How I use MyLot stats when deciding who to follow
By Boingboing
@boiboing (13147)
Northampton, England
November 4, 2015 10:42am CST
I'd love you to think that I'm some kind of stat-freak who checks everything to the nth degree before following someone new. That's not true – I mostly go on instinct. If I think someone is interesting, fun to be around, and I don't want to miss what they have to say, then they go on the list.
That said, I do check people out after a while. You know how it is; some will follow you actively for only as long as it takes to get you to follow them back and then they disappear. So here are my thoughts on how the MyLot stats can help you assess the potential activity of a follower.
Discussions: I've been here for about 6 weeks. If you look at the numbers I've made 66 discussions. So that's averaging 11 a week – one and a half per day. It's enough to keep me on your radar screen but not so much to make you start to hate me for cluttering up the recent posts lists. If you follow me, you know you won't have to force yourself to spend hours trying to keep up with me.
Responses and Comments: - I have 953 responses and 942 comments. That means that on average, for every post I make, I'm commenting and responding 30 times. It's not spectacularly high, but it tells you that I'm active and I'm putting myself about a bit on the site. I'm not one of those who posts and then ignores everyone.
So let's look at how other people shape up:
One lady I follow here has made 47 posts but 4700 responses and 4600 comments. WOW! For every post she writes, she's commenting and responding 200 times. She's a super commenter/responder and I'm really pleased that she likes my posts enough to want to follow me.
Take another who I would consider to be a bit like me only perhaps more diligent. 62 posts with 935 responses and 1900 comments – that's a Resp&Comm rate of 46 per post and every one of those comments and responses are well thought out. So he's also a bit of a star.
Now let me tell you who I won't be following. I've avoided names but this is a classic example of what you don't want to be following: 4 posts, 7 responses and 9 comments – and this member is following how many people? 361 – and how many of those can he possibly be interacting with if he's made just 16 total responses and comments? Not many at all. This person is a people collector but he's not interacting at all. This is all about him and not about you.
Do you check stats and if you do, what influences your actions?
24 people like this
22 responses
@Drosophila (16568)
• Ireland
4 Nov 15
That's a real empirical approach to select your following. :)
I just follow people who's stuff (discussions, posts, etc) I enjoy reading, and I see their name come up at least once a day.
3 people like this
@Drosophila (16568)
• Ireland
4 Nov 15
@boiboing Definitely worth exploring. Ya I always check their latest activities too, if it's not for like months, then I just drop off.
@celticeagle (189917)
• Boise, Idaho
4 Nov 15
I don't go in for people collectors. I go in for the consistent ones I see on here all the time. And, the ones who aren't saying weird things in their comments. And, as with Wendy, I follow folks I enjoy too.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64346)
• United Kingdom
4 Nov 15
I don't even read posts from people who just bash out post after post - they obviously haven't put any thought into them. And as you say, their ratio of posts to comments and responses are abysmal. I think my stats would be acceptable to you as I don't post that much, but do interact a lot.
2 people like this
@KnehKnah (3582)
• Philippines
4 Nov 15
Hi, my dear B! This is a detailed observation! Me? Just been here last Oct. 7 & I haven't written much (but I join discussions mostly in others' posts). Just have 40+ followers & also following 40+. I know I need to read more so as to meet & maybe follow them as well. I just need time & good eyes.
1 person likes this
@boiboing (13147)
• Northampton, England
5 Nov 15
That's the great thing. Mylot is good for people who'd rather comment than post - and generally those people when they do post, write something worth reading.
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
4 Nov 15
I look at how long they've been on the site, then I look at how many posts they've made in that time. If they've been around for nine years and have 47 posts, I won't be following. That person isn't very active. Now if they've been around for nine weeks and have a representative number for the number of weeks they've been around, then it's a possibility I could follow them. There are other factors I also look at but those are the start of what I look at.
1 person likes this
@Shellyann36 (11383)
• United States
7 Nov 15
I do look at the stats but I don't really choose connections based on their stats. I will admit that I normally get most of my new connections from seeing interesting comments that they have made on someone else's discussion that I visited. In fact, that is how I found your name. 
