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Please join us today at 3 p.m. ET for our weekly roundtable discussion. We're looking to telling you about some cool new projects. We're really excited about them and think they're going to be a lot of fun.
iReporters from all over the world shared some amazing stories and you can check out some of the highlights in our "This Week in iReport" video.
We also want to talk about what we can do to make the Superstar recognition system more super. If you have ideas for making users feel more welcome and appreciated, we want to hear them.
Here's what some other sites are doing that we think are cool:
Current.com puts a graph next to users' profile images to show their levels of participation.
12seconds.tv gives users badges for participating in different projects, and just being a part of the community.
Yelp.com has a Yelp Elite Squad, a review of the day that's selected by users and a public “compliments” system (good writer, funny, etc.).
We can't wait to hear your ideas.
Comments will open at 3 p.m. ET.
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Hi everyone and welcome.
Hey Everyone! Happy Thursday! How are you all doing? So, I was doing some research and some thinking about the SuperStar Status and I came up with a few different ideas.
First, it's always exciting to get our work on iReport's homepage. While you guys do a great job of picking out videos to show, I think the users should also have a choice in what it showcased. iReport, is a user generated site, and I think we should have a little say in what is showcased. Maybe having a button on each video nominating it for "Video of the Week" or something along those lines. Just an idea.
I also read through your guys list of sites to check out and reasons why. I also tried thinking of a few sites I visit regularly. One thing that might be interesting, is if we got badges for depending on which CNN shows our videos appear on. It would be kind of cool to see which shows we have appeared on, being that most of the time, most of us don't even know or see ourselves on. I usually find out through other people who see me, or if I run across a transcript with my name it in. So it'd be cool to see how many CNN shows we actually get on.
And I know we've talked about this in the past, but what about getting points. You get a certain amount for "ON CNN" stories, and so many points for a certain number of views. Then we can use those points to purchase things, like CNN or even iReport gear. Just an idea at least. Those points could also go towards our status. I know that you said with the current system, just by posting enough comments could get you SuperStar status, I don't think that should really count.
I also just thought about this. I remember back in elementary school where around this time of year in fact, we would write a sentence or two about another classmate, saying something we liked about them. It might be kind of cool to get quotes about some of the top contributors from other users and even the staff.
So there you go! There are a few of my suggestions! :)
Hi everyone!
Excellent suggestions, Kyle. (and hi!) Thanks for putting so much thought into everything.
Hey Kyle,
Those are a bunch of great ideas.
I really like the user pick idea.
Hello from Sunny Coronado Island :)
@ChrisMorrow -- Hi Chris, welcome.
Dzien dobry, everyone!
Hi everyone! Kyle, thanks for your very thoughtful ideas! I especially like the idea of iReporters voting for a story of the week.
Hey iReporters, we've rolled out some new assignments that we're pretty excited about. I hope you'll find them worth participating in. Let's start with a joint project with author A.J. Jacobs.
He's an experimental journalist who wants to do an an experiment with you. He's challenging you to spend a day being as polite as possible: http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=362796
Good ideas, Kyle. Thanks. However, I could see a "one star bandit" having a field day with a nominating button. ;oD
@Joyfulypsy - you made it to the CNN Homepage today! Congrats
Tyson - "Polite as possible." That has a whole different meaning in NYC. Interesting.
Tyson - Cool. Thank you. It's funny the things you happen upon unexpectedly. I'm happy to bring attention to such an important issue.
@tyson - would be a normal day for me being polite :P
@JoyfulGypsy, good point. Maybe everyone is limited to the number of votes per day they can have?
@tyson I got an e-mail from someone in Chicago wondering if you guys were still working on the video art project we all signed up for back in Aug/Sept.?
@JoyfulGypsy -- I think there are things we can do to prevent the return of the One Star Bandit.
Hello all sorry for being late came from the LA Auto Show
:)
People in LA seem to be polite until they drive hmm.
@Thetalesend -- You're just in time. Can't wait to see your iReports from the show.
How about some advice on how to better promote our posts? I realize there's Twitter (which really doesn't seem to do much) and Facebook, etc. But, I've noticed that some posts get linked on to many, many different websites and news outlets outside of CNN and get tons of views, regardless of what they are about or now newsworthy they really are. Any help with promoting and linking our work?
@KyleHD yes, our collaborative art project is still in the works. Thanks for being patient with us. Your note reminds me that we need to update everyone who signed up! I'll get on that
David - Thanks. ;o)
I don't have any ireports from the show though I do have pictures that aren't available to the public until tomorrow.
