Bots or People Gaming the System on WA?
A couple of days ago, I asked about bots on WA. I thought I was the only one wondering about the subject, but it seems there are many of us facing similar issues.
I started noticing weird comments when requesting comments through the Site Comments section. Several comments are poorly written and don't make any sense. As a matter of fact, some of them are plain copies of portions within my posts.
We can tell when someone doesn't take the time to read our posts and just leave a generic comment. These people just want to earn credits and don't worry about leaving valuable, engaging comments.
Some of my fellow members think we are having a bot problem, while there are others who think there are real people trying to game the system. Whatever it is, it is frustrating and needs to be addressed.
On my end, I sent Kyle a message and am still waiting for a response. Please, if you have noticed anything similar, I urge you to report it. We need to make our voices heard.
Thank you for reading.
Recent Comments
25
I think it's people deliberately racing through them for the credits.
I had 2 comments on one post, from the same person with 2 identities, linked to the same WA profile.
Reported it but didn't hear anything back.
I have recently had 3 site feedbacks that were very generic: nice site, like the colours, good posts type of thing. Trouble is, in there you can't refuse it.
I understand your frustration. It's what makes me wonder if they're real people or just bots. I think we need stricter filters to stop these people.
Are you saying that on your WA dotcom website builder the comments you receive could potentially be bots instead of real people. Hmmm
Maybe it is something that can be investigated further. Keep us posted on how it goes.
It's a possibility. But again, other members may be right and it's just other people trying to game the system.
100% with you. I've stayed distant from asking for comments because of this. Shouldn't need to do that but needed the fresh air. I don't think it's a bot thing, just people spotting a way to earn a quick cent.
Steve
Hi, Steve,
The problem is we use this tool to make our sites grow during the early stages. However, situations like this deter us from using it, which totally defeats the purpose.
See more comments
Enrique, I think this is an ongoing issue which a number of us have queried over time. I would be surprised if many members here at WA were using bots to scam the system. I think this is more a simple case of human greed by a very small number of members.
Because it is not systemic (ie. the system is not broken beyond repair), I doubt much remedial action will be taken in the short-term. There is a possibility that SiteComments could be included in the changes Kyle mentioned recently on his Q&A session with Jay.
In the meantime I think members who are frustrated with the low quality of comments could engage in a bit of passive membership activism. Use you powers of 'Disapproval' when reviewing requested comments. Be very discerning and if anything seems off about a comment, disapprove it. If enough members push back then the powers that be will see it is a problem and be more likely to do something about it.
I would like to see more flexibility in SiteComments so that when you get a bad comment, you can engage directly with the commenter, explain why it's not a good comment and how it can be improved, so everyone learns from the experience.
Hi, Fluffy,
I don't know what to think. Whether they're bots or real people, they're equally annoying.
We were discussing the subject, and most of us agreed we need stricter controls. The problem is these people saturate SiteComments and can even achieve the Certified Commentator status as long as their comments are accepted.
Like you said, we need to take a different approach. From now on, I won't be accepting comments of that kind anymore. Another member explained to me that if I reject a comment, I get my credits back. I'll try and see for myself.
Thanks for commenting.
Yes I agree, it is frustrating. You do get your credits back if you disapprove a comment. What will be interesting to find out is if there is any limit on how many comments you can disapprove. There must be a limit otherwise members would soon stop offering comments if they were under constant threat of having their comments disapproved.
I hadn't thought of that, but it makes sense. We need to be more selective regarding our comments. Maybe, if enough comments are disapproved, they won't be able to comment anymore.
100% agree. However, given the Open Education policy of WA, I doubt anyone would be restricted from commenting just because their comments missed the point of your post or they leave a generic comment. Doing so would likely do more harm than good and have a very negative impact on WA - could create a scenario where WA says it treats all members equally but in reality some members are more equal than others).
IMHO I think more practical solutions are to tighten the criteria around becoming a Certified Commenter so it cannot be gamed and introducing more training for all members on how to write good comments.
We have to remember that our sites will be receiving organic comments from people who are not WA members and may not have any training or experience in writing decent comments, so we can't penalise WA members too much for poor commentary.
Let's follow the 'disapproval' route for now and leave it to Kyle and Carson to decide whether a member should be banned from commenting because they have received a lot of disapprovals. It must show up in the system somewhere because how else would WA decide how to apportion the credits to good commenters and refund credits to those who had received comments that were disapproved.
Hi, Fluffy,
Yes, you've got a valid point there. It may be harsh to restrict them from commenting altogether, but undoubtedly some form of control needs to be enforced. Like you mentioned, the criteria regarding Certified Commenters must be tightened.
In my case, I'm pretty sure my comments come from WA members as my site is fairly new. I have a lot to learn on the subject, but I'm positive I'm not receiving organic comments yet.
Now that you mention it, I started doing just that. I disapproved a couple of comments today. In fact, save for those two comments, I received a few excellent ones, which really surprised me. I wish I received more comments like those. :D