In this edition, we explore several aspects of posts that may affect how many views they get; namely: post title, first words, tags, and time of posting.
You, dear reader, are requested to provide assistance with this exploration via your participation in an experiment. That's right! We are doing an experiment and you are invited to help conduct it. How very exciting!
Zero Impact Posts (ZIPs): May 12-25, 2012
Welcome to the eleventh edition of "Zero Impact Posts" (ZIPs). If you missed the first edition, you may want to read it in order to learn about the many positive aspects of ZIPs and thus the inspiration for the ZIP series. See the fourth edition for the raison d'etre for the ZIP series. See the tenth edition to learn why the ZIP list is not a failure list.
According to jotter, during the May 12th week and the May 19th week, there were 2669 posts, of which 2580 received recommendations and 1766 had more than 9 commenters.
And according to me, there were only 22 posts that have had no recommendations and no comments so far to date. As many of these posts may have gotten lost in the rapids of the Recent Diary List or perhaps required a niche reader to appreciate them, many of them may have the potential for impact, even great impact. In that spirit, they are presented below.
Remember, it's never too late to recommend a post. In fact, since the series began, some posts are no longer ZIPs, as they have been recommended after having been discovered from the ZIP list.
Rollovers: To see the first few words in a post, rest your cursor momentarily over the post title. To see the full name of each category, rest your cursor over the category letter in the "cat" column. In general, wherever you see underlined text, you can rest your cursor over the text for more info.
An Experiment on Post Views
Hypothesis
The number of views received by a post is affected by the post title, first words, tags, and post time.
Experimental Design
To test this hypothesis, I collected info (i.e., post title, first words, tags, post time) for a bunch of posts that have had significantly different view counts. In the following sections, I will present this info and then the volunteer ZIP scientists amongst you will try to predict which posts got more views. Then, for the benefit of science, you will add a comment with your predictions. After some predictions have been provided, I will add another section that shows the posts that got the most views, so that we can see how accurate our predictions were.
Interpreting the Results
Here are some possible result scenarios and what they may mean:
- Result #1: Everyone's predictions were 100% accurate.
- Interpretation #1: This result would strongly support the hypothesis, which is that the provided info (i.e., post title, first words, tags, time) affects view count. Also, the result would indicate that Kossacks have the ability to predict (before posting) which of two posts is likely to get more views.
- Interpretation #2: An alternative interpretation is that the provided info is strongly correlated with view differentials, but does not cause view differentials. In other words, "correlation does not imply causation".
- Interpretation #3: People cheated! They searched for the posts and then found the view count. I think this would be unlikely, as that would be a lot of work just for the minor glory of proudly displaying correct predictions.
- Interpretation #4: People had already seen the posts before and they recalled the ones that got many views. Though I'm sure this will be true for some of the posts, I doubt it will be true for all of them.
- Result #2: Everyone's predictions were no better than what would be expected from sheer chance.
- Interpretation #1: This result would strongly contradict the hypothesis.
- Interpretation #2: People are not good at making view predictions based on the provided info, even though the provided info does make a big difference. For example, there may be a post that has a title that sounds as exciting to you as "bla bla bla", but many other Kossacks may find that same title very interesting.
- Interpretation #3: There are just so many other factors that affect view count (e.g., author's reputation, group postings, Tweets and Likes) that there would need to be a very large sample of posts in order to detect the effect of the provided info (i.e., title, first words, tags, time).
- Result #3: Some people's predictions were nearly 100% accurate, whereas other people's predictions were not much better than what would be expected from sheer chance.
- Interpretation #1: This result would support the hypothesis, but would suggest that there are many other factors affecting view count, thus making predictions difficult.
- Interpretation #2: Some people are better at predicting view count than others.
- Interpretation #3: Some people were luckier in their predictions.
- Interpretation #4: Some people put more effort in making their predictions.
My Participation
By the way, I will also be helping to conduct the experiment. As I write these words, I do not even know which posts had the most views, because I collected the data in a blind fashion so that I would not be able to know. In this way, I can participate and come up with my own predictions.
An Experiment on Post Views: Post Title and First Words
Below are 9 tables, each with 2 posts that were written by the same author, but one of the posts has received many more views than the other. Which one is it? Note your answers on paper and then add a comment that contains your answers.
