MF News Bot and Apple Rumors and Reports

Seems to me that MF News Bot has given Apple Rumors and Reports a really impersonal feel.

Care to elaborate?

I should share that we've seen more participation and discussion in that forum from a statistical standpoint than prior to the bot's news feed. So it seems to be a positive for most people.

I'm curious to understand why you feel it's impersonal. Is it just the name? Are you aware that a person actually curates the news the bot posts? Is it the type of news? Or something else?

Also moved to a better forum.

Amazing the tone that can come out when reading something....

I'm curious to understand why you feel it's impersonal. Is it just the name? Are you aware that a person actually curates the news the bot posts? Is it the type of news? Or something else?

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Anyway, the "bot", has no opinion, no comment, just the rumour/report and link.
No contribution whatsoever to the continuing thread.
This to me seems very impersonal.

6string said:

Amazing the tone that can come out when reading something....

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You have a history of reading a lot of "tone" into posts that isn't actually intended. Probably should start from the standpoint that there's not one, may help you under react in a way that isn't intended.

Anyway, the "bot", has no opinion, no comment, just the rumour/report and link.
No contribution whatsoever to the continuing thread.
This to me seems very impersonal.

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I see thanks for clarifying. The intent of News and Reports is to report the news and allow the community to comment and discuss so it seems to be working as we envisioned it at this point.

I would add that prior to the news bot, a majority of the news threads posted also were without comment, and often without even any text of the article. So overall, the experience isn't much different other than it's not being posted by a fellow Australian.

The new feed does a better job of including article text where copyright allows as well as less biased and more timely news based on the majority national user base of Mac-Forums. For example, rather than a bunch of news being posted overnight the day after it happened or was reported, the reporting is much closer to the time the news is actually made.

The process isn't perfect, but then no process ever is, and we'll constantly be looking at how to improve it.

schweb said:

You have a history of reading a lot of "tone" into posts that isn't actually intended. Probably should start from the standpoint that there's not one, may help you under react in a way that isn't intended.

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Only reading what is there.... call that my history.

I see thanks for clarifying. The intent of News and Reports is to report the news and allow the community to comment and discuss so it seems to be working as we envisioned it at this point.

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Ok then, what can I say to that.

I would add that prior to the news bot, a majority of the news threads posted also were without comment, and often without even any text of the article. So overall, the experience isn't much different other than it's not being posted by a fellow Australian.

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So overall, the experience isn't much different other than it's not being posted by a fellow Australian.
??? Really, that's what you think this is?
ROFL

6string said:

So overall, the experience isn't much different other than it's not being posted by a fellow Australian.
??? Really, that's what you think this is?
ROFL

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Nope, you're again reading more into what I wrote other than the little humor I added at the end (hence the ). Read the entire paragraph instead of pulling things out of context to get the entire meaning.

Thanks again for the feedback.

Round and round we go.. .. ..

I personally think we should be looking at the News Bot not as another user posting link to news and reports but as an automation of information designed to get the "real" users discussing the issues instead. If we look at it that way then I does indeed seem to be working very well. If you look at it as another member though then it possibly will seem a little "impersonal".
Just my take on things

- Simon

Buzzard2010 said:

I personally think we should be looking at the News Bot not as another user posting link to news and reports but as an automation of information designed to get the "real" users discussing the issues instead. If we look at it that way then I does indeed seem to be working very well. If you look at it as another member though then it possibly will seem a little "impersonal".
Just my take on things

- Simon

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Thanks Simon.

We could always rename the bot to something more personal and then no one would know it's a bot.

j/k

I vote for "Bob" or if you are all still sure it's a girlbot then "Bobette"

- Simon

Buzzard2010 said:

I vote for "Bob" or if you are all still sure it's a girlbot then "Bobette"

- Simon

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Who was it that said they wanted it to be a girl? We should let them name it.

I can't remember now, it was in a thread started when the Newsbot first came about.
I'll see if I can find the thread again.

- Simon

Buzzard2010 said:

I vote for "Bob" or if you are all still sure it's a girlbot then "Bobette"

- Simon

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We could name the News Bot...an androgynous name like "Fred":

- Male = Fred
- Female = Fred (short for Frederica)

We could use some more females around the forum...so I vote for a female bot...or a "Fem-Bot"!

- Nick

p.s. "Fembot"...the Austin Powers reference...or maybe the more original reference from the Six Million Dollar Man/Bionic Woman 1970's TV shows.

My company calls the IT ticketing system FRED since we'd found that there is a disproportionate number of people named Fred working in IT and when any issue arose the usual statement was to "Ask Fred" about it..

Regards

How about "Pat"?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_(Saturday_Night_Live)

The real question is: How does the Bot keep getting Rep? Are people really rep-ing a Bot?

As for the rest, it's doing it's job pretty well, better than was done before....

Sir Trevor Macdonaldbot....

schweb said:

Who was it that said they wanted it to be a girl? We should let them name it.

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Twas I - although my feelings are hurt that you didn't remember.

Shall we name it after you then? Perhaps Brianna?

Lets make it really controversial and call it "Brianna Montana" haha

- Simon