Biznik ranking system

Thanks for starting this discussion Joe.

It would seem that the exposure for members is now focused on those who write/post articles and not necessarily on paying members. I say that because the main page of Biznik is the article page where members, paying or not are featured quite prominently.

That is different than the focus when I joined many months ago when the main page of Biznik was the members page and those supporting members really did have center stage.

It would be nice to know what the next twist is going to be. I feel like I am a very active participant in Biznik and I would like to ensure that I stay front and center.

feature article status for paying members seems to make sense to me for us as paying members.

however, my bet is that biznik is being configured now to reward maximum content generation because the content generated on the site will help drive more web traffic here while also raising the odds that what's generated is worth something. in fact, all articles written in Learn are the property of Biznik. Therefore, if the articles begin to pile up and they of a high enough quality they can then begin to sell them to folks outside the community? If that's the case, seems uncannily similiar to a suggestion that i made to Dan back last summer as to a way Biznik could make money.:) guess one day i am going to have to start charging consulting fees..

This comment is worth: $0.02

I accept PayPal.... ;]

This is somewhat of a tangent, but along the same lines of exposure and ranking. I used to have more than 20 or 30 keywords for my Biznik profile. When I searched for my name on Google my Biznik page showed up around number five; I was happy. A couple months ago I decided to change a couple of my keywords. Not know there was a new limit of 15 keywords, I hit submit and BAM! my profile is NO WHERE to be found when Googling, “Erin Pierce”.

Did Google change their algorithm? Did Biznik? How can I get my profile back on the first page of the Google searches?

I've found that Biznik rewards activity. So if non paying members are writing good articles then they are posted on the first page. They would probably get bumped if a paying member wrote something of value at the same time. Art T.

The ranking of articles has nothing to do if they show up on the first page... from what i can tell... I'm seeing non-paying and paying members writing articles that are poorly ranked and still getting the real estate...

When it comes to which articles are featured and which aren't, I am featuring the articles which I believe will be most helpful to most members of Biznik OR showcasing the ones that the community is rating the highest. Whether the article was written by a paying or free member is just one of the factors I consider when making that decision.

Biznik is not a pay-to-play community - it's free to join and participate. It's always been that way, and it always will be. We do also consider paying to be an extremely valuable form of participation. And that's why, for example, paid members always outrank free members in directories and search results. That's why paying members get to send more than three messages per day. That's why paying members will be the only ones that have access to the new video profiles that we're launching Monday (yup, you heard it here first).

If we featured only articles by people who elect to pay, we'd be missing the best content. At least that's what you are telling us: of the 7 members who have achieved expert status (4 articles rated 8 or above by you, the community), less than half of them are paying members.

The take home here is that on Biznik, there are many ways to participate, and we value them all.

I think Joe is referring to who shows up on the front page of the "Members" section, not necessarily whose article gets featured on the home page. Joe, am I right? If not, can you please clarify? I think the discussion seems to be heading into two different directions, featured articles vs. members who show up at the top.

Dan, I see you commented on how ranking is affected by articles written by paying and non-paying members but did not answer Joe's question of how ranking is determined, overall. Why so close-lipped about this? I've heard people asking about it/discussing it often at events, so why can't members be given a basic breakdown of the "secret formula".

Nancy

www.hoptosignaroo.com

I have the video equipment and the professional standards to do a great job for these video clips. Check out my profile - I will give Biznik members a deal.

We're not going to share exactly how we rate different types of activity, because if we did, we'd see even more activity of the type we're seeing in this thread: a focus on the points rather than on the activity. What we're trying encourage, folks, is participation. Does it really matter whether posting a new topic is worth xx points compared to posting a comment? And that writing an article is worth xx points compared to hosting an event?

Most of you are here because you want to grow your business faster and become more profitable. A close secondary reason is because you want to be part of a supportive and collaborative community (based on your responses to the Biznik member survey we sent out last November). Achieving those goals requires active participation. Also, Biznik grows faster when more member's participate. So that's why we award the points - so that you can achieve your business goals and we can achieve ours.

David, Im new to biznik but what does your comment have to do with this? It reminds me of a stock market chat board where someone says "check out this other stock" on a string about an entirely different subject.

Dan, you kind of say two different things. We award points so you can achieve your business goals - so you admit points help our businesses - so its only natural that people who pay would want to know how it works. (I am looking at the site first before I decide if paying si worth it, so I'd like to know how to get points if I do pay because I'd want to be on the first page.)

Ben

I was responding to Dan's post here stating that members are going to get a video added. And yes it doesn't address the subject - it was a delighted over the top reaction, but I also have a thought about ranking and got sidetracked. My apologies.

But as to ranking, I ignore it. I have made an effort to build my networking by making good connections. I am far from perfect (See above). But it the quality of the relationship that matters to me. I know talking to some members that there is resentment brewing about this very issue. The best advice is to attend the Events that interest you and allow things to develop. I am already planning my next event. I hope people will choose to attend.

First let me say I have no idea what ranking is or how it is established. I thought the order members are shown in, when you click on memebrs, was based on when they joined. I'm not sure rank is important, but then again I go back to my original point - I just don't know what it is or how it works or what it means.

