That's an option, and I think we should consider it. But there's something that makes me wince at the idea. I'm not sure why.
FanLib is doing something similar and I don't like it there, either. For sure I wouldn't want the option to bury a story.
There's... I dunno... it loses the intelligence of a rec-list. Recs are more than just popularity meters. A good rec-list includes a variety of different stories.
Also, doing it that way will have only the most recent stories on top, while rec-lists have older stories.
Also, it will cause the big names in fandom to completely overwhelm other writers in a way that they don't right now. Yes, certain stories appear on every rec-list, but they are right next to stories that only appear on one or two rec-lists. Digg-style, it'll be all about the number of clicks. (Now bear in mind I was called a BNF in another fandom, and I've had the benefit of having my stories recc'd on auto-pilot, so I don't mean this in a selfish "hey, my story will get buried" sort of way. I mean that the variety you can find now by skimming rec-lists will be lost.)
Also, there are people in fandom who do nothing but rec stories. This gives them an important way to participate in the archive. When you find someone whose tastes you like, you can find stories you really like. Recs are qualitative, not quantitative. It's not about the numbers. A good recc'er finds obscure stories by one-trick-pony authors.
Also, I really don't like the idea of us voting on stories in this way. It adds an element of competition that I don't think is good for fandom. There's a big difference between Digg voting up stories about "a dog with three legs" versus an "astronaut's obituary" and fanfiction stories being pitted against each other.
Also, you'll end up with one fandom overwhelming another, which will cause a stink.
The more I think about it, the less I like this idea. I think it will:
1) dilute the value of recs 2) cause tension between BNFs and lesser known writers 3) cause tension between popular and smaller fandoms 4) bring in an element of competition on the archive
no subject
FanLib is doing something similar and I don't like it there, either. For sure I wouldn't want the option to bury a story.
There's... I dunno... it loses the intelligence of a rec-list. Recs are more than just popularity meters. A good rec-list includes a variety of different stories.
Also, doing it that way will have only the most recent stories on top, while rec-lists have older stories.
Also, it will cause the big names in fandom to completely overwhelm other writers in a way that they don't right now. Yes, certain stories appear on every rec-list, but they are right next to stories that only appear on one or two rec-lists. Digg-style, it'll be all about the number of clicks. (Now bear in mind I was called a BNF in another fandom, and I've had the benefit of having my stories recc'd on auto-pilot, so I don't mean this in a selfish "hey, my story will get buried" sort of way. I mean that the variety you can find now by skimming rec-lists will be lost.)
Also, there are people in fandom who do nothing but rec stories. This gives them an important way to participate in the archive. When you find someone whose tastes you like, you can find stories you really like. Recs are qualitative, not quantitative. It's not about the numbers. A good recc'er finds obscure stories by one-trick-pony authors.
Also, I really don't like the idea of us voting on stories in this way. It adds an element of competition that I don't think is good for fandom. There's a big difference between Digg voting up stories about "a dog with three legs" versus an "astronaut's obituary" and fanfiction stories being pitted against each other.
Also, you'll end up with one fandom overwhelming another, which will cause a stink.
The more I think about it, the less I like this idea. I think it will:
1) dilute the value of recs
2) cause tension between BNFs and lesser known writers
3) cause tension between popular and smaller fandoms
4) bring in an element of competition on the archive
It would be nothing but trouble.
Icarus