Contribution Index (beta)
A system to reward informative, constructive, and valuable commentary on AstroBin.
AstroBin's community is one of the most knowledgeable collectives in the world, when it comes to amateur astrophotography. Unlike general-purpose image hosting platform, where the most common comment is “nice shot!”, many astrophotographers on AstroBin like to engage in informative, constructive, and valuable commentary.
This strength is nurtured and enhanced by a Contribution Index (beta), based on likes, that encourages users to post informative content on comments and forum posts.
The index is a function of the number of comments and forum posts that you have contributed, and the number of likes that they have received.
To reward informative content, only comments and forum posts with 150 characters or more are considered in the calculations, and to discourage cheating, only elements with 3 likes or more are considered.
FAQ
Why?
I belive that astrophotography, as a hobby, does a very good job at avoiding gatekeeping and being friendly to newcomers. So why not try and make this strength even stronger? Part of AstroBin's mission is to allow and encourage its most experienced members to share knowledge.
Astrophotography can be very intimidating and technically challenging. AstroBin wants to be a repository of correct factual information that can save newbies from potential frustration.
What is a contributor?
A contributor is someone who contributes information that is considered to be factual and informative by one's peers on AstroBin.
What are the benefits of a high Contribution Index (beta)?
The AstroBin Contribution Index (beta) is more than just a number. Having a high index gives you credibility and respect. It means that your peers consider what you have to say to be correct, factual, and valuable.
Besides being a fun way to contribute to the expansion of the collective knowledge of the community at large, it can be proof of credibility when selling second-hand equipment, for instance.
How is it related to the Image Index?
The Contribution Index (beta) and the Image Index are computed using the same algorithm, but the Contribution Index (beta) uses likes to your comments and forum posts, while the Image Index uses likes to your images.
Why is my Contribution Index (beta) zero?
You haven't posted any comments or forum posts that fit the requirements: minimum 150 characters and 3 likes.
Why is my Contribution Index (beta) not updating?
The Contribution Index (beta) doesn't update instantly. It could be anything between a few seconds and a few hours. Check back in a bit!
Why did my Contribution Index (beta) decrease?
Just like the Image Index, the Contribution Index (beta) algorithm is not designed to inflate forever. If the quality of your contributions decreases, i.e. you post content that fits the requirements to be calculated in the score, but doesn't get enough likes to raise your score, it may as well lower it.
