Some Changes in How Blogs are Scored in Experimenting Challenges

That is a most interesting scoring system.

I think a potential issue is that a blog may not be a singular type. What if a blog shows an unboxing and an experimental design? Will it score both? Or the higher of the two?

In theory, all blogs could be of a tutorial for best score, without much regard to quality? (i.e. difference in blog type score outweighs the 10 point rank score, potentially even the 15 point video+images modifier noting we have little control of what staff choose to promote on socials).

This, in my view, forms a strict disincentive to write any introductions or overviews (20-25pt) category because anything classed as a tutorial or experiment will earn double without any difference in possibility of earning additional bonus points.

It is also interesting to see there is no "cap" to points - so a single blog could be scored 55 (type) + 30 (bonus) + 10 (rank) = 95 points. This puts a lot more (potential, but variable) voting power back in the hands of element14 which is perhaps not a bad thing.

There is also the potential for category overlap - when is a technology overview different from a tutorial on how to use a given component, and when is a tutorial about how to use a component different from an application build?

I feel this is perhaps pushing towards five tutorial-experiment hybrid blogs as the best way forward.

- Gough

That is a most interesting scoring system.

I think a potential issue is that a blog may not be a singular type. What if a blog shows an unboxing and an experimental design? Will it score both? Or the higher of the two?

In theory, all blogs could be of a tutorial for best score, without much regard to quality? (i.e. difference in blog type score outweighs the 10 point rank score, potentially even the 15 point video+images modifier noting we have little control of what staff choose to promote on socials).

This, in my view, forms a strict disincentive to write any introductions or overviews (20-25pt) category because anything classed as a tutorial or experiment will earn double without any difference in possibility of earning additional bonus points.

It is also interesting to see there is no "cap" to points - so a single blog could be scored 55 (type) + 30 (bonus) + 10 (rank) = 95 points. This puts a lot more (potential, but variable) voting power back in the hands of element14 which is perhaps not a bad thing.

There is also the potential for category overlap - when is a technology overview different from a tutorial on how to use a given component, and when is a tutorial about how to use a component different from an application build?

I feel this is perhaps pushing towards five tutorial-experiment hybrid blogs as the best way forward.

- Gough

I asked my self some of those questions as well. I had a thought about how to resolve it, but I wanted to see what other people felt. So, let's say that one blog covers an introduction, and overview and an unboxing of a kit. How should it be scored. One way would be to be additive. So it would be worth 20 + 25 = 45 points. 

Sometimes what I do is really dictated by my boss and the supplier. The supplier (sponsor) usually likes to see its products talked about. So, yes, the above system would push people to write about experiments. Previously, I had placed limits. I like the point system; I am getting less complaints since I started using the points. But I'm now feeling quality and how to accurately score for a blog's true and inherent worth. If a blog covers a number of the things I mention above, it wouldn't be fair to grade it like a simple blog that does not. So, I guess that implies I am taking off the limit. 

This opens up the obvious - what if I write a blog that is a tutorial (walks people through the ”how”), experimental design+data+conclusion (shows people the ”what”) but is also done through an application (perhaps explaining the "why")? Wouldn't that become a theoretical 100-point blog score (on top of which, bonuses and ranks would be handed out)?

As with every contest, knowing the rules is the first step to potentially playing the game, or winning. If this is the golden path, then I will do my best :).

- Gough

Mention it. Make it explicit. It will be clear to the participants.

I'd pass on that roadtest opportunity though. I'm an engineer. The device will drive my review.

Interesting scenarios. That is, if someone packed an experiment's results, a tutorial, an application, and an overview in the blog, would they get a ton of points, additive? Obviously, no. Thinking out loud here: I'd probably look at what was the essential purpose of the blog: to teach, to report or to provide back ground information? teach = tutorial; report=experiment; provide general information = overview. So, it seems I need to work on the scoring guidelines for combination blog situations. 

That packed blog can be considered as final blog, I think.

Here's a thought: ask people to indicate in the title what kind of blog they are writing. This would dictate how it would be scored. 

It is good idea. It also allow post blogs out of recommended order.

I do like the idea of nominating what sort of blog it is, but this also is not problem-free. If you've looked at my recent entries, I prioritised having a consistent posting cadence. As a result, early blogs were introductions/unboxing, but from there-on, blogs were a mixture because it was not possible to achieve everything necessary for a neat bundled posting within each week.

Now, if one must nominate just one type - I suspect nobody would choose to blog lower value types and instead will choose the higher ones. Because the higher value types generally need more work/time/results, I can foresee blogs being released in a "bunch" toward the end of the time frame because of this. Filming and editing video can take a while, for example, and experiments may require procuring unforeseen parts and building. This may make engagement tricky if all the content arrives at once.

Furthermore, the later the blog post is provided, the more time one potentially has to polish and improve it. Comparing earlier posts to later posts may not be favourable for the earlier poster.

But this also opens an interesting conundrum - blogs must also be numbered/ordered for the "blog 1s" to all be compared. If I were to follow traditional rules and go intro/unbox for my blog 1, then it seems likely a double-whammy effect may also occur on the bonus points where someone else's blog 1 is an experiment. Not only is it likely they will score higher on the base type score, the scope also leads to more potential content for which higher bonus points can be allocated. It also means competitors can see other people's already posted "blog 1s" and scale their efforts.

There may be no perfect scoring system - but I'm just voicing my thoughts out because any policy change (while very welcome as an attempt to improve the program) may have unintended side effects.

- Gough