I was part of the Ford Fiesta reveal since I was part of the social media experiment of the Fiesta Movement.
I'm sure iReporters are among the most polite people on earth, but how many of you would be willing to follow the highest rules of etiquette for one day?
Think of it as a social experiment. I think it might be fun to see what happens
@tyson thanks! just thought i'd ask and make sure we didn't miss out on anything!
@ iReport Producers =
What is your def. of a SuperStar?
@ChrisMorrow that is a really good question!
I wonder how I could be more polite I don't have much interaction with people other then the store and the coffee shop.
Hi all! I think Kyle had some great suggestions. Maybe each iReporter could have only one vote for iReport of the week. We could do it on Saturday. That would keep people from just randomly voting for all their friends.
I also agree on the star system. I think far too much weight is given to the comment section. If a person is a "superstar iReporter" it should be mainly connected with their reporting. Lots of people post one or two word comments on every iReport and they become "superstars". I think it should be linked to the content and quality of the reports.
Hello everybody
@David - as always, thanks for your help
For "polite day", I'll have to choose a day I'm not driving the streets of Rome.
@JoyfulGypsy -- That's a really good question and a tough one. We vet and promote as much of the best content as we can.
I am trying to figure out why some stories have tons of people linking to them and others don't. I don't know the answer yet.
Hello everyone -- a bit late on the uptake but happy to be here..
And, the deadline for that project is December 18. So, if you're interested in joining, be sure to send in a video by then!
@thetalesend -
you can be polite online too. and/or make a point to give eye contact and smile to people you encounter.
Welcome @nealmoore and glad to hear you are okay after your journey!
Can I ask a twitter question since I use it so much?
I think there should be more stories from ireport that are vetted on your twitter feeds.
Are you utilizing lists for this?
@hhanks - thanks - great to be alive and well!
Smile....yes
@david =
linking is very odd. I link my stories to at least 3 different places and some of the time it says not shared. I guess I need to know what shared means too.
@David: do you have access to any demographics, such as locations of who is viewing iReports? YouTube has a feature called "Insights" where I can see countries/states, and methods of discovery (links/embeds, search terms, etc). It is very interesting.
Last night, I thought about the politeness challange. I went to dinner and I purposely got something large so I would have lunch for today. So I had the remaining part of it boxed up, and then I ended up giving it to a homeless person to eat on my way home. He was very greatful and I felt good about that.
hi Neal. happy you are alive and well too!
@ChrisMorrow: I would like to know that also, what does "sheared" mean
@ChrisMorrow - cheers and thanks!
@ChrisMorrow -- We designed the Superstar formula to help recognize people, who are making a positive contribution to the site.
The problem has been that there are all kinds of ways to contribute here -- you can post iReports, make comments and participate in other ways.
It's hard to measure a bunch of factors with one number, that's why we want to change it.
shared (sp)
I haven't seen much on Facebook lately from the team. Is that my imagination?
I sure miss our front page status! I go to the iReport page every day, but I loved being able to see what was happening with my favorite iReporters at a glance. I do follow them on my "new activities" page, though.
Also, I need to know about page views. If you embed a video, are the viewed counted?
Hello, alisonv. I agree.
Tyson - Highest rules of etiquette? What does that even mean? If you smile or make eye contact on the street in NYC you're considered a freak or a target. It's certainly not the same as being in Texas, for example.
@ChrisMorrow -- shared measures the number of times users have shared your iReport on Facebook, Twitter, Digg, del.icio.us, reddit, and StumbleUpon.
@alisonv I agree about Facebook. Is there something particular you'd suggest we do with our Facebook page, or just more posting in general?
when you say front page status - are you refereing to the new iReport homepage or the CNN.com Homepage?
David- Sometimes commenting all day isn't really much of a genuine "contribution".
@ChrisMorrow -- The other problems with the Superstar status are that it's based on recent activity, so people feel bad about losing their star.
It's also not helpful because other users can't tell the difference between a person who just joined and another who has posted 100 amazing iReports, but went on vacation for a month.
Oh here is one for polite and I'm not sure if it's regional or not.
During cold/flu season people are always sneezing in northern california people don't say bless you in southern california everyone does.
Is it just me?
On You Tube, it is possible to see the links to your video. Could that be done on iReport?
