This is just to let you know that our family will be setting off on a six month tour around Australia on Friday morning. While we will be taking our laptops with us, the maintenance of Blotanical will be sporadic - more so than usual. Plus, there won't be any major updates within that time frame.

However, once we get back there will be some changes with many of those features I've been talking about rolling out quite quickly.

If you want to keep up with our whereabouts and schedule you can visit our blog at AussieRoadTrip.com. Please keep in touch as we won't be too far away.

Posted by Stuart at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I've had a few comments lately asking why a member's post isn't showing on the Picks Popular page even though they're showing more Picks than others.

As discussed through recent posts, the Picks feature has been undergoing a major update. The primary reason for the update was to make the system a little more fair for all blogs rather than just the ones who received the most Picks due their popularity status.

The feature has gone through a rigorous algorithmic change to better detect which posts are garnering better quality Picks. This algorithm will be a constant work in progress adding more variables as it aims to keep the list dynamic and fresh and being a level playing field for every blog.

Why are the number of Picks shown?
Obviously the number of Picks is one variable used in the algorithm so it's worthwhile to display. However, as explained, it's not the only variable. The number of Picks really has little bearing on where the Post displays on the list but it does quantify how the Post is going.

If you have any questions on this, please leave a comment below.

Posted by Stuart at 6:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

So, after all the discussion that ensued from my recent posts - read here (especially the comments) and here. I thought Jodi summed it up best with,

What constitutes a good post? It's so subjective. It may be a simple photograph that pierces your heart. It might be an anecdote that made you laugh because you've been there-we gardeners can chuckle over our inclination to rescue plants, to go crazy with new plants at this time of year, to laugh over battles. My column readers can now recite "Just say NO to goutweed" when I give a talk!

As I've been trying to state in my posts, Blotanical is not the judiciary on whether a blog is writing good posts or not. It's merely trying to get everything else (ie Popularity, blog design, who you know (or don't)) out of the way so that bloggers can have a better chance of success based on one thing - how good the post is. Let's go back to the primary aim of Picks.

PICKS AIMS TO SORT POSTS SO THAT THOSE WHO HAVE SOMETHING OF VALUE TO SHARE WITH THE GARDENING BLOGOSPHERE ARE GIVEN THE CREDIT THEY DESERVE.

How are they given value? By you, the Picker.

The new Pick system should help us sift the cream from the ..... (lol). The idea is that we can all be on the same page when we decide how to value a post. That value is based on how you were affected by that post. Here's the legend and then an explanation of each;

1. An enjoyable post - This Pick says thank you for your post and I enjoyed reading, viewing the pics etc.
2. A very helpful post - If you found this post helpful and/or taught you something you didn't know or perhaps added something to your gardening knowledge then it should be worth an extra vote.
3. I'd comment on this post - When a post is likely to evoke a written response on that blogger's post then it should be worth more value. This is because many people - and I'm guilty of often - lurk their way through posts without stopping and sharing a thought. If you're prepared to stop and comment on this post then pick 3 hearts for it
4. I'd rave about this post - When a post affects you enough to share it in forums, on Facebook or Twitter then select 4 hearts for it - it probably deserves it.
5. I'd link to this post - Finally the most valuable option is linking to it - primarily because it rarely occurs. There are far more links via Twitter or comments on a post than actually blog links. Therefore, if you would link to it via your own post then it certainly deserves 5 hearts.

I have been sorting a few teething issues over the past few days - I've come to expect that even though something works fine for me once it goes live all hell breaks loose! These are finally starting to be worked out and will be completed within the next few days. Fingers-crossed!

The Popular pages and New Blogs page are still under construction and will be a few more days yet - possibly even a week or two. I'm using your picking data to compile the new lists hoping to make them fairer and fresher for all bloggers.

I'm keen to know your thoughts on the new system and if you find any errors you want worked out. NOTE: please don't add errors that others may already report within the comments. Cheers.

Posted by Stuart at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (42)