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
1a |
Wind Power Breakthrough |
Electrical engineers all over the country must be slapping themselves in the forehead in a 'Why didn't I think of that?' moment after the announcement of an elegant high-tech fix for a persistent ... |
1b |
Politicians Are Known By the Company They Keep |
A political maxim widely adhered to is that you dance with the ones that brought you. It's a variation on the old joke that an honest politician is one who stays bought. Hence, politicians' ... |
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
2a |
Aetna CEO: Game Over for Big-Profit Health Insurance |
No, you did not read that incorrectly. The same health insurance executive who sips fine Italian wine in his mountainside hot tub said last week that big-profit health insurance is dying : It’s ... |
2b |
Book Suggestion: Development As Freedom, Amartya Sen |
If you want to read a book that will perfectly articulate our world view -- and how the president should be justifying progressive policies (i.e. basic health care for all) -- ... |
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
3a |
Iceland Solves Banking Crisis by Indicting Bankers, Forcing Mortgage Relief |
Cross-posted from Middle Class Political Economist . |
3b |
Feedburner Feeds Now Available |
Cross-posted from Middle Class Political Economist . |
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
4a |
Promises Made, Promises Broken |
Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! That’s all we hear from politicians these days in the run-up to the 2012 election. And we’ll hear a lot more. You may understandably wonder why so little has been done about ... |
4b |
The Dirty Truth About American Jobs |
First, the good news! From all appearances the U.S. economy is showing signs of a sustained recovery from the Great Recession of 2008. Unemployment claims are down, the stock market is up, housing ... |
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
5a |
Previewing the Florida Republican Primary |
Newt Gingrich’s thorough pounding in South Carolina has set up Florida as the next important primary. If Gingrich is able to win Florida as well, then Mitt Romney will be in a heap of trouble. At ... |
5b |
Why Barack Obama Will Lose the 2012 Presidential Debates |
By: inoljt, http://mypolitikal.com/ The presidential debates are a storied tradition in America’s presidential elections. They tend to be more serious than the often superficial primary ... |
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
6a |
Zimbabwean Artists Continue Work Despite Extrajudicial Threats |
Zimbabwean artists operate in one of the most politically repressive environments in the world. But despite the monumental challenges, art continues to thrive here as artists say they are determined ... |
6b |
Unsafe, Illegal Abortion Persists in Nepal Despite Legalization |
A decade after Nepal legalized abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy, women still report seeking illegal and unsafe abortions. Lack of awareness of the abortion law and stigma drives women to ... |
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
7a |
I'm Sorry, We Don't Take Cash... |
This has happened to me TWICE over the weekend, and I'm growing annoyed over it. On most any bill, these words can be found: 'THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE' Really? |
7b |
A happy lark |
Was outside looking at my dust covered back window, and just wrote 'GOBAMA! DEMS 2012!' on it, because it was just fun. Looking around, I saw quite a few empty canvases out there, and well... you ... |
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
8a |
On Leadership - Know Your Audience |
This is a first attempt on a community discussion about Leadership, which I personally am finding to be an increasingly relevant topic. I'd like to open this topic up in the DK community, and maybe ... |
8b |
Recipe - Family Xmas Tomato Salad |
Maybe it's naive, but everytime I go home, I imagine that maybe by now we're all grown enough to get along. This year, that little fantasy got shredded pretty quickly. Maybe that's good. Whatever. We' |
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
9a |
Fewer Words; Less Filling |
by WALTER BRASCH It was a delightful show. All 37 Shakespearean plays, cleverly and humorously abridged to 97 minutes by the Reduced Shakespeare Co. Short of having a set of Cliff’s Notes or a ... |
9b |
Sanctimonious Hypocrites Can’t Diminish the Warmth for Joe Paterno |
by WALTER BRASCH Gov. Tom Corbett (R-Pa.) praised Joe Paterno and ordered flags on all state buildings to fly at half-staff for four ... |
An Experiment on Post Views: Post Title, First Words, Tags, Time
Below are the same posts from the previous section, but I've also included the tags and the post time just to see if that extra info helps with making predictions. You may decide to stay with the same predictions that you have already made from reviewing the post title and first words. Or you may decide to change some of your predictions based on the additional info (i.e., tags and time).
