Seems like Google Instant is going to make this even more important.

Dummy

Thank *you* for the details about Facebook Application Setup. I tweaked it a bit, put my own spin on it and just posted my video tutorial to my Facebook Fan Page.

Have an awesome day!

David

Success Steps Made Easy
- Turning dedicated people into internet and network marketing Success Stories every day.
http://facebook.com/SuccessStepsMadeEasy

I do not agree with you at all. In contrast to you I don’t believe I am the web. I believe I am a part of the web and that is why I don’t have to be active on your website every day. I think the good stories get attention anyhow. If I am not there I just miss it. But I visit Sphinn just about every day, it is just that I don’t vote unless I find something worth voting for… or I forget to vote because I have to do something else after reading the post. Now, if your interactions are decreasing whilst traffic stays the same it doesn’t say crowd sourcing is dead. It merely says that your site has bad converting elements. Once again. It is not your users but your own fault the voting is down.

If people would be sharing on Facebook or Twitter instead, then your traffic would be down, or your facebook Like button clicks would be up. As far as I can tell, neither is the case. So, that argument falls on its own.

BUT, it is not that you closed your service that I am turning against. It is the way you blame the users for it. If you don’t manage to convert your traffic, then perhaps you’re using outdated methods.

I have previously given Matt some suggestions on what you could have done with the site. Amongst them was:

1. Customizable sphinn embed button
2. Pop up login window after you’ve hit vote
3. Facebook connect
4. Viewable comments, but necessary login to make your own comments
5. Weighted vote depending upon activity
6. More top lists based on geographical, topical and other such metrics

There is just so much to do which excites users. You have done none of those and suggestions have been met with silence. I would have built it for you for free if you would have just said “good idea, but we cannot afford that right now”.

So. My point still being. Please do close your service, but don’t blame the users for it.

We don’t use Sphinn to promote Search Engine Land. Sometimes people submit our stories. Often they don’t. Occasionally I or someone else from Search Engine Land submits a Search Engine Land story, but that’s pretty rare. Feel free to check on this. Search Engine Land stories are not always selected. It’s pretty common that you won’t find a Search Engine Land story on the Sphinn home page.

But I also wasn’t criticizing you for submitting your own stuff. As you say, go back and read the comment. I was saying that you also do not actively participate in the site. You don’t — most people don’t. But you are upset that we’re removing the crowdsourcing element. I’m explaining that the crowd removed itself from the sourcing long ago.

The traffic is actually pretty stable — as I’ve also said. It’s the voting that’s down. People don’t vote. I know that’s true of user generated content sites. But as I also said, big places like Digg have bigger pools of vote. We have a smaller pool, which makes it much more open to gaming.

As for behaving as a prick, well, I never self-proclaimed myself to be one, as you wrote. That’s pretty weird. As for behaving like one in your opinion, I guess that’s your opinion.

My “attack” here wasn’t an attack. It was a pretty straight-forward explanation to you, someone who has actually literally attacked me, of why the decision was made and illustrating for you how even your own participation illustrates how there’s no crowdsourcing going on, even with the crowdsourcing nature.