When we rolled out new Guru algorithm a few weeks ago we got a lot of complains about spam. Because being a Guru is so desirable and because the system encouraged replies, some Glue users got tempted and started leaving comments and replies that were terse, obvious or lacked insight.

We quickly realized that we made a mistake and encouraged quantity over quality. So we took a step back and discussed the situation internally. We also reached out to our Super Gluers (Special thanks goes to Vada Dean).

After a couple of days of discussions we’ve decided to introduce a new system, which would focus on quality of the comments and replies.

The Voting System

The new system is inspired by Yelp and offers 3 simple ways to rate any comment and reply: Agree, Useful and Funny. Each one of these options is equivalent to one vote up. You can only choose one option for any given comment or reply.

We decided to have more options instead of just +1 or Up because they’re fun and allow you to express your emotion about what other users have said. For example, a lot of times, when I read a comment, I want to jump and say - right on, me too! or I totally Agree with you. Some other times, when I don’t know much about a movie and read a really insightful comment, I feel like it is very Useful. And then there are also comments in the system that are really funny (our very own Andy is known for those).

Another reason for this system is that it will allow us to identify users who leave the most insightful and funny comments around the site. We think it will be cool to have special stickers and leaderboard to recognize these users.

The New Guru System

Since we introduced voting, we also changed the existing Guru system. Previously, you could go and leave lots of replies and become a Guru of an object just because you replied a lot. In the new world, your replies have to be high quality and add value, so that other users would vote them up. This system is more fair, because in a way, Gurus are elected by the Glue community for each movie, album or book.
So now, you will be the Guru of the objects where other users find your contribution most valuable.

Since this is a pretty big change, we’re making it incrementally. You will not lose your existing Gurus overnight. Instead you will earn new Gurus and potentially lose some existing ones as people vote on your comments and replies.

So what is the best way to be the Guru of things you love? Go and add quality comments and replies. We have smart and passionate users here on GetGlue.com, and they will surely recognize your knowledge and appreciate your insight. And also, you should do the same - vote up the comments and replies that you enjoyed. Together the GetGlue community will select the most knowledgeable user to be the Guru of every movie, album or book.

Let’s get to it!