This is something I have been curious about for some time now having been a member here for 2 + years now. We all see on the right hand side of our main page the popular section of the site. This is where it would seem who the most popular members of the site are. Now I am going to assume this has to do with friends and the amount of them. I suppose there is really nothing wrong with that, but a couple questions keep coming to mind. A good many of us have been popular at some point in our lives for one thing or another, you know like in high school " Most Popular Student of the Class of whatever". " Most Likely to do this or that" As we grow up. well most of us do anyway, we may receive an award for this or that or be recognized by this or that for our acheivements. But when it comes to a social site of interfaith ministry where does popularity really fit in? Why are ministers popular? Is it because of all the assistance they give fellow ministers in officiating weddings? Perhaps it is for the Pastoral Care they gve to fellow Ministers in need. How about always being there to offer prayers for sickness or a recent death? Are ministers popular for their knowledge in ministry or native spirituality? Perhaps their always joining in with conversations amongst other ministers? Why for the amount of friends a minister has? Having numerous friends has nothing to do with a persons activity on the site does it? I see the popular list on the right and what comes to mind is that only one member on that list has an active roll on the site beyond welcoming new members and sending out or accepting friend requests. I am not writing this blog to judge or critisize anyone, I guess I don't understand the purpose of the list. I personally don't ever wish to be on that list, though I'm sure I could be if I chose to be. If the site is determined to show popularity of it's members, I think it should do so by the contributions of it's members, whether it be as popular Welcome Wagon members, Bloggers, Active Wedding Officiants, Conversationalists etc. Not because they can send out and or accept a friend request. Let me ask this one simple question, I have on the order of 200 friends and if I talk to 30 of them I am lucky. I may like a comment or post from maybe another 50 if I'm lucky or if they come on which probably 100 rarely ever come on. But 8000 friends? Popularity shouldn't be about how many friends you have requested or accepted, it should be about the interaction one has with the ones they have.... Just my thoughts,, Thank you for reading and commenting if you do.....
Taz