@JoyfulGypsy: We definitely have different definitions of "polite" here in the Northeast than in the South. Whenever I travel to places like Texas or the Carolinas I can't get used to people being friendly for no reason (and Georgia as well or course!)
@ iReport Producers=
Is ranking delayed?
http://www.ireport.com/people/fthoodwife
please explain why she is #5 2nd week in a row and posted her piece Nov. 6 and only posted 1 comment along with only 4 iReports to date.
This one too: ranked #3
http://www.ireport.com/people/iCruiseUf
his big post was Nov. 13, 6 posts to date and only commented 1 time
======================
for me to make suggetions I need to understand what CNN iReport is looking for in SuperStars
@ChrisMorrow, when you embed a video on another site views of that video do not count toward your iReport story page views.
@JoyfulGypsy -- That can be true, but in many cases the comments add context to the story. It also makes a wonderful contribution to the overall health of the community.
I know that a lot of people have made friends here because they started talking in the comments of an iReport.
That's valuable.
@alisonv: I am wondering the same thing. Sometimes I am baffled with how many views my stuff gets, and would love to know where the hits are coming from. The YouTube "Insights" feature is very useful and interesting.
Hey guys, joining the party for a bit. How are you?
Tyson, I think just more activity in general - upcoming assignments, what's on the iReport TV show this week, any particularly interesting reports.
I meant the front page of CNN - the little square we used to have with rotating iReports. I don't know if the general public is going to the iReport page to see what is there. I think we need to have the CNN public seeing the work regularly and becoming iReporters themselves. That's how I got started.
What about when an ireporter comments on their own report, I think only their 1st comment should count, some comments about 75% of the time it's their own comments on their own report.
@ChrisMorrow: I always thought the "Superstar" designation was strictly a mathematical formula based on activity. But my star comes and goes and I have no idea why.
Hi Nicole!
I second Chris's question to the iReport producers...what is YOUR idea of a superstar? What do you think should be the guidelines.
Jeffpickens - I really make an effort to be polite normally, but, to be honest, if I make it through the day not giving someone the finger driving through the Lincoln Tunnel from NYC into NJ, that's an accomplishment. ;o)
Hi @nsaidi! I saw your hair is getting long in this week in ireport!
Hi All.. I am late.
as a rule I try to acknowledge other vetted iReports. It is good to motivate others and let them know they are doing a good job. oops! there I go being polite again. :)
@ChrisMorrow -- I agree that the Superstar system is flawed and not very clear to anyone. That's why we'd like to have different recognitions for different types of contributions.
What sort of things would you like to see?
@KyleHD Why yes it is. It's kind of like a Rapunzel thing, I dunno. Good to "see" you. I like the recent stuff you've done. I followed your Black Friday tips. LOL.
Chris, what are you referring to...number 3 and number 5. I don't know what that is.
Also...I think that the iReport page posts need to rotate more. I've seen the Elmo report and the one about "I opened the blinds and there were rescue teams" for weeks and weeks. If people see the same reports all the time, they will go away. It seems like a waste of prime space to have things there for weeks.
not fond of the Current model. I have consistently added iReports and feel very dicouraged there.
http://current.com/users/chrismorrow.htm
I think if an iReport gets "ON CNN" that person should get a Superstar, at least for that week. # of hits shold also be taken into account. Unfortunately it looks like we cannot have the star rating system because people abuse it.
@alisonv gotcha, thanks for your feedback. We affectionately called that square box "the Mod" - which was short for the iReport module.
We miss it too :) It was cool to see your faces on the homepage of CNN!
I wish I could tell you all the reasons it wasn't part of the redesign - but I'm not entirely sure.
Just know that we're still very much committed to getting your iReports on the homepage.
@ChrisMorrow what do you think about a badge model? (like 12seconds)
@nsaidi haha thanks, and glad i can help!
@KCRep -- That is a good idea. One thing we have considered is to have a separate recognition for comments, another one for submissions and maybe a third one for page views.
That's one of the ideas on the table.
Hi all!
I'm glad you notice when we do and don't update -- we put a lot of effort into keeping the page fresh-looking and will continue to work towards improving it.
I like the Yelp ratings: Funny, Useful, Cool
@davidw...Thanks I'm glad you're working on that, it's been bothering me alot lately.
Before I get back to work....What about that t-shirt? I just want to buy one. How?
@JoyfulGypsy are you referring the iReport for CNN T-Shirt?
Welcome @omekongo!