@boiboing (13147)
• Northampton, England
7 Nov 15
Now I'm going to be intrigued about what I could possibly have written that got you here - but thanks for visiting.
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
5 Nov 15
i think my talent is more on commenting. in the old mylot we could leave responses and comments on 'abandoned discussions' and earn from those, but not the 'abandoner.'
@boiboing (13147)
• Northampton, England
5 Nov 15
I think everyone should specialise! And if you want to be a super-commenter, then we're all happy with that.
@PainsOnSlate (21845)
• Canada
14 Dec 15
You made me look at my stats. Pretty impressive for only being here a couple of months. I don't spend all day here, Life gets in the way. When people follow me, I do look at their stats. So many have nothing in their stats, including posts - I call them the following creepy - who gathers friends before becoming active? I only follow those who want to follow me if they are active and their stats show it.
@boiboing (13147)
• Northampton, England
14 Dec 15
I find that the stats usually reinforce my own suspicions and assumptions. To be fair though, it doesn't really matter if I follow people or not as I mostly read off the 'most recent' and 'interesting' lists rather than using the lists of people I follow.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21845)
• Canada
14 Dec 15
@boiboing Occasionally on a slow day I will look at who I follow and comment on their posts - that's a way to delete those who you have never seen since they connected...
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
5 Nov 15
Sounds like a good way to judge followers here. I had not considered some of your points.
@boiboing (13147)
• Northampton, England
5 Nov 15
Thanks - I hoped it might offer a slightly different perspective.
@HebrewGreekStudies (1646)
• Canada
6 Nov 15
It's something that I'm still learning-to some extent from bblws I'd already be aware of people who just follow so someone will follow back, so I'd just kinda figure out to decide what was more of a real follower, or useful connection. But in some sense it's also a learning process, because I would be more used to creating posts, and the interaction is something I kinda had to get accustomed to. I think that is something that some of us are still having to learn...but, there is a difference between those who are trying to learn, and those who just don't care-so though it's early for some of us new here, I kind of already make a distinction.
@boiboing (13147)
• Northampton, England
6 Nov 15
I think that's a very good distinction. It's like when you look at the most recent reviews list and some posts are short but thought provoking and others are just lazy and lacking in any kind of effort. I know which ones I want to read.
@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
14 Dec 15
I have no idea at all whom you are referring to here. But it is an eye-opener as to who we should follow or not.
@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
14 Dec 15
@boiboing almost all my followers and who I follow are ex-bubblers.
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
4 Nov 15
Yes I do check it out to see how active they are I have had People follow me that have not been here that long at all as in a couple of hours ok maybe 5 hours so I don't bother because most of them are the ones that are spamming on here so no interest
@Rollo1 (16676)
• Boston, Massachusetts
4 Nov 15
My stats won't make much sense, because I still have tons of friends from the old myLot on my list, but most of them are not here. I have 419 discussions, 5,700 responses and 6,100 comments. Again, many of those from before. But I think I had about 200 discussions when I started back here a couple of months ago, so I am writing more posts now than I did before.
@boiboing (13147)
• Northampton, England
4 Nov 15
Good point - the numbers don't mean much for people with really big numbers and long tenure here. Thanks for pointing that out.
@blitzfrick (2890)
• United States
5 Nov 15
I'm not a numbers person at all. When I get a new follower, I go to their site and check out their discussions. If they look interesting, I follow back, at least for awhile.
@carexing25 (1822)
• Philippines
5 Nov 15
sometimes i do check stats but it only makes me feel left behind..
when i see other users profile with hundreds of posts, likes and comments, i'm like "oh men, i'm way too far from it" but still trying to catch up..
when i see other users profile with hundreds of posts, likes and comments, i'm like "oh men, i'm way too far from it" but still trying to catch up..@boiboing (13147)
• Northampton, England
5 Nov 15
Nobody should feel bad about how much more others do or smug about how much 'better' they might think they are. Some of us will find the over-commenters a bit intimidating and others don't want to follow people who write too infrequently because they can't give back as much as they 'receive'.
@JudyEv (382329)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Nov 15
Interesting stats. Based on your findings, I need to do more responding and commenting. I'm still feeling my way a bit here.
