This was posted recently, in the always-excellent webcomic XKCD:
As always when XKCD is at its best, it’s both funny and thought-provoking, and quite on-target.
Here’s the question is raises, though: what’s the comment equivalent of the Turing Test? Is the issue “bot or not”, “spam or not?” or “helpful or not?” Most spambots would fail the test described here; would human-generated astroturf? Is “constructive” the right measure to use, to distinguish between “should be posted” and not? It might be — indeed, the product-placement industry is almost based on this concept, and it’s better than simply asking “Do you think this is a bot?”. But now I find myself looking for the best word to usefully express, “should this be here or not?”

October 26, 2010 at 1:41 pm |
It’s going to depend strongly on the forum. Having a good community probably requires occasional unconstructive diversions.