The Wealthy Affiliate ranking system - genius or curse?

byGail-UK

3.1K followers

Updated 6 years ago

As I read through the blog posts today it is clear that the change in the ranking algorithm has had two effects, that were inevitable with any change in a system of this kind:

1) Some people were surprised and excited by a sudden rise in their rank that was unexpected. This reaction is understandable as people feel that their work has been recognised although many seem surprised by the sudden rise.

2) Many people seem to have been surprised and and some horrified as they saw their rank suddenly drop. Some people have dropped a few places, some in the tens and others in the thousands. It seems to be the same with those on the up!

The problem with ranking anything in life is this: it can inspire and it can also deflate and I have read blogs today on both sides of the fence - good people who have seen their ranks rise, and equally good people who have now become a little disillusioned with the system and have been demotivated by the process.

So this begs the question - why have a ranking system in the first place if it can both inspire and demotivate overnight?

I would offer this insight for what my two pennies are worth.

1) Kyle and Carson built the system and can change it at will - it's their 'baby' as it were, and we are all just playing in their backyard. They have built a community which is a wonderful one but it is still in the backyard of WA and someone needs to be in control and set the rules. The algorithm for calculating rank is obviously much more complex than the 3 titles of "helper", "creator" and "activity" would suggest and this has been confirmed by Kyle today in a blog outlining some of the changes. See https://my.wealthyaffiliate.co...

2) Rankings here at WA are only as important as the value you place on them. They are not a measure of your worth as a person although we are quite often conditioned to see ourselves in competition with one another, ranking systems such as the one here, encourage that attitude. Whether or not that is a 'good' thing will be up to us as individuals to decide - and that choice will be determined by what we deem important at the time. My own rank dropped 30 places today and I would be lying if said I was not disappointed with the drop as I believed I have been working hard online to help and encourage others. I had to check my thinking, refocus and hence this blog.

I believe that the motivation behind the WA ranking is a genuine desire to inspire people to be the best they can and to help others and this is obviously motivating a lot of people as evidenced by the number of success blogs posted as people climb up the rankings. The 'problems' can come when people perceive that the goal posts have shifted, without warning, which can then lead to disillusionment and disappointment. However I would suggest to anyone who feels a little 'let down' (literally) today, not to take it to heart and to try to see the bigger picture so as not to become disillusioned or disheartened, especially when they feel they have been doing everything asked of them, (and they have) in order to maintain or climb the rankings. But if they feel that the goal posts change without notice, people may well feel a little put out or feel that it is 'unfair' in some way. And in this way, the initial intention to inspire, can be turned on its head.

In the UK there is a lot of emphasis on testing in the education system currently, and this has been increased in recent years to such a level that we now have many 11 year olds being put under enormous pressure from schools to do well in their SATS because it affects the ranking of the school. My own daughter who was due to take SATS last summer was not entered for them in the end because she was 18 months behind in her learning compared to others in year 6. This is due to the fact that she came from a disadvantaged background which meant that she had no nursery education in her early years and completely missed out on the first term of school when she was eligible to go. Consequently, she has been running a 'catch up' race with her peers ever since. (I fostered and then effectively adopted her). I liken it to her starting the race 100 yards behind everyone else and therefore in maths, English and science, (the things that the SATS exams focuses on), she is far behind everyone else and could easily become disillusioned because she is always at the back. Her motivation could easily be affected by this and she could choose to give up and not try.

My advice to her is simple - they are only measuring a few very specific skills and there are many attributes and qualities that she has, in which she far exceeds her peers, but that are not measured in the SATS tests. Things such as resilience, emotional intelligence, creativity and sheer GRIT! These are, in my opinion, equally valuable and desirable qualities as being able to manipulate numbers or regurgitate a science formula. My daughter, I'm pleased to say enjoys school immensely and the effort and care she puts in is exemplary. She never comes top in any test, but she tries hard and given her circumstances, her attitude is amazing.

It is the same here at WA - the intention I believe, (unlike SATS) is to widen the basis of 'assessment' with the goal of making it fairer but it is fallible system because it cannot yet account for many of the variables that could be monitored - like people helping others in their own time outside of WA, like defining what 'helping' really. is. Some people write posts that help many by motivating them, some people's post address a specific problem which helps others by giving them an answer to a problem. How do you discern which is the more 'helpful' or which is considered 'communicating?"

These are all questions that could come up and we may never know the answer since this whole system in itself is also a 'work in progress'. I am sure that Kyle and Carson will have thought of this when deciding to change the system. This also begs the question as to whether it is intended to be a 'fair' system in the first place, and since each and every one of us will have a different definition of what that 'fair' is, that must surely be a matter of perspective also.

My point about the WA rank is really this:

1) The more transparent the ranking algorithm is, the fairer it will be perceived to be by the community. In order to motivate people, the people have to know what they are striving to achieve in the first place, otherwise any action they take will simply be floundering around in the dark guessing where the target is. They will not be able to hit a target they cannot see or understand in the first place.

It is true that we were told that there would be algorithm changes this year, but perhaps, (and I say this with the greatest respect and grace to Kyle and Carson), perhaps, a little more warning about the specific changes that were involved, could have avoided some of the shock and disappointment felt by many today. "Forewarned is forearmed" as they say and if people had known that more emphasis was going to be put on long-standing helpers, indeed what the definition of 'helping' was, maybe that would have managed expectations a little better. This is not a criticism, just some feedback and after all, we all know that feedback is a good thing as we strive to improve.

2) The rankings are intended to inspire; but it you find yourself being uninspired by them, then I suggest that you take no notice of them at all, and focus on other measurements of your success - there will be many for sure. Ranking in WA will not earn you money from your website, not does it correlate with how your website ranks in Google so if these things are important to you, then focus on those instead. As and when the rankings in WA become more important to you, focus on your work here.

So that's it - oh dear, this post has turned out much longer than I intended but it may offer some consolation to those who have gone down in rank today (such as myself) and some inspiration to others who have risen, and that's ok with me.

We are all free to give our own meaning to the unique world each one of us inhabits. If things serve us, we should hold onto them and cherish them; if things no longer serve us then we should gracefully let them drift from our lives. There may come a time when our perceptions and focus change again and the great wheel of life turns once more, altering again what we deem important, which in turn changes where we put energy, value and effort.

One thing is for sure, whether we are going up or going down, we are all amazing, highly-valued and unique individuals who can succeed in whatever we set our minds on. Let us not forget that about ourselves today. The choice is ours.

I hope you find this helpful and do feel free to comment.

Gail