Hello all, it's been a few weeks since I uploaded a video, and I'm here to ask: Is there a way you can stop people from contacting you? Spammers and such have really turned me off to iReport. Creepy people!
Question/Suggestion about iReport log in, is there anyway we can get the Remember me option back? I hate that I have to log in everytime I get to iReport.
@JoyfulGypsy -- you should be getting one soon.
Hi EW!
David, As I said, I think they should be more weighted to the reports. Comments could count and are important to the community, I agree. But sometimes you see one generic word "Nice" or "Thanks" on every report that is posted. I don't think that is the same thing.
It is hard to do what you want to do on strictly numeric terms even in terms of numbers of reports. An iReport could be one image and a comment, so a person could do thousands. I'm not that prolific as an iReporter, but I do try to put some thought and editing into the reports. So I don't know what is the best way to do that. Maybe votes also from the iReport community. I don't know. what does everyone think?
ChrisKohatsu -- Please shoot me an email with the specifics and I'll look into it immediately.
david.williams@cnn.com
@ChrisKohatsu - I'll be in contact with you about that question.
@david - very interested in what CNN thinks an ideal SuperStar is. I'm sure the iReport business plan states it clearly.
Is it iReporters on opinions on hot topics, One hit wonders, story tellers, etc.?
I can makeup what I think iReport system should be but I'm more interesting in helping.
Hi Alison. Like that report on the trial.
@alisonv: If they abandoned the mathematical Superstar rating, it would have to involve more subjective reviews and judegment on the part of the producers. I myself am not a very prolific contributor. I only post things that I think people would be interested in reading, quality vs. quantity.
@alisonv -- I agree that we want to reward quality more than quantity. Currently iReports that have been approved for CNN do get a higher ranking than one that doesn't.
David, that might be a good solution - different ratings for different things.
Katie, I do notice! I can't see all the reports that are uploaded every day, so I rely on that page now to keep up. I don't have the feeling that I am keeping up as well as I used to.
Chris, I like your reports! Don't stop! I think you can report the violation.
Do you guys still see the .com/Live team or are they completely gone? If you see them, tell them we say hi and miss them!
@davidw...I want a t-shirt too.....pleaseeeeeee
@kylehd, the "remember me" option will be returning. can't say when with absolute precision but soon if we can swing it.
Thanks, EW. I did not realize all the differences in Italian law and American law and how that could impact the Amanda Knox outcome until I did that interview.
Is the CNN iReport show still on TV? Is it still on weekly or is it monthly?
Wow, this has been very interesting. I know nothing about this page ranking stuff. I've never seen that before. I just do this because I love the entire concept of iReporting as I know all of you do too. Shouldn't we be more concerned with producing great content and that's all or am I being too idealistic?
So, when do we start using Google Wave for these roundtables?
@pbethany awesome! thanks! :)
Omekongo, I like your idealism...don't change!
@omekongo
I feel you. I love this platform and for the most part the consistent stars come with consistency. It seems to me all here have been pretty consistent solid iReporters.
@omekongo -- I like that idealistic ideal as well. I sort of shoot video and make it the best I can with what I have and let what comes of it come. But having said that, I think a clear standard for stars etc could be helpful for the community at large.
Hi all, I'm late.
@ChrisMorrow I won't attempt to speak on behalf of all of CNN, but I'm happy to share the quality I look for in "superstars" - above all, the ability to tell a good story - either though photos, video and text.
I think you and many others are leading those efforts. Frankly, we're inspired everyday but the contributions from the iReport community.
I agree with nealmoore!
and also feel i asked too many questions today :(
@omekongo Hooray for idealism! I agree. CNN iReport is a way for real people to share the news they experience in their daily lives and share how big news stories affect them personally. It's super cool. I think telling those stories and being part of the news trumps page views. I may be biased, though ;)
Thank you, Tyson, it is very nice of you to say that!
Tyson - I'm at work, so I had to jump away for a moment. Yes, that one. David just answered my question. Thank you, both. :o)
@ChrisMorrow -- Going way back to your question about what we think is important, the answer is yes.
We want people to share their opinions on hot topics, we want them to share their view of breaking news, we want them to tell the stories that are important to them and we want them to give us a view of their part of the world.
All of these things are valuable to to us and to our community.
The best part of iReport for me is that we get to see the stories that matter to each of you.
@ChrisMorrow -- cheers for that. I think questions are a great thing... and feel like an idiot for not having more myself...