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET 24Hr |
1a |
Wind Power Breakthrough |
Electrical engineers all over the country must be slapping themselves in the forehead in a 'Why didn't I think of that?' moment after the announcement of an elegant high-tech fix for a persistent ... |
Energy, engineering, Environment, kosowatt, wind farms |
11:21
Tue |
1b |
Politicians Are Known By the Company They Keep |
A political maxim widely adhered to is that you dance with the ones that brought you. It's a variation on the old joke that an honest politician is one who stays bought. Hence, politicians' ... |
Congress, Elections, politics |
23:38
Fri |
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
2a |
Aetna CEO: Game Over for Big-Profit Health Insurance |
No, you did not read that incorrectly. The same health insurance executive who sips fine Italian wine in his mountainside hot tub said last week that big-profit health insurance is dying : It’s ... |
2012, Aetna, Affordable Care Act, Barack Obama, Health Care, health insurance, mark bertolini, Medicare For All, Single Payer |
15:27
Sun |
2b |
Book Suggestion: Development As Freedom, Amartya Sen |
If you want to read a book that will perfectly articulate our world view -- and how the president should be justifying progressive policies (i.e. basic health care for all) -- ... |
Amartya Sen, Book, freedom |
09:27
Sun |
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
3a |
Iceland Solves Banking Crisis by Indicting Bankers, Forcing Mortgage Relief |
Cross-posted from Middle Class Political Economist . |
banks, iceland, mortgages |
03:50
Fri |
3b |
Feedburner Feeds Now Available |
Cross-posted from Middle Class Political Economist . |
blog |
00:59
Mon |
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
4a |
Promises Made, Promises Broken |
Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! That’s all we hear from politicians these days in the run-up to the 2012 election. And we’ll hear a lot more. You may understandably wonder why so little has been done about ... |
AFL-CIO, Democrat, Democratic, Employment, free trade, Labor, manufacturing, media, politics, President, Republicans, small business, SOTU, trade, Unemployment, unions, wages |
15:10
Tue |
4b |
The Dirty Truth About American Jobs |
First, the good news! From all appearances the U.S. economy is showing signs of a sustained recovery from the Great Recession of 2008. Unemployment claims are down, the stock market is up, housing ... |
capitalism, Class, class warfare, Congress, corporations, Economic Policy, economics, Economy, elitism, Employment, equality, income, inequality, jobs, living wage, middle class, Offshoring, politics, Recession, Unemployment, wages, Wall Street, working class |
15:00
Wed |
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
5a |
Previewing the Florida Republican Primary |
Newt Gingrich’s thorough pounding in South Carolina has set up Florida as the next important primary. If Gingrich is able to win Florida as well, then Mitt Romney will be in a heap of trouble. At ... |
2012 Florida Republican primary, 2012 presidential election, DK Elections, Elections, Florida, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, politics, red, Republicans |
10:57
Mon |
5b |
Why Barack Obama Will Lose the 2012 Presidential Debates |
By: inoljt, http://mypolitikal.com/ The presidential debates are a storied tradition in America’s presidential elections. They tend to be more serious than the often superficial primary ... |
2012 presidential election, Barack Obama, Debates, Democrats, DK Elections, Elections, politics, prediction, Republicans |
05:12
Wed |
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
6a |
Zimbabwean Artists Continue Work Despite Extrajudicial Threats |
Zimbabwean artists operate in one of the most politically repressive environments in the world. But despite the monumental challenges, art continues to thrive here as artists say they are determined ... |
art, Bulawayo, community, Culture, Environment, global press institute, International, media, threats, women, Zimbabwe |
13:17
Wed |
6b |
Unsafe, Illegal Abortion Persists in Nepal Despite Legalization |
A decade after Nepal legalized abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy, women still report seeking illegal and unsafe abortions. Lack of awareness of the abortion law and stigma drives women to ... |
abortion, community, Culture, Education, gender justice, global press institute, Health Care, illegal, International, Law, media, nepal, reproductive health, women |
09:54
Tue |
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
7a |
I'm Sorry, We Don't Take Cash... |
This has happened to me TWICE over the weekend, and I'm growing annoyed over it. On most any bill, these words can be found: 'THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE' Really? |
Economy, Health Care, Law |
20:40
Sun |
7b |
A happy lark |
Was outside looking at my dust covered back window, and just wrote 'GOBAMA! DEMS 2012!' on it, because it was just fun. Looking around, I saw quite a few empty canvases out there, and well... you ... |
advocacy, fun, Obama |
14:08
Sat |
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
8a |
On Leadership - Know Your Audience |
This is a first attempt on a community discussion about Leadership, which I personally am finding to be an increasingly relevant topic. I'd like to open this topic up in the DK community, and maybe ... |
community, Leadership, occupy, ows |
23:24
Tue |
8b |
Recipe - Family Xmas Tomato Salad |
Maybe it's naive, but everytime I go home, I imagine that maybe by now we're all grown enough to get along. This year, that little fantasy got shredded pretty quickly. Maybe that's good. Whatever. We' |
family, recipe, salad, Xmas |
23:19
Tue |
Which of these two posts got more views?
