The Quotidian Word » features

Where Did The Votes Go?

epeolatrist — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:53:41 +0000

If you’re here, you’ve probably noticed that we’ve hidden the vote counts next to the current word’s sentences. “Why is that?” you may be wondering. Well, in this experiment we call Quotidian Word, we noticed a bit of favoritism towards sentences that already had votes next to them and feedback from users concerned that the voting system was unfair in that respect, even though points don’t really mean anything and the site is for fun and education. So we decided the best way to counter this effect is to hide the total vote counts for a sentence until the voting for that word is over.

This does three things:

It eliminates the ability for a sentence to “gain momentum.” The best sentences will get the votes because they’re the best, not because everyone else thinks they’re the best and you’re unsure of which to vote for.
It encourages more people to vote. We noticed some people wouldn’t vote on sentences because they knew the vote counts of the other sentences and knew that their vote would either make or break a sentence’s lead. Since you no longer have that information, all you should do is vote on the sentences you like best!
It adds a little mystery and excitement to the site. If you check back often during the day, you typically have a pretty good idea of who is winning and who is going to win, unless there is some late-night surge in voting. This way, you really don’t know who is winning or not until winners have been determined!

You may notice if you have submitted a sentence that you are able to view your own vote count. We felt that knowing your own vote count is not detrimental to the voting process. You may also still check your votes via text message if you have registered your phone number.

What do you think about this new voting system?

Supercilious Sunday!

epeolatrist — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 14:24:03 +0000

As you can see, Supercilious Sunday has arrived! Since Sundays are much slower internet days in general, we figured we’d toss a really crazy word out there worth big points for those loyal QWers who visit the site quotidianly.

The rules are simple: You post your sentence (only if you actually said it), but you don’t automatically get a vote. Someone has to really believe that you said what you are saying you said. Voters are extra critical, posters are extra awkward. You have to try to end your sentence with, “Mrah!” because that’s what a snooty person would do (like the guy in the watermark).

What do you think about Supercilious Sunday?

Text Messaging Now Integrated!

epeolatrist — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:00:18 +0000

You may have noticed by now that people are posting sentences with a little phone icon next to them (text!). How do you get that icon next to your sentence? Why, post your sentence via text message, of course!

When the idea of QW was conceived, we had no idea that it would take off like it has and become so pervasive in the lives of its users. One of the issues we kept hearing about was that if the users were actually supposed to use the word they learned in conversation, they most likely had to do so away from the computer. This made it hard to post your sentence if you weren’t able to get to a computer relatively soon. Thus, in order to counteract this issue, we’ve gone ahead and integrated SMS text messaging into the website!

The FAQ page has a full disclosure on texting your sentence to the website. We have also built in a few other texting features that will enable you to stay on top of the QWOD, such as retrieving today’s word, getting an example sentence, and checking the votes on the sentence you submitted.

Are there any other features you can think of that you would like to see be accessible via text?

Necro-Sentences

epeolatrist — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:46:23 +0000

If you are an active participant of this site, you’re probably not just using The Word once the day it appears, post your sentence, and forget about it. If you’re anything like me, you’re actively trying to insert it into your ever-expanding vocabulary. One thing I noticed about this site after I first built it is that it wasn’t necessarily friendly to words once they had had their day in the sun. Vocabulary is augmented through rote and re-use. Additionally, new users are less likely to go back and use learn the words because they have no way to record their usage.

Enter Necro-Sentences. For those who don’t know, “necro” is a prefix meaning “dead” or “death,” and for those familiar with internet forums or sites with user-generated content, to “necro-post” is to post on an old, or “dead” thread or topic. My thought was, why should I restrict users from continuing to use the word after the word is “dead?” I have since lifted that restriction, and you can even earn points from posting your necro-sentences!

The way it works is very simple: use a word that is not today’s word, find that word (try the Archives or check your user profile under “Word Usage” if you recorded your usage) and post a sentence. Voting is disabled on necro-sentences, but you may post as many as you like. At the time of this writing, for every 10 necro-sentences you post, you earn a point. While the lion’s share of your points will be derived from sentences and votes on the current QWOD, at least there is still some pointeriffic motivation (should the motivation to expand your vocabulary not drive you enough!) to continue using the words on the site.

On the discussion of features, what features would you like to see on this site? I’m in the process of working on a very nifty and useful one that should be done soon…