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Subconscious tendencies: Freshly Pressed

  1. maidiebike
    Member

    Perhaps it's because Freshly Pressed is in English language or maybe Freshly Pressed tends to reflect impulsive choices by staff who are Western/North American in culture, perspective, but this is a casual observation of what tends to be highlighted:

    *usually the blogger is Western educated (which includes Western style education in other countries)
    *possibly at least high school level education (we do have some teens here who are good bloggers themselves)
    *tendency to choose blog articles that have covered same topics from several different angles: books/reading, blogging (great), jogging/running, bicycling (well, I am a cyclist too!), cooking (this is most creative in terms of globally diverse perspective)..anything else.

    Maybe we can get some Freshly Pressed on ...cricket, lacrosse, canoeing, cross-border shopping, fall of the Euro vision, difficulty of learning a 2nd/3rd language, poverty, child abuse, etc.

    The blog I need help with is cyclewriteblog.wordpress.com.

  2. maidiebike
    Member

    How on earth did that final line appear?! Anyway..another automatic change by WordPress.com??

  3. jessielansdel
    Member

    That final line is appearing on all forum posts at the moment. Must be a new thing from WP. :)

  4. jessielansdel
    Member

    I saw a Freshly Pressed yesterday and it looked interesting so I had a look. I was quite surprised to see that the content was NOT what I would term original. The blog owner had merely given links to another blog for instructions on how to spray paint jars. Very pretty but not, IMO worthy of being FPd.

  5. timethief
    Member

    @maidiebike
    The final line is being supplied by the software and may look odd here in the Off Topic or in the Showcase Forums but it's a boon! when it comes to answering Support forum threads. By having the software that post the blog link automatically we Volunteers don't have to say: "Please post an active link starting with http:// to the blog in question so we can examine it and help you". This nifty addition means those who are asking for support now get support more quickly. Yay! Staff .

  6. maidiebike
    Member

    So the person who initiates a topic on support forums, will get that automatic line + blog URL slapped in.

    That's all we need to know. 'Cause obviously jessie, timethief aren't getting the line.

    Talk about original topic hijack. :D

  7. timethief
    Member

    Hi maideiebike,
    I apologize for thread jacking. Please forgive me.

    I think it's reasonable to believe the software is now picking up the URL we enter when we first create a forum thread.
    Topic title: (be brief and descriptive)
    Select the blog you need help with (drop-down)
    Previously only Staff and the support bot could "see" the selection we made when we created a forum thread, which is why we always had to ask for the URL when answering support threads.
    In this case you chose the "None, this is a topic about using WordPress.com" from the drop-down. In Jessie's case it's a matter of having a blog marked as "mature content" that has not resulted in a blog link.

  8. raincoaster
    Member

    Think of Freshly Pressed as a magazine, because that's what it is. It's chosen by one person and reflects that person's taste and background. If you want a roundup of the best posts with an international perspective, you will need to look elsewhere. For some people, National Geographic will do it. For others, Prism Magazine, Foreign Policy, or some other site will do it.

  9. maidiebike
    Member

    I agree raincoaster, it's obvious to those of us who do read cross-culturally or live/were born into a life that is already cross-cultural, or genuinely bilingual or even trilingual.

    But just a reminder to the Freshly Pressed selector...and to any reader of Freshly Pressed.

    Jessie...that's a bit strange to hear of that FPressed example...a bunch of links. It's a different type of skill...selecting quality content links. I agree that is not writing nor creating original photographic/illustrative content for a blog.

  10. timethief
    Member

    @raincaoster
    Good description and way to look at it.

    @maidiebike

    But just a reminder to the Freshly Pressed selector...

    Note the last sentence below.

    joynmsu
    Jul 12, 2010, 5:22 AM
    Hi Mikey, I sift through a lot of posts each day and hand-pick the posts I like the best. Other WordPress.com staff members also pick posts, but I am the primary person behind Freshly Pressed.

    Contrary to the previous comments left here on this thread, traffic -- or "hits" or "Page Views" as it's described here -- play no part in being picked for Freshly Pressed. It is all about the quality of the post itself. http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/feature?replies=12#post-484719

  11. roughseasinthemed
    Member

    1) It would be more helpful for the final line to read:

    My blog is at ...... rather than: the blog I need help with is..

    Just a helpful suggestion to staff. That way it won't look stupid when people aren't asking for help.

    I'm sure someone can work out how to do that.

    2) FP is always a good discussion point. But while joynmsu says it is about quality, that isn't correct. RC hit it on the head about it being one person's choice.

    It is totally subjective, and IMO there is some serious tosh on there!! But who cares? I never look at them. When I saw the screen shots, I thought they were superficial, often travel orientated with good photos, or supposedly controversial posts (that weren't). There was never anything hard-hitting or thinking.

    Reminds me of California Dreaming....

  12. raincoaster
    Member

    You might enjoy this:

    http://gawker.com/5912978/the-pap-problem-or-how-to-not-write-like-mary-elizabeth-williams

  13. dovesgold
    Member

    I have found some good blogs on FP, and some of these were Indian; Chinese; Japanese; etc.

    Also agree that 'My blog is at....' may be more appropriate on the 'showcase' forum, it was a surprize to find that last line added there :)

  14. maidiebike
    Member

    When I saw the screen shots, I thought they were superficial, often travel orientated with good photos, or supposedly controversial posts (that weren't). There was never anything hard-hitting or thinking.

