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>> Good article, though I think it missed explicitly making the point that the reason "engagement" is the metric is because that's what platforms monetize. In
by phkahler 4y ago
>> Good article, though I think it missed explicitly making the point that the reason "engagement" is the metric is because that's what platforms monetize.
In the case of "community" around a product, the purpose of the community is usually to provide free support. That's not so much monetization as it is cost savings. For that to work, people need to be "engaged" or kept around so they are present to field those support issues.
- sfink 4y agoEngagement is still the wrong metric for this purpose, because flamewars rate much higher than single comprehensive answers. In fact, partial or incorrect answer rate better, because the questioner will have to come back or someone will need to post corrections or clarifications. Engagement is a better proxy for value destruction, if you define people's time and sanity as valuable. (It's not perfect; a thriving community will rate highly.)