@ChrisMorrow right now I'm totally blank, so I'm glad some1 came up with questions.
Thanks iReport team for these meetings. It is really nice that you take this time to interact with us. I have a lesson that ends at about 9:00 p.m. here (3:00 p.m. your time) and I kind of rush them out the door to get online! Anyway, thanks.
@david - I know ireports are licensed (sold)
is that a factor in ranking? How many times it was licensed/sold?
I've got to run to a meeting guys, thanks for the feedback. Always look forward to these roundtables!
bye
@everyone -- Cheers everyone and all best - gonna go hit NOLA's Riverwalk...
Yea, I must head back to work as well! have a great day and weekend everyone! talk to you soon!
@adriana71 Hello I must be going --- great to see you though!
Gotta run to a meeting. Thanks everyone. :o)
Enjoy NOLA @nealmoore! And great to see everyone!
@everyone -- Thanks for taking the time to discuss this. This will help when we're deciding our next steps.
If anybody has any other questions feel free to ask away.
We've gone over time, but I'll be happy to stick around for a few minutes.
Nope, I got nothing. Thanks for doing a great job @iReport
I'm still here David.
This was great! If you think about this later and come up with more ideas on how to make our reward system better, feel free to send them over. See you all again soon.
@ChrisMorrow -- No, that is not factored into the ratings.
@ChrisMorrow -- I don't want to go into too much detail.
David, is the iReport CNN TV show still on? Weekly?
@alisonv -- I think the show is now on monthly now, but Errol does a lot more iReport segments as part of CNNI's regular coverage.
Here's a link to their show page where you can watch past episodes http://www.cnn.com/CNNI/Programs/ireport/
@david -
if iReport home page pulled up by region. Top iReports in the region you live. That would be cool. Or giving an option for a local or national or international conversation. Or even adaptive views (forget the term for it). Throwing out the rankings all together and focusing on what the user likes to look at.
Thanks everyone. Have a great week.
Thanks, I'll check it out. Goodnight and thanks for everything.
I am not computer savy so i could not file a report. There is porn on myspace and they refuses to take it off www.myspace.com/sexymami312002 children have accounts on myspace I stumbled across this public profile while looking for an old friend. Something need to be done. My 16 year old son has a myspace account.
Hi all,
I just read a great book which changed my entire way of looking at race in America.."An American Conversation"
I thought for years we were helping but it seems that the person wearing that boot that is firmly planted on the neck of blacks in America for over 60 years belongs to us!
Later,
CaseyD
Good Afternoon. I am new to i report. Just looking to see how to best utilize CNN.
Dear Friends,
OFA team just made a holiday video for you, with the help of a few friends.
You'll recognize at least one of them.
Watch it here:
http://holiday.barackobama.com/Holiday-2009.aspx?uid=d9c45242-5212-49e3-8c4c-de5ee78f4493&s=TAHIR&g=0
TAHIR ZAHEER
E-mail : teeglobalizee@aol.com
ORGANIZING FOR AMERICA
I just participated in the CNN rank top stories of 2009. Many of those stories should be ranked as world disasters rather than positive stories.
ie. Regardless of your support or lack thereof of the so called "Health Care Reform" in the USA Congress,the amount of time wasted this year on this topic has robbed the time and attention necessary on a wide variety of unrelated problems and law bills needing attention.
President Obama's focus and salesmanship for the health care agenda has robbed the country of his attention on a number of other concerns that need his attention over the course of the year.
IMO, It would be an interesting poll to take the same topics from the top stories poll and change the question to the top disasters of 2009.
I'm inspired everyday by the team and contributions from the iReport community.
Thanks again,
Steve Slepcevic
Paramount Disaster Recovery, Inc.
Please see on you tube Afganistan James Bond may interest
for you or may news
Regards
MO
hi i got involved with i report threw a friend who pulled a stunt Richard Heene of wife swap i posted his info here as i believed him but later he admitted to this hoax yet i still like Richard and family desperate times desperate situations known as the balloon boy saga Richard i think got ticked off at abc but in allthis i found I REPORT FOR CNN a real interesting areas more so then you tube and to get on top of a story as i have many contacts who write me so i can get a friend anywhere to fill me in any country half the time,on whats going on , anyway cheers to all out there
hey add more offbeat stuff like a tag "unusual" off beat images videos that could cover the bizzare things like a few i posted already have a day for ireporters to find really weird stuff science fiction to weird mysteries or historical events ?
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