Any help here would be appreciated.

Have a great day...

Rather than sorting the Membership Directory and search results alphabetically or by the date members joined, Biznik sorts members by their level of participation on Biznik.

Why? Because Biznik is a community and 99% of community is showing up.

We developed a complicated algorithm that not only rewards some activity higher than others, but is also time sensitive.

We made the decision not to reveal the formula, nor the number of "points" assigned to each activity for a number of reasons. The primary reason is to deter members from "gaming" the system. The secondary reason is that it's proprietary information - Biznik's algorithm is one of the features unique to Biznik and distinguishes us from other small business networking web sites. (Google also has declined to reveal the secret of it's search algorithm.)

All that being said, Dan and I share a transparent philosophy - and we're open to talking a little bit about how participation works.

First, activity is time sensitive. Just because you were active in the community a year ago or even 6 months ago, does not mean you will sort higher than members who are just as active today.

There are a number of ways to participate in Biznik both online and at face-to-face events. The highest form of participation on Biznik is to pay. Biznik is a business, just like our members are in business. One source of revenue that keeps the lights on and contributes towards the development of this site and this community is the low membership subscription.

While members do not receive "points" for a paid membership, those who upgrade to Supporting ($24/mo) sort at the top; Active Members ($10/mo) sort next.

If you're benefiting from being a part of Biznik community, ask yourself if what you're receiving is worth the monthly cost of a movie. For $10/month you can participate in keeping this community alive. For the cost of a pizza, or two lattés a week ($24/mo), Biznik will acknowledge your participation by rewarding you with a gold star and sorting you higher than all other members.

The participation algorithm is applied inside the three tiers of membership. The most active Supporting Members sort higher than the most active Active Members. Members without a photo sort at the bottom.

Why? Because Biznik is a place for doing business, and do you really like doing business with someone who's got a bag over their head?

On the other end of the spectrum, the most points are awarded to members who host an event.

Why? Because Biznik is a marriage between online networking and face-to-face networking. There is only so much you can do from behind a computer screen.

In between those two ends of the spectrum, are an assortment of other actions one can take to increase their rank on Biznik. Joe Hage supplied a list inside this discussion based on his observations.

I'm not going to confirm the order of his list, nor am I going to say that this is a complete list. But I will say this: paid members do not receive more points for an action than non-paid members.

In order to give an idea of what kinds of participation Biznik believes is most valuable, I will share that the following actions are acknowledged in the algorithm.

Invite a new member.
Introduce two members.
Send a referral to a member.
Host an event.
Attend an event.
Write an article or a tip.
Post a new discussion on BizTalk.
Comment on a a BizTalk post, an article or an event.

Hope this answers some questions!

Wow...Thanks for the info. I doubt it will affect my behavior on the site or that of others, but it is good to know. I waited for a while to become a paying member to see if I would use the biznik network and I agree if you use it you should join.

I am still feeling my way and I’m not sure how best to use this great resource for my business, but I will figure it out sooner or later...

Have a great day,

Now that I've hashed out the workings of the participation system, I'd like to add one more question:

Why should I care?

If the reason you're interested in Biznik's ranking system is because you'd like to get more visibility for your business on Biznik, you should know that Active Members receive 8 times more traffic to their own web site than Basic (free) Members, and Supporting Members receive 26 times more traffic.

Here's another way of putting that:

For every one click Basic members get from Biznik to their own web site, Active members get eight clicks and Supporting members get 26.

Is that worth the cost of 2 lattés a week?

Lara, love the breakdown!

I'll vouch... SO WORTH IT.

Laura I think you left everyone speechless!

The algorithm seems fair for Biznik members and for Biznik as a business. Maybe... even perfect! ;]

Thanks,

-Andrey

Hey Lara,thanks for the insider info! Clears the fog sorrounding the ranking system here on Biznik to a great extent...

In regards to Laura's list, I think another way to increase your page rank in Biznik is to update your profile and needs (which you should be doing on a regular basis, anyway.)

I seem to be a lone voice of dissension here, but I have it on good authority that my role on this planet is to speak up, so I will--at the risk of stirring things up and/or appearing shallow.

As I understand it--from Lara's comment above and multiple prior conversations with Dan--the Biznik philosophy is that the community member who is currently active is more of a community member than someone who is less active or not at all currently active.

Dan knows that I disagree with this; I believe that (in any community) someone's historic activity can be crucial to the community's present-time vitality and prosperity.

When I look at the Biznik member rolls and think about with whom I might do business, I lean first toward those who are ranked higher, on the belief that they are contributing to this community that I believe in.

But as the algorithms currently work, we can see that someone who joined just a month ago and who has attended six events in that time, is ranked more of a community member than someone (such as myself, and here's where I start to sound shallow) who has been here for years, attended many events, contributed many dollars to the coffers, spent hours trying to help others through commenting on Biz Talk--but who hasn't been attending events recently.

And that's where I think the formulas and philosophies are skewed, and perhaps even detrimental to the Biznik community.

-With all due respect, and my standard dose of love&light. --Leila