Hank's plus-sign replies to lift thoughtful YouTube comments (2016)
ask · status: reported back (the ask itself is not in the videos read here) · last event: result reported (2016-07-22) · owner: Hank
In a hankschannel video Hank asked viewers to reply with a plus sign to comments they agreed with. In July 2016 John said this had tricked YouTube's comment algorithm into making comments more civil and productive, and Hank said he was inspired by the positive effects of the plussing.
Where the ask was made
The ask itself is not in the videos this wiki reads (the uploads of the vlogbrothers channel): it was made elsewhere — on another channel, in a description or a comment — and these videos report on it.
About: hankschannel, YouTube comments, recommender system
| date | event | what | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-07-19 | result reported | John says Hank's hankschannel video asking people to reply with a plus sign to comments they agreed with tricked YouTube's comment algorithm, making commenting more civil and productive. | Pretty Bad Ways to Start a Conversation 00:03:07 |
| 2016-07-22 | result reported | Hank says he has been inspired by the positive effects of the plussing the community has been doing. | Ending the Age of Outrage (at least in ourselves, if not in the world) 00:02:26 |
What is said about it
3 statements, by date (the events above are the turns of the thread; these are the details).
- 2016-07-19 · Pretty Bad Ways to Start a Conversation — John says that is why most YouTube comment sections show the most controversial comments first, not the most interesting, generous or nuanced. — 00:02:34
- 2016-07-19 · Pretty Bad Ways to Start a Conversation — announcement: John says the plus sign was small and imperfect but made a real change, and he will use the plus-sign reply from now on. — 00:03:20
- 2016-07-22 · Ending the Age of Outrage (at least in ourselves, if not in the world) — Hank: Some say plussing makes discussion harder in a sea of pluses; for them a nerdfighter named Melvin made a Chrome extension removing plus comments, and Hank thanks him. — 00:02:36