What's going on in rating?
@Sandra1952 (6047)
Spain
March 13, 2010 4:28pm CST
I submitted a new article to Helium tonight, and as I was rating after the submission, two articles came up about the Helium Rating System. So what? I hear you say. Well, one of the articles was about Madonna and a dispute about land in Malawi, which is about as far off topic from Helium rating as it's possible to get.
I flagged it as off topic, but it's not the first time this has happened over the last week or two. I've been told by some channel stewards that Helium is reviewing the rating system and also deleting substandard articles or asking writers to improve them, so I wonder if, due to this tweaking of the system, some articles are ending up in the wrong categories.
Or is it a fiendish plan by Helium admin to see if we're paying attention as we rate? Or is that just me being paranoid?
I know there are several channel stewards on MyLot, so can you shed any light on this please? And as for the mere mortal writers like myself, have you noticed a lot of off topic stuff when you've been rating? Do tell!
1 person likes this
6 responses
@mommaj (23112)
• United States
14 Mar 10
I completely know what you mean. I haven't seen it recently. The last time they tried to move articles to different categories Helium put the articles in bad places. I tried to submit new titles at that point and they would want to stick my articles into other titles that were already established and weren't anything to do with what I wrote. It was so frustrating. There were several articles I wouldn't submit because of that.
2 people like this
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
14 Mar 10
Hello, Mommaj. That seems really strange. After all, Helium are always stressing about quality and standards, and putting an article where it shouldn't be is hardly going to raise standards, is it? And putting new titles into the wrong categories just seems ridiculous to me.
1 person likes this
@mommaj (23112)
• United States
14 Mar 10
I thought it was ridiculous too, so I didn't post my articles. A couple months ago, I was finally able to put the articles onto helium in a new title. I thought that was so odd. Maybe they were afraid they would have to pay me an upfront. LOL All of $2.50 with the $1 bonus. HAHA I honestly don't know what they are doing. I'm not sure the standards or quality has risen any. I guess if they are happy...
1 person likes this
@Canellita (12029)
• United States
19 Mar 10
That's because you don't have standards! :-)~
Anyway...
Titles are judged for SEO value, you know that thing Scheng is always telling you to learn about? Perhaps your previous titles were judged not as vaulable on their own as the ones that already existed.
@jakill (835)
•
14 Mar 10
I haven't seen anything as off topic as that but did have a strange rating experience yesterday, when I was asked to rate three articles in a title I had written to myself. I didn't think that was allowed. It was one of the travel destination articles and, as there are several very similar titles, I didn't pick up why they seemed familiar until afterwards. In resrospect, I realise I should have skipped it, but it was too late. At least I wasn't asked to rate my own, which is number 1, with three behind jostling for position. I'd better go and check if mine has slipped down now.
2 people like this
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
15 Mar 10
Hello, Jean. I've rated articles in titles I've written to before. I think the only thing that has any bearing on this is that you're never given your own article to rate, which is fair enough. If I recognise the title, I skip it, as I'm not going to compromise my own position in the rankings. However, I have 300 articles on Helium, going back over 2 years, so unless the articles are good earners and I see them on the earnings page, I tend to forget what I've written to.
1 person likes this
@AnythngArt (3302)
• United States
15 Mar 10
I don't think it's anything Helium is doing. I am a junior, junior steward (they only let me do Italy in the travel section), and right now we are reviewing articles and suggesting which ones are below par or violate rules, not moving them.
In my time on Helium, I have read several articles that didn't fit the category at all. I think it's someone trying to game the system, and they are just copying and pasting. Or I have read this religious writing, which reminds me of someone trying to rant randomly to whoever will read it, even though it doesn't relate to the article topic. I always flag stuff like that and wonder how it manages to get in there in the first place.
Then again, just today, I read a discussion here on MyLot, and one of the replies was pure gibberish, not even real words. People are crazy and lazy! LOL
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
15 Mar 10
Hello, Art. Yes I've read the God Bothering rants as well, and I always flag them. It's good that Helium are reviewing the articles, because there are some really bad ones, and then there are the plagiarists. If Helium can weed out the dross, it should raise standards even more. As you say, people are crazy and lazy.
