Pondering Pig
Kiva Supporter
Spokane WA
Gender: 
Posts: 14
|
 |
« on: March 28, 2007, 01:18:53 PM » |
|
When I'm choosing a new investment, I will often sort by popularity and by old to new, figuring the people at the back of the line probably need more help. But I'm not really sure what the difference is between 'popularity' and 'old to new'. Wouldn't the oldest also be the least popular? But they are not. I haven't been able to find a definition of 'popularity' at the Kiva site.
Any thoughts? It would be great to know the actual date when an entrepreneur's loan came online.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
optimistic.bob
|
|
« Reply To This #1 on: March 28, 2007, 01:43:23 PM » |
|
The only way I can make sense of popularity vs oldest is that in real time the newest loan could appear to be unpopular if no lenders have subscribed. In reverse, a loan could move from unpopular to popular by a lender(s) subscribing to 10 or more units regardless of the age of the loan.
I am much less discerning than most, I guess. When I am deciding who to lend money, I try to find a loan that my investment can complete. I don't do much gerographic sorting or really consider the financial opportunity. Many of the borrowers are requesting funds for projects that I don't see as viable (based on my local perspective) but I am trusting the partners and Kiva's due diligence.
PP, as a complete extrovert, I don't take much time to ponder anything but you have peeked my interest - Why is mustard yellow?
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
AccountAbility
|
|
« Reply To This #2 on: March 28, 2007, 09:34:27 PM » |
|
I too have wondered about some of the terms on the site, including popularity. Since it was a website, I guessed it had something to do with hits, but I didn't see much happening when I just clicked on the loan details. But when I actually invested, I saw my loan move up on the popularity scale so I am guessing it has to do with the number of investment hits it gets. I had a similar question in the journals as to what was meant by a "recommendation".
Maybe one of the future improvements will be a more detailed site explanation.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
We are loaners!
|
|
|
Pondering Pig
Kiva Supporter
Spokane WA
Gender:
Posts: 14
|
|
« Reply To This #3 on: March 30, 2007, 01:44:32 PM » |
|
Ok, I just did a little data gathering, and now I'm more confused than before. This morning there are 46 borrowers standing in line. The Most Popular is Barbara in Ghana. I guess everybody wants to dance with Barbara because she has raised 73% of her loan - but she is rated at #30 in the New to Old sorting. Right in the middle of the line.
The least popular girl at the dance is Faavela in Samoa. She has raised 8% of her loan and in the new to old sorting comes out at #43 - way back there. So she's been in line a long time yet still has raised only a small part of her loan. That makes sense. Somebody go fund her!
However, Sau of Samoa has been in line the longest. She still has only 45% of her loan raised. Yet in the popularity sorting she comes out at #24 - right in the middle. So is she getting regular hits, but in small amounts? Enough to keep her average in popularity?
Maybe I should just give up and ask Anushka , Kiva's great customer service manager!
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Julia
|
|
« Reply To This #4 on: March 30, 2007, 02:12:14 PM » |
|
My guess on the popularity was that it was related to the last bid. So, the most popular person is the last person bid on.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
I get up in the morning determined to both change the world and to have one hell of a good time. Sometimes, this makes planning the day difficult.
|
|
|
Pondering Pig
Kiva Supporter
Spokane WA
Gender:
Posts: 14
|
|
« Reply To This #5 on: March 30, 2007, 03:14:40 PM » |
|
You may be right, Julia. Since my last post, less than an hour ago, Barbara of Ghana is nowhere around. I guess she got funded and went home. Poor Faavela of Samoa is still sitting in last place in the popularity sweepstakes with only 8% of her loan raised. Sau of Samoa, the oldest borrower in line an hour ago has moved up one place in line and is now 60 % funded instead of 45% funded. But she jumped from 24th most popular borrower to third most popular borrower. Which must indicate that she received one or two loan increments in the last hour, and that's enough to suddenly make her popular again.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Laurie
|
|
« Reply To This #6 on: June 09, 2007, 09:32:14 PM » |
|
After trying to figure out the "popularity" ratings for quite awhile, I finally searched here on Kiva Friends and found this thread from March. Lots of speculation, but no definitive answer.
Does anyone know what the "popularity" ranking means? I wouldn't even have wondered about it except that it is the default display for the borrower list. From this thread, it doesn't seem like anyone understands it, and from other threads it appears that not many people prefer it... I don't get what it is, or why it is the default. I can't help seeing the "Popularity" ranking without "Miss Universe" popping into my head, an odd and disconcerting juxtaposition with Kiva!
Have I missed an explanation somewhere along the way?
Safe travels,
Laurie
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Laurie
|
|
« Reply To This #8 on: June 10, 2007, 09:06:19 PM » |
|
Hmmmm, Spartan, you may be right... Lisa Lemoa from Samoa is currently number 1 on the popularity list. She also is the featured borrower on the Home page of Kiva. Presumably, many viewers come to the Home page, click on Lisa's profile... and she goes to the head of the popularity list? Given that (or similar), is there any particular validity to the "popularity" index? Just curious and trying to understand it.  Safe travels, Laurie |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
Spartan
Kiva Supporter
Tokyo, Japan
Gender:
Posts: 145
Legatus Primus
|
|
« Reply To This #9 on: June 11, 2007, 08:25:49 AM » |
|
There is none that I can see.  Moreover it is my personal feeling that the "pop" search should be dropped or renamed. It just seems in bad form to me. |
|
|
|
« Last Edit: June 11, 2007, 10:40:33 PM by Spartan »
|
Logged
|
 "The greatest pain a man can suffer is to have knowledge of much & power over nothing" - Herodotus |
|
|
|
miGIRLS
|
|
« Reply To This #10 on: June 11, 2007, 07:07:51 PM » |
|
I agree, and just use my browser bar button I made for New to Old, and often use Loan Amount to sort. I think the default should be Random. Least popular will stay there a lot longer with Popular being the default. I vote for Random.
KLA
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
AccountAbility
|
|
« Reply To This #11 on: June 13, 2007, 12:28:56 AM » |
|
We might get an official answer before it goes away-- but then again based on the sentiment here, maybe not. I have viewed a profile three or four times (between going to the partner page, comparing it with others, etc) with no apparent effect in the popularity contest, but when I funded a loan it immediately went up in popularity. So that is my theory on where it comes from.
But I too think it is a poor default choice. I use new to old so I don't miss any new loans (scanning through them until I see loans I saw before). But I also use the loan size to see which small ones I can fully fund, and with the newer default of sorting by region, I will go to selected regions. (although why Samoa is listed as Asia is beyond me.)
So does popularity of sort preference here affect the way Kiva defaults?
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
We are loaners!
|
|
|
|
BenElberger
|
|
« Reply To This #12 on: June 17, 2007, 04:39:11 PM » |
|
Hey Guys,
Popularity is a complex equation that factors in page views, loans to businesses, recency of the business, etc.
In terms of random, we actually had some issues with that as truly randomized business sorting is not the easiest to code. We hope to be there soon.
Thanks!
Ben
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Laurie
|
|
« Reply To This #14 on: June 17, 2007, 06:27:28 PM » |
|
Or even... why DEFAULT to "popularity"?
It seems like such an odd designation, and even odder that it is the default.
If anything, I'd rather see a default that highlights the borrowers who are finding funding slow going, not those who are funding most easily. Personally, when I change the sorting order - which I always do immediately - I sort most often by New to Old, so I can see those I have not seen previously.
Safe travels,
Laurie
Writing today from Hood River, Oregon
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
