Score posts based on community size at the time of voting · Issue #2794 · LemmyNet/lemmy
github.com
As a community grows posts receive more votes making it appear as if newer posts are better than old posts. In order to actually be able to find the best posts the top filter would have to use anot...

Hello, fellow Lemmy users! I’ve come across an interesting issue on the Lemmy GitHub repository (Issue #2794) and would like to discuss possible solutions with the community.

The Problem:

As a community grows, posts receive more votes, making it appear as if newer posts are better than old posts. This can lead to a situation where the top posts of all time are the same as the top posts of the last month, especially if the community grows rapidly. To find the best posts, the top filter would need to use a different ranking method that takes into account the size of the community at the time of voting.

Possible Solutions:

  1. Normalize votes based on community size: One possible solution is to normalize the votes by dividing the number of votes by the community size at the time of voting. This would give a score that is independent of the community size and could be used to rank posts.

  2. Time-weighted voting: Another approach could be to assign a weight to votes based on the time they were cast. For example, older votes could be given more weight than newer votes, as they were cast when the community was smaller. This would help to balance the influence of older and newer posts.

  3. Implement a decay factor: Introduce a decay factor that reduces the weight of votes over time. This would help to ensure that older posts with a high number of votes do not dominate the top posts indefinitely.

  4. Use a combination of ranking methods: Combine multiple ranking methods, such as normalizing votes based on community size and time-weighted voting, to create a more robust ranking system that takes into account various factors.

  5. Add a button to delete and repost a post: Another idea is to add a button that allows users to delete and repost posts. Users can duplicate posts anyways and that’s what happens most times.

I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on these possible solutions, as well as any other ideas you might have. Let’s work together to improve the ranking system on Lemmy and ensure that the best posts are easily discoverable by the community!