Recent Posts

51

News / Re: Facebook's Left-Leaning Bias

« Last post by Adam White on May 13, 2016, 11:19:06 AM »

This is what they SAID they did:

How does Facebook determine what topics are trending?

"Trending shows you topics that have recently become popular on Facebook. The topics you see are based on a number of factors including engagement, timeliness, Pages you've liked and your location."

https://www.facebook.com/help/737806312958641

Based on a number of factors, including...

Not: based on a number of factors including and limited to....

I think it's unethical to massage or manage the trending stories feed without being open about it. Facebook users may not pay to use the service, but Facebook profits from them. As such, they have a right to be treated fairly.

There is a secondary issue here - whether or not this manipulation (if it did occur) was sanctioned by Facebook or whether it was just a common practice that happened, unbeknownst to the higher-ups.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Adam. 

Would you prefer that Facebook allow troll armies to determine its feed?

And what do you think they are 'massaging'?

Credibility seems to have been the main determinant.

Hi Stephen

Of course I don't want troll armies to derail the feed. I would prefer the feed to stick to regular, trending news. As I mentioned before, I have got news stories from there before.

I don't know what they are massaging (or if they even are). My response was more general - as in, if they are massaging the feed to exclude certain viewpoints (and not being transparent about that fact), then it would be an issue for me.

I don't know if they bury news they don't like and I am not saying they do. I am simply stating that I wouldn't agree with such behavior.

This is totally anecdotal - but I find when I click on a topic that is trending, I tend to get related storied from the Guardian, Independent, Huffington Post, etc. So I don't know if they are possibly a) managing which related articles show in order to reflect a particular bias or b) choosing to display trending topics that are (based on the subject matter) more likely to link to certain news providers (like the Guardian, Indy, HuffPo, etc).

Or they could be basing it on my preferences - what I re-post, what I click on, who my friends are, etc.

News stories are one thing. The weird ones are where they show topics that are trending - like when they post something about something that has gone viral or maybe a petition that is becoming popular. Those sorts of things are certainly trending. But does Facebook maybe highlight certain things (like a petition to ban Donald Trump from the UK) and ignore another, more 'conservative' thing that's happening and trending (in order to not give it the oxygen of publicity)?

I'm not saying Facebook does this - it is an honest question. That's the sort of thing I'd like to find out.

52

Springfield / Re: The Sad Saga of 439 East First Street

« Last post by menace1069 on May 13, 2016, 10:56:02 AM »

The problem with that scenario is that the demo guy (favored buddy) does not get work, and MCCD does not get a kick back (speculation) and an opportunity to pat themselves on the back.  Had they spent $50K on stabilization/restoration, it would have added value to the house.  Very sad that a HISTORIC neighborhood has ZERO PROTECTION, and ZERO consequences for those involved with all of these demos.  It should be criminal, but I guess you can't charge MCCD with something that would change their way of doing things.  Just imagine if this area was complete, like Savannah, Charleston, and others.  It would be a greatly improved property tax generating area.

See, that's what I don't get about Jacksonville. We have some absolutely BEAUTIFUL Victorian homes in the Springfield area and I would think that people would be snapping them right up to restore and habitat or sell them.
I have lived in both Savannah and Charleston and it is truly awesome when people take the time to renovate or restore a historic home.

53

Parks, Recreation, and the Environment / Re: Melissa Ross: John Crescimbeni gets a Lyft in is Uber

« Last post by TheCat on May 13, 2016, 10:28:27 AM »

John raised nearly $100k for the 2015 Unitary General (5/19/2015)

http://www.duvalelections.com/Candidates-And-Committees/Candidate-Committee-Treasurer-Reports-Bios/Campaign-Treasurer-Reports-Bios

54

News / Re: Facebook's Left-Leaning Bias

« Last post by Sentient on May 13, 2016, 10:27:39 AM »

Consider all of this in light of the below... then make a decision.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v489/n7415/full/nature11421.html

It's quite a leap to infer that because messages to get-out-the-vote increases turnout, then messages-for-a-cause must convert people to that cause.

