Sphinn - I’m Accused of Vote Rigging on Sphinn

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I’m Accused of Vote Rigging on Sphinn - Is This Really Fair?

Posted By: HafizD 204 days ago
Topic Type: News Story (Jump to http://www.winningtheweb.com)
Category: Sphinn Zone

So I was going about my business today when I received an email from Sphinn editor Rob Kerry of Gate2Media aka evilgreenmonkey, who was tipped by Sphinn guardian SlightlyShadySEO. The message went as follows:

12 Comments

Who Desphunn This (6)

Comments

from evilgreenmonkey 204 days ago #

Votes: 1 | Vote:

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This is a clear-cut case of offering incentives to vote:
"...for an additional entry into the Craziest Internet Marketing Contest You’ve Ever Seen..."
"...Get on Sphinn and sphinn the contest post here: http://sphinn.com/story/33711. Then come back to this post and leave a comment with your Sphinn id."

Sorry if you think this is unfair, although we cannot allow such blatant vote rigging on Sphinn. If you think that this is unfair treatment on you in particular, feel free to report any other users/posts who are using similar tactics via the contact form.

from Jill 204 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

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It doesn't matter if it brought in new Sphinn users. If you can't see that it was bad overall for the Sphinn community then...well...I don't even know what more to say...

from Feydakin 204 days ago #

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This is sooooo much more evil that popping into IRC and blasting "Sphinn please!" and dropping the link..

It's not the fact that the votes were "paid for" it's that it was done openly..

from mvandemar 204 days ago #

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It's not the fact that the votes were "paid for" it's that it was done openly..

Right... because as anyone in the marketing industry will happily tell you, you can do absolutely anything to get ahead, as long as you lie your ass off about it and don't let anyone find out what you are actually doing. :)

from cre8pc 204 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

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From the Terms of Sphinn:

"The copying, redistribution, use or publication by you of any such matters or any part of the Site, except as allowed by Section 4 below, is strictly prohibited. You do not acquire ownership rights to any content, document or other materials viewed through the Site."

"You are granted a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license (a) to access and use the Site strictly in accordance with this Agreement; (b) to use the Site solely for internal, personal, non-commercial purposes; and (c) to print out discrete information from the Site solely for internal, personal, non-commercial purposes and provided that you maintain all copyright and other policies contained therein."

I'm not a legal expert. However, there is a reason why there are Terms and Conditions for web site properties such as this one. Sphinn has the right to not permit the use of itself as incentive for contests, prizes, awards, etc. without its permission.

From reading the article, I didn't see where permission to advertise or promote Sphinn in a contest was granted by Sphinn owners.

from SlightlyShadySEO 204 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

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@Feydakin: Yes, it is worse.
1)It's monetary reward[potentially]. On IRC people would be more likely to read it and decide from there.
2)Allowing something out in the open is permissive of it. Letting that slide would make it essentially "allowed". Gaming in private happens(though rarely in numbers larger than 3-5 votes IMHO) but as it is private, it's smaller scale, and there is nothing "permissive" about it. There's simply no way to avoid it.

from mvandemar 204 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

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@kim - actually, it's not a matter of breaking anything in the Terms, and nothing in the signup process spells out that you shouldn't game Sphinn.

However, Danny does very clearly discuss the Common Sense Rule here:

http://sphinn.com/story/234

It shouldn't need to be spelled out.

from cre8pc 204 days ago #

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@mvandemar You may be correct. Like I said, I'm not a legal eagle :) My money is on the fact that polices weren't even considered in the first place. We'll all learn something from this.

from Feydakin 203 days ago #

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@shady I don't happen to think it's worse.. They are one in the same thing simply varying in degree.. Both instances are in effort to influence, or game, the system.. It's the nature of any voting social site.. The vast majority of people that go from irc to vote never read the original article, they just bump it for a friend..

As for being open.. I wonder what the hot rates would look like if the submitter and the voters identities were hidden from view.. It might not change all that much, but then it might.. I know that I tend to look at things a little more closely, or not, based on who submitted them..

from SlightlyShadySEO 203 days ago #

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@Feydakin: Varying in degree is a BIG thing. "Yeah, I pushed him" vs. "Yeah I stabbed him" are both assault just "varying in degree" (not equating the situations, but illustrating that degree matters).
And yeah, hot rates would be different if the submitter was hidden. But that's because people come to trust submitters that put out quality submissions time and time again. It's not a negative.

from DoshDosh 203 days ago #

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Rob is correct in saying this is incentivized voting. I sphunn this for the discussion in the comments and not for the story itself... it's important for the community to reflect and discuss on what is or is not welcome/allowed.

I think Sphinn could do with a Terms of Use page, something like what Digg has on this page.

Currently, I only see a Help section and a Third Door Media Terms page.

A specific TOS page for Sphinn would be very helpful, indeed since social news sites have certain dynamics or rules which need to be highlighted/emphasized.

from mvandemar 203 days ago #

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DoshDosh, they do have guidelines, but you have to log out and start the registration process to get to them (at least, that's the easiest way):

http://sphinn.com/guidelines.php
http://sphinn.com/discussion.php

However, neither of them specifically say "don't buy Sphinns". In fact, one of those pages even goes so far as to tell you an acceptable way to game Sphinn (drop links to your submission in other submissions that have gone hot), and encourage doing so as long as it contributes to the discussion as a whole (ie. related, additional valuable information).

I Sphunn this for the discussion as well, and strongly encourage others to do likewise, because I feel that it bears having. Not too long ago, a few months back, Graywolf made the statement on here in a discussion (going from memory here, and paraphrasing, please correct me if I am wrong) that if you wanted your stories to go hot that you had to promote them... they weren't just going to go hot all by themselves. Now, to what I would hope would be the majority of us that would plainly equate to something other than exchanging Sphinns for goods or services, but for many that's the way their brain works.

I have Sphinn links shown to me in both messages and in broadcast places like Twitter, and if I have time I usually look at them. There are probably many people who would call that gaming, and say it should be against the rules. I would disagree... regardless of where I see the link, I can't think of any time that I've Sphunn something that didn't deserve it. Others, however, might Sphinn something just because it's from a friend, or in hopes of getting future Sphinns in return. Who knows.

Besides, everyone knows that if you really want to get a story to go popular, dropping the Sphinn link in an AdWords campaign is the way to go. :)

Who Desphunn This Topic what is desphinn?

Avatar Michelle 03/23/2008 07:18pm

Another ditto to all the comments above............

Avatar graywolf 03/23/2008 05:40am

Looks an awful lot you are trying to use a technicality to get around having your first post pulled. I didn't think the first one had much value or contributed, and IMHO this one has even less.

Avatar MattMcGee 03/23/2008 11:52am