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
9a |
Fewer Words; Less Filling |
by WALTER BRASCH It was a delightful show. All 37 Shakespearean plays, cleverly and humorously abridged to 97 minutes by the Reduced Shakespeare Co. Short of having a set of Cliff’s Notes or a ... |
book industry, corporate media, editing, journalism, mass communications, Mass Media, Movie Industry, music industry, Readers Digest, reporting, TV industry, USA Today |
07:12
Fri |
9b |
Sanctimonious Hypocrites Can’t Diminish the Warmth for Joe Paterno |
by WALTER BRASCH Gov. Tom Corbett (R-Pa.) praised Joe Paterno and ordered flags on all state buildings to fly at half-staff for four ... |
Gov. Tom Corbett, Joe Paterno, Penn State, Penn State Trustees |
16:24
Wed |
View Counts of the Posts
The tables below contain the view counts, which you can use to see how many of your predictions were right.
By the way, in the previous section, I removed the "recommended" and "rescued" tags that are in 5 of the posts, as that would have given away the answer. In this section, I have added them back in, so that you can see which ones they are.
Here is how I went about finding the posts. First, I looked for all the ZIPs between Dec 2011 and Feb 2012 (which was before the ZIP series began). There were 109 ZIPs in that 3 month period. For each of these 109 ZIPs, I looked at the other posts by the same author during that 3 month period and picked out the post that had the highest view count. Then, I picked the posts from the 9 authors that had the greatest difference in view counts between their ZIP and their highest-view post.
Remarkably, each of the 9 authors had both ZIPs and HIPs (high impact posts) during the same 3 month period, as you can see in the following tables.
Author:
LeftOfYou
view |
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
2998 |
1a |
Wind Power Breakthrough |
Electrical engineers all over the country must be slapping themselves in the forehead in a 'Why didn't I think of that?' moment after the announcement of an elegant high-tech fix for a persistent ... |
Energy, engineering, Environment, kosowatt, Recommended, wind farms |
12/27
11:21
Tue |
16 |
1b |
Politicians Are Known By the Company They Keep |
A political maxim widely adhered to is that you dance with the ones that brought you. It's a variation on the old joke that an honest politician is one who stays bought. Hence, politicians' ... |
Congress, Elections, politics |
01/13
23:38
Fri |
Author:
james321
view |
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
2915 |
2a |
Aetna CEO: Game Over for Big-Profit Health Insurance |
No, you did not read that incorrectly. The same health insurance executive who sips fine Italian wine in his mountainside hot tub said last week that big-profit health insurance is dying : It’s ... |
2012, Aetna, Affordable Care Act, Barack Obama, Health Care, health insurance, mark bertolini, Medicare For All, Recommended, Single Payer |
02/26
15:27
Sun |
8 |
2b |
Book Suggestion: Development As Freedom, Amartya Sen |
If you want to read a book that will perfectly articulate our world view -- and how the president should be justifying progressive policies (i.e. basic health care for all) -- ... |
Amartya Sen, Book, freedom |
01/15
09:27
Sun |
Author:
Kenneth Thomas
Author:
Doctor Mxyzptlk
view |
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
41 |
4a |
Promises Made, Promises Broken |
Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! That’s all we hear from politicians these days in the run-up to the 2012 election. And we’ll hear a lot more. You may understandably wonder why so little has been done about ... |
AFL-CIO, Democrat, Democratic, Employment, free trade, Labor, manufacturing, media, politics, President, Republicans, small business, SOTU, trade, Unemployment, unions, wages |
02/07
15:10
Tue |
657 |
4b |
The Dirty Truth About American Jobs |
First, the good news! From all appearances the U.S. economy is showing signs of a sustained recovery from the Great Recession of 2008. Unemployment claims are down, the stock market is up, housing ... |
capitalism, Class, class warfare, Congress, corporations, Economic Policy, economics, Economy, elitism, Employment, equality, income, inequality, jobs, living wage, middle class, Offshoring, politics, Recession, Rescued, Unemployment, wages, Wall Street, working class |
01/18
15:00
Wed |
Author:
Inoljt
view |
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
31 |
5a |
Previewing the Florida Republican Primary |
Newt Gingrich’s thorough pounding in South Carolina has set up Florida as the next important primary. If Gingrich is able to win Florida as well, then Mitt Romney will be in a heap of trouble. At ... |
2012 Florida Republican primary, 2012 presidential election, DK Elections, Elections, Florida, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, politics, red, Republicans |