The party notes your contribution to the cause Finehoe.  Carry on...

55

News / Re: Facebook's Left-Leaning Bias

« Last post by Sentient on May 13, 2016, 10:27:03 AM »

This is what they SAID they did:

How does Facebook determine what topics are trending?

"Trending shows you topics that have recently become popular on Facebook. The topics you see are based on a number of factors including engagement, timeliness, Pages you've liked and your location."

https://www.facebook.com/help/737806312958641

Based on a number of factors, including...

Not: based on a number of factors including and limited to....

I think it's unethical to massage or manage the trending stories feed without being open about it. Facebook users may not pay to use the service, but Facebook profits from them. As such, they have a right to be treated fairly.

There is a secondary issue here - whether or not this manipulation (if it did occur) was sanctioned by Facebook or whether it was just a common practice that happened, unbeknownst to the higher-ups.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Adam. 

Would you prefer that Facebook allow troll armies to determine its feed?

And what do you think they are 'massaging'?

Credibility seems to have been the main determinant.

Wait what?  "Credibility seems to have been the main determinant."  I thought this was so LOL and NOTHING happened and they don't have a "direct source" and this was literally nothing etc.? 

Wait did they actually INJECT stories into trending that were NOT trending according to their algorithms?   And for what purpose?  It was random right?  It had no bias right? No point of view?

Continue to dissemble and obfuscate.  We can leave aside for the moment the subjective issue of credibility.

56

Parks, Recreation, and the Environment / Re: Melissa Ross: John Crescimbeni gets a Lyft in is Uber

« Last post by TheCat on May 13, 2016, 10:22:50 AM »

Good for Melissa (and Jacksonville) but I wish she wouldn't have let him skate by on the question.

This is John's financial disclosure from 2014. He hasn't filed the required disclosure for 2015.

57

News / Re: Zimmerman Found Not Guilty

« Last post by Bridges on May 13, 2016, 10:22:14 AM »

At least he wants to get rid of Angela Corey.

Well he should have registered as a republican candidate, cause Corey isn't losing the election since she rigged it. 

58

What is missing and what isn't? / Re: SJTC's Carter's Broughton Street Collection Takes Shape

« Last post by vicupstate on May 13, 2016, 09:57:52 AM »

Put a retail disctrict in La Villa

Won't happen. You can't build new the kind of ambiance you find in historic buildings. That is all part of the draw, the uniqueness. If you were just going to build new from the ground up, you would just do it on an undeveloped parcel like SJTC.  One transaction instead of 37, and you put the roads,etc wherever you decide rather than deal with what is already there.

In theory LaVilla could develop retail once the population justifies it, but what would draw in that population? It is a Catch-22.   

59

News / Re: Facebook's Left-Leaning Bias

« Last post by finehoe on May 13, 2016, 09:50:16 AM »

Consider all of this in light of the below... then make a decision.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v489/n7415/full/nature11421.html

It's quite a leap to infer that because messages to get-out-the-vote increases turnout, then messages-for-a-cause must convert people to that cause.

60

News / Re: Facebook's Left-Leaning Bias

« Last post by Adam White on May 13, 2016, 09:42:25 AM »

This is what they SAID they did:

How does Facebook determine what topics are trending?

"Trending shows you topics that have recently become popular on Facebook. The topics you see are based on a number of factors including engagement, timeliness, Pages you've liked and your location."

https://www.facebook.com/help/737806312958641

Based on a number of factors, including...

Not: based on a number of factors including and limited to....

I think it's unethical to massage or manage the trending stories feed without being open about it. Facebook users may not pay to use the service, but Facebook profits from them. As such, they have a right to be treated fairly.

There is a secondary issue here - whether or not this manipulation (if it did occur) was sanctioned by Facebook or whether it was just a common practice that happened, unbeknownst to the higher-ups.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.