s still a thing.
Also, it’s very possible for a new member to arrive via an affiliate link from a member who is just no longer active, so the info is simply outdated OR they came in from an older article from an active member that’s basically archived.
Either way, I feel like the community here at WA do a great job of welcoming new members and helping them figure out basic answers to simple questions.
Additionally, Kyle and Carson do a great job explaining the entire process of how WA works in the welcome video and initial training.
I mean I could die tomorrow and then in a week WA updates everything across the board and we’d have members arriving from my affiliate links for years to come who would initially have outdated expectations. After a day or two on the platform, the community and info right here at WA would fix that for them. :)
Hi Eric,
I appreciate your stopping by to read through my post and share your comments.
While we do not necessarily see everything eye to eye, I appreciate your points here as well and that is exactly why we need to have the open and expressive conversation that we can all be a part of.
And I agree Kyle and Carson do a great job.
Have a wonderful day!
You too!
It's a great time to be a part of WA. Thinking about just how much WA has grown and everything that's coming. It's a really cool time to have an online business like this.
I agree, it is a great time to be a member of WA. I am still learning a great deal here every single day.
Have a wonderful week ahead!
OK, here we go...
At the beginning of this year my "rank" was 1100+.
Today it is 36 (just checked).
How did it get there? I am following Kyle's PPC class, and since the 15th of May, I have had 134 Referrals. Aside from the automated message each one gets, I have messaged each one of my Referrals multiple times, as well as replied to various blog posts and messages. Do I deserve that high of a ranking? Not my call, but not my goal, either.
I agree, there are a few of those that are "gaming the system". When I think notice a member doing that, with blog posts that are obviously done for that reason, some obviously done with AI, I just delete the email notification and don't read...ok, maybe shame on me, but I have a lot to keep up with.
I am not sure, though, that removing the rank from those that really do earn it is the answer...it certainly warrants a lively discussion.
Hi Joe,
It sounds like you are doing an awesome job. Congratulations!
And yes, I agree that there needs to be a discussion.
Have a wonderful day!
See more comments
Hi Brandaley,
I wrote myself on the ranking side of your post back at the beginning of June. The Ambassador Games I read Partha's response here, which was actually how I came to find this post. I agree (as usual) with much of what he says.
Especially the part where he mentioned it is a work of genius. Using folks desire for social status has allowed for them to create a free workforce, and some even seem to act in some ways as though they are part of a cult.
This will naturally turn some off, as it did myself initially. However...
I noted some time back how many long term members are still here, some for several years whom have never made one dime off their efforts, yet still pay their membership dues and post their feel good blogs about being successful and proper mindset to be successful etc. Then some of the regulars who are mirror images of them often will flock over, shower some likes and marvel over the genius of the post. Rinse and repeat.
You can bet if I could start a site where folks would pay me 300-1000 a year to give each other upvotes I would be on that quick, hah hah.
The thing is, there are those who are here for more serious endeavors. To learn. To build. To really make a move to bring freedom from wage/time slavery into their lives. And this is where I believe the real genius of Kyle and Carson is.
The tools are here to do just that, for those who can focus on that instead of the pat on the back system. So it's like they found a way to beat the odds and offer the niche (learning affiliate/blogging/social media/etc.) and widen it out to include every person not really in that niche who is willing to pay for the education they will NEVER seriously take as their own.
If folks are desperate enough to be liked to shell out that kind of bread, power to Kyle and Carson for making seats for them here next to those here to learn. :)
I have never promoted WA, and actually joined straight through them and not through an affiliate site.
As I mentioned above, this is the niche site Kyle/Carson have built, and I feel no burden to reign in those who have entered into affiliate agreements with them to represent their niche. At some point if it begins to have a noticeable impact on Kyle/Carson bottom line, the burden is on them to modify the behavior of those they have agreements with. As it only reflects on their brand and the affiliate who was running the site that misled them.
Regards,
Jason
Hi Jason,
I just had another read through your article linked above. I have to say that you make many very good points and I agree with you as well as Partha (I usually do).
Only time will tell what will happen but I am sure that Kyle and Carson will do the right thing for the community, whatever that is.
Have a wonderful day!