Endorsement Philosophy

[Nudedragon]

I endorse files that I feel are worth utilizing for an extended period of time, even if I won't do so personally. For example I endorsed the topographic map even though I don't use it. Plus, obviously, I endorse the mods that I love and continue to use.

 

When I go to uninstall a mod I've endorsed, I generally leave my endorsement. The only exception is when I'm replacing one mod with another that serves the same purpose. Rather than using an actual example, which might stat an argument, I'll make a hypothetical to explain this:

 

Pretend, for a moment, that SkyUI had been abandoned just before the MCM came out. Then, a month or so later, a new ui mod (we'll call it Bob) comes out which contains the MCM. The vast majority of people who had endorsed SkyUi switch to Bob and endorse it, but do not remove their prior endorsement of SkyUi. Of those that did not switch, about 80% of them quit the game after endorsing SkyUi but before Bob was released; they will never use or endorse Bob. Then, for four days this new ui mod is in the hot files, and both ex-SkyUI users and new blood are downloading and endorsing Bob. Inevitably, as with all hot files, Bob is bumped off of the hot files by UNP supported armor mod #1024.

Now, if Bob raked in more endorsements than SkyUi during its stay on the hot files, there's no issue. What if Bob is still a couple hundred endorsements behind SkyUi? That's where I see an issue. Once Bob is out of the hot files, anyone looking in the User Interfaces category will believe SkyUi is more popular. People new to Skyrim, or mods, will continue grabbing the outdated SkyUi. This will lead to SkyUi being endorsed and promoted, despite being outdated and unsupported.

Over time, as mod authors took advantage of the MCM feature, Bob would surpass SkyUi, but this process takes months. An endorsement is a vote. If you endorse for two mods that directly conflict because they aim to do the same thing, you are negating your own vote. In the above hypothetical, I say that people would see SkyUi as more popular than Bob. In reality, only a fraction of the endorsements on SkyUi would represent people who still use the mod. The endorsements counter becomes an inaccurate measure of user satisfaction, in this situation.

 

I don't rescind endorsements out of spite. Rather, when I vote, I avoid ****blocking myself by endorsing two competing files. Usually, if I take back a prior endorsement, I provide the mod author with a kudos instead.

 

I'm wondering how other people approach this issue. I've seen people who've endorsed more files than most people can run. I've noticed other people with fewer than ten endorsements, despite having been a member for years. What's your philosophy on endorsing and rescinding endorsements?

[gsmanners]

I always endorse anything that I try out and it works. Whether I like it or not will vary over time, so I don't even consider that a factor.

[rhowington]

My wish is that more of the downloaders and users would endorse the mod or give a kudo to the author. A lot of mods get many downloads but few endorsements, mostly because people are lazy or just don't care.

 

That is unless it is a new skimpy armor mod or body replacer. These will always make the hot files.

 

Take it from a modder I know.

[Elleh]

....I don't think of an endorsment as a vote. I suppose it depends on what abstract concept you feel you are endorsing. I've endorsed two directly competing mods because I tried them both, and both of them did what they offered and did it well. I suppose when I am endorsing a mod, I am saying "Yes, this is quality. I can vouch for it.". Actually voting for a file of the month is a different matter - in which case I would want to go a step further and decide which one I thought was "better" and that generally comes down to purely personal preference. (.... and in all honesty.... I haven't yet voted for a file of the month. I can never decide. I don't often look in that section, even.)

 

But then again, I don't hand out endorsements left and right. :) I only endorse when a mod has served me well for a period of time (or I anticipate that it will) - even if I eventually switch to a competing mod, if the mod has provided a resource or been helpful in some manner, or if the thing is just darn cool. Some things just astonish me. I might have no intention of leaving them in my game for long, but the cleverness and craftmanship is above and beyond.

 

In general, I wouldn't view your hypothetical situation as a problem - I'd hope people would have enough gumption to read mod descriptions and decide what is best for them. Popularity and quality are two different things, and they don't always coincide.

 

EDIT. You know..... some phrases are rude... but only when taken out of context. .__. The automatic censor isn't smart enough to know which is which. Edited so people do not think I said something innapropriate....

Edited May 25, 2013 by Elleh

[rhowington]

Elleh,

 

I think you were very insightful and not rude at all.

 

Thanks.

[Elleh]

Thank you rhowington. I really didn't think I was saying something naughty, but the censor doodad thought otherwise. >_>

 

But yeah. OP brings up a good topic, and I agree that it's frustrating to see people flocking to a mod only because it is popular and not take the time to "shop around", as one might say.

[Nudedragon]

Yea, I didn't read that as rude. I think I wouldn't view endorsements as votes if, by rule of thumb, people looked at least through the second page. I doubt most people even scroll to the bottom of page one, though. Elleh, your method of endorsing is the one I used to use. I only rethought that when I started seeing mods that were a year or more outdated on the first page. Sometimes, they couldn't even function on the latest skyrim patch...

 

On the other hand, when they were still being updated, I'm sure they were awesome.

 

Not considering one's personal enjoyment of a mod over time, as gsmanners suggested, is new to me though. An interesting concept, to be sure.

Edited May 25, 2013 by Nudedragon

[Kraeten]

If a mod you download works you should endorse it. That's really all there is to it. This is new content we're talking about, and you're getting it for free! Leaving an endorsement is the least you can do. As a thank you/thumb up...as a demonstration of encouragement.

 

With that said, I completely agree with rhwington.

Edited May 25, 2013 by Kraeten

[Zella]

As a Nexus mod user, I want people to endorse any mod that is safe to install and works pretty much as it was claimed that it would.

It helps people to decide which mods to try and gives them confidence that it is safe and probably useful. With thousands of mods listed here, it really helps to have a way to quickly evaluate which ones are likely to be worth looking into.

 

As a Nexus modder, I want people to endorse my mod to let me know that it was worth the work and bother to make and share the mod, and it also lets me know that it is not a waste of Nexus space to maintain the mod here.

 

It is a community service to endorse mods that are safe and useful, even if you do not like them for your personal game. It is also the only reward modders receive and encourages them to make more for all of us to enjoy and to make Nexus useful.

[jet4571]

This is a basic problem with using endorsements as anything but a thank you to the mod author. All endorsements should only be used as a thank you and not some gauge on the quality of a mod. When I am looking for mods I do not even look at the endorsements. I look at the image and description to see if it looks like something I want then I read the description, look at the images, and check the comments to see if the first few pages are riddled with bug reports or compatibility issues not listed in the description. If everything looks good and it is something I want in my load order I download it. If after using it I like it I will endorse it simply as a thank you to the mod author. If I do not like it or something is wrong with it I wont endorse. As a mod author I want others to endorse for the same reason and not some popularity thing.

 

The example of hypothetical Bob verses abandoned SkyUI is the perfect example of why the endorsement system is broken. The only way the top endorsed mod will ever be displaced is if Bethesda puts out a patch that completely breaks that mod and the mod never gets updated. then it will be a couple years before it hits the 101rst top endorsed mod and removed from the list. Even if 100 new mods come out that does the same thing and better as long as that mod is not broken it will remain the top mod or atleast in the top 25. There are thousands of great mods practicaly ignored because this site says endorsement count means the mod is good and everyone thinks because a mod gets few that it is automatically crap. It is sad to see and a shame that it has to be this way.