1 person likes this
@Canellita (12029)
• United States
20 Mar 10
That was a slip. Only stewards and editors can do it. If everyone had the option some things would never get read.
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
20 Mar 10
Hello, Canellita. Does that mean you can choose what you rate? If so, how do you do it? It would be much more enjoyable to be able to rate in one's own interests.
@sierras236 (2739)
• United States
13 Mar 10
It happens especially when Helium is trying to break big titles down into little ones. But there could be another explanation for a misplaced topic. That is the writer. Sometimes, the article accidentally gets submitted into the wrong category. Either that or in an effort to delete an existing article, the writer will simply insert another article in its place. One that has no relevancy or bearing on the title itself.
2 people like this
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
14 Mar 10
Hello, Sierras. Thanks for explaining that. I can understand writers putting in another title getting it wrong, but if it's Helium breaking titles down, you'd think they'd at least check where they were submitting them, wouldn't you?
1 person likes this
Maybe it's a glitch.. if it still goes on, then they are out to delete more articles perhaps. Have you had any deleted before though?@zed_k4 (17589)
• Singapore
26 Mar 10
Luckily they listened to your complaint there. Nevertheless, that's really oddly strange.. perhaps it all boils down to rating, and maybe users have flagged certain articles which are really nothing wrong with them. And that deleted article of yours, truly wondrous.. it has been there all along, so why deleted now? Puzzling..
Exactly.. how can one plagiarize oneself.. Helium allows users to re-post articles though right. Over $100 this month already? Awesome..keep up the good work. I think in time, Helium might do something about that rating system after all....
1 person likes this
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
21 Mar 10
Hello, Zed. I have mixed feelings about rating. It would work if everyone rated properly, but they don't. Some people just skim through and vote for anything. Rating's being good to me at the moment - everything I'm writing seems to do well.
I had something deleted last week as off topic, which was strange, as it's only the second article I wrote for Helium, and it's been there well over two years. The title hasn't changed, so I don't know how it suddenly became off topic. Luckily it wasn't one of my good earners, or I'd have been complaining.
I did get an article deleted a while back because they said it was plagiarised, when actually it was an article I'd brought in from another site. So Helium said I was plagiarising myself! It was restored when I complained. With a site the size of Helium, you're bound to get the odd glitch, but the earnings make it worth it. I'm on course for over $100 this month already.
1 person likes this
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
26 Mar 10
Hello again, Zed. Yes, it's useful that Helium allows you to bring in articles from other sites, and also post Helium articles elsewhere. I've put some of my Helium stuff on AC, and I also put links to my articles on Twitter. It only takes a few minutes every day, but it helps with page views.
@Canellita (12029)
• United States
19 Mar 10
I am not sure what was going on as I was away from the computer a lot the past several days but as a channel steward I have the ability to edit and move titles so if you come across something that is in the wrong place I can probably move it.
I think sometimes it is a matter of that was then and this is now and at other times it may be a question of someone being lost in translation, a lot like some of the interests on myLot where something is not entered correctly in terms of language.
I have flagged a couple articles for being way off topic and I even flagged one for deletion that was way off the subject! I don't think all of the writers pay attention to what channel a title is in. I have been surprised to see where some titles live myself and in the case of the article flagged for deletion the writer was obviously confused about the title and channel.
1 person likes this
@Canellita (12029)
• United States
20 Mar 10
I was looking over articles on rug making and some guy had contributed an article about making toupees!
1 person likes this
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
21 Mar 10
Brilliant! BTW, I did my first article to your channel yesterday, and you're right about the earnings - it's one of the quickest starters I've had. I'll be back!
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
20 Mar 10
Hello, Canellita. I've only been with Helium for just over 2 years, but I've seen a lot of changes, and I suppose some of the early stuff just slipped under the radar, but now there is this big review going on, it's surfacing again. In the long run, it can only improve standards, and at least when you find something way off topic it gives you a smile.