    Reminds me of California Dreaming....

    There have been a few good FP blog posts. But yes, I like that jessie, "California Dreaming"..in lah-lah-lah land like superficiality.

    I don't knock superficiality, because a certain amount of the stuff I write is "lighter" or tends to be positive. I could write in a hardhitting manner on racism, need for immigration (when a natural birth rate for country is falling over the cliff), etc.

    But then I would spend some energy dealing with whatever comments from complete strangers. There are enough rude people (some which maybe children horsing around under disguise), commenting on articles written by well-respected journalists in the major newspapers on this subject.

    Blogging is meant to be enjoyable for me and for hopefully my readers, reading where they might learn a smidgen, but just enjoy the post for what it is.

  15. absurdoldbird
    Member

    @maidiebike - apropos the last line, see this:

    http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/is-the-default-of-the-blog-i-need-help-with-is-a-bug-or-deliberate?replies=4

    One's supposed to select a blog one needs help with from the drop down box before posting a topic's content, but now wordpress are choosing from the primary blog. Bloody stupid as not all bloggers even notice that option is there and the automatic choise by wordpress software might not be the correct one that the post is about.

    About Freshly Pressed choices, I get the impression they're chosen by one main individual (Joy Victory) and a few others occasionally and it's surely got to do with their personal tastes? Have a look at this post on the wordpress.com own blog and in particular read her responses to the comments below it.

    http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/five-ways-to-get-featured-on-freshly-pressed/

    I'm out of the forums for a few days. Seem to be in 'burn out' mode. See you later.

  16. absurdoldbird
    Member

    typo: choise should have been choice. Sorry.

  17. timethief
    Member

    One's supposed to select a blog one needs help with from the drop down box before posting a topic's content, but now wordpress are choosing from the primary blog. Bloody stupid as not all bloggers even notice that option is there and the automatic choise by wordpress software might not be the correct one that the post is about.

    You have a right to express any opinion, provided it's based on fact. I'm focused on delivering support to those who need it. For over 6 years we Volunteers have been asking for the URL to the blog in question. Staff provided something that was aimed to be helpful. Every new feature requires honing and it's my opinion that calling it "bloody stupid" fails to be helpful feedback. I am concerned about the potential for a prolonged focus on on nit picking poisioning this shared forum environment.

  18. absurdoldbird
    Member

    @tt. As you quite rightly say: I have a right to express any opinion.
    And for your information I've been a volunteer here for quite a while, too. Maybe it's time I stopped.

  19. raincoaster
    Member

    "Bloody stupid" is valuable feedback from a volunteer.

    I'm concerned that the thought police are squashing engaged debate.

  20. maidiebike
    Member

    May I suggest, that as an occasional visitor and gabber on these forums, I'm not totally comfortable seeing long-time volunteers disagree alot.

    Might be better to take the heated debate off line.

    I don't know how to help the situation except maybe return to the topic of original thread.

  21. timethief
    Member

    Pardon me for considering "bloody stupid" to be anything other than valuable feedback.

  22. timethief
    Member

    @maidiebike
    Once again I apologize for the thread-jacking.

  23. raincoaster
    Member

    It is thread-jacking, that's a fair comment. But I'm fine with disagreeing and making people uncomfortable generally: it's my trademark.

    Nobody ever improved something they were comfortable with.

  24. timethief
    Member

    @maidiebike
    With regard to Freshly Pressed and international and multi-cultural flavor are you aware of the BOTD? See here > http://botd.wordpress.com/about/
    http://botd.wordpress.com/#!/fresh/
    http://botd.wordpress.com/top-posts/
    http://botd.wordpress.com/growing-blogs/

  25. dovesgold
    Member

    @ bird - just read your post above and learned that we have a 'drop-down' option; so I went away to the 'Showcase' hoping that this time I would be able to select an option whereby I could post my link to my latest poem (effort... grin) but ended up choosing the option with the blank lines; it would help if there was an option to click when we don't need help at the moment. See what happened - :(

    http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/remembering-ancestor-spirits?replies=3#post-902756

  26. dovesgold
    Member

    Re above: I decided to start one continuous thread on 'Showcase' as others do, so as to avoid the 'help'notice, and in the process discovered how to switch it off :D
    Please could someone delete my two separate posts on there below my Summertime thread, which I've now duplicated in the Summertime thread, so as not to upset anyone, thanks :)

  27. roughseasinthemed
    Member

    @ maidiebike -

    There have been a few good FP blog posts. But yes, I like that jessie, "California Dreaming"..in lah-lah-lah land like superficiality.

    La la land indeed. I wrote California Dreaming, not Jessie. Just saying.

    @ raincoaster
    the theory was ok, not too well written though....

  28. maidiebike
    Member

    Well, admittedly some of the stuff mystifies me, timethief.

    But 1 of them in that list timethief, of featured blogs, was interesting and not bad. Had only 7 comments, but decent amount of retweets and facebook likes. It was about unemployed folks who were untrained, not yet paid and to work for security now, with promise of work for 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

    Sorry, roughseas I got myself missed up.

  29. timethief
    Member

    @maidiebike
    I've been visiting there and been mystified by what I find there for years ... lol :D.

    P.S. This was a killer week for me. Living in a construction zone is no fun and I'm exhausted. Thank goodness the worst part of my contracted work is finished. I may pull an all-nighter tonight just to finish it, so I can sleep tomorrow and free my mind up to blog on Tuesday.

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