01/30
10:57
Mon |
628 |
5b |
Why Barack Obama Will Lose the 2012 Presidential Debates |
By: inoljt, http://mypolitikal.com/ The presidential debates are a storied tradition in America’s presidential elections. They tend to be more serious than the often superficial primary ... |
2012 presidential election, Barack Obama, Debates, Democrats, DK Elections, Elections, politics, prediction, Republicans |
01/18
05:12
Wed |
Author:
Global Press Institute
view |
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
12 |
6a |
Zimbabwean Artists Continue Work Despite Extrajudicial Threats |
Zimbabwean artists operate in one of the most politically repressive environments in the world. But despite the monumental challenges, art continues to thrive here as artists say they are determined ... |
art, Bulawayo, community, Culture, Environment, global press institute, International, media, threats, women, Zimbabwe |
02/01
13:17
Wed |
550 |
6b |
Unsafe, Illegal Abortion Persists in Nepal Despite Legalization |
A decade after Nepal legalized abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy, women still report seeking illegal and unsafe abortions. Lack of awareness of the abortion law and stigma drives women to ... |
abortion, community, Culture, Education, gender justice, global press institute, Health Care, illegal, International, Law, media, nepal, reproductive health, women |
02/28
09:54
Tue |
Author:
potatohead
view |
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
560 |
7a |
I'm Sorry, We Don't Take Cash... |
This has happened to me TWICE over the weekend, and I'm growing annoyed over it. On most any bill, these words can be found: 'THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE' Really? |
Economy, Health Care, Law |
01/29
20:40
Sun |
23 |
7b |
A happy lark |
Was outside looking at my dust covered back window, and just wrote 'GOBAMA! DEMS 2012!' on it, because it was just fun. Looking around, I saw quite a few empty canvases out there, and well... you ... |
advocacy, fun, Obama |
02/25
14:08
Sat |
Author:
erratic
view |
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
27 |
8a |
On Leadership - Know Your Audience |
This is a first attempt on a community discussion about Leadership, which I personally am finding to be an increasingly relevant topic. I'd like to open this topic up in the DK community, and maybe ... |
community, Leadership, occupy, ows |
01/17
23:24
Tue |
483 |
8b |
Recipe - Family Xmas Tomato Salad |
Maybe it's naive, but everytime I go home, I imagine that maybe by now we're all grown enough to get along. This year, that little fantasy got shredded pretty quickly. Maybe that's good. Whatever. We' |
family, recipe, Rescued, Rescued to Recommended, salad, Xmas |
12/27
23:19
Tue |
Author:
brasch
view |
ID |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
9 |
9a |
Fewer Words; Less Filling |
by WALTER BRASCH It was a delightful show. All 37 Shakespearean plays, cleverly and humorously abridged to 97 minutes by the Reduced Shakespeare Co. Short of having a set of Cliff’s Notes or a ... |
book industry, corporate media, editing, journalism, mass communications, Mass Media, Movie Industry, music industry, Readers Digest, reporting, TV industry, USA Today |
02/17
07:12
Fri |
442 |
9b |
Sanctimonious Hypocrites Can’t Diminish the Warmth for Joe Paterno |
by WALTER BRASCH Gov. Tom Corbett (R-Pa.) praised Joe Paterno and ordered flags on all state buildings to fly at half-staff for four ... |
Gov. Tom Corbett, Joe Paterno, Penn State, Penn State Trustees |
01/25
16:24
Wed |
Miscellaneous Trivia: Post with Low View Count
Since we're on the topic of view counts, I thought I would just briefly present info from a post that had very few views:
Author:
tjwalker
view |
post title |
first words |
tags |
ET |
2 |
The Role of Super PACS in 2012 |
I couldn’t be happier with how things have turned out with the ads my super PAC has created! Our goal all along has been to tarnish the Republican brand and to diminish the chances of the GOP’s ... |
americanlp, super pac |
01/23
13:36
Mon |
So, the post has had just 2 views, and for all we know, those views may have just been from the author when checking to see if there were any comments. This post is currently a ZIP and it currently has the lowest view count of any ZIP from this year.
Summary
As I explained above, there are many possible interpretations of the results, no matter what the results come out to be. Yet, through analysis and discussion, perhaps there is something to be learned. Anyway, I hope you find it to be a fun exercise.
I will post the actual to-date view count for the posts, after a few people have added comments with their predictions.
New Group: I have created a new group called "Zero Impact Posts" that you can follow. All past editions are located in the group's post history.