[wp-meta] [Making WordPress.org] #6511: Provide helpful plugin stats and insights

[Making WordPress.org]

#6511: Provide helpful plugin stats and insights
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 Reporter:  markzahra         |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  enhancement       |      Status:  new
 Priority:  high              |   Milestone:
Component:  Plugin Directory  |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                    |
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Comment (by Starbuck):

 Replying to [comment:109 bfintal]:
 > In [https://wpwatercooler.com/wpwatercooler/ep432-solutions-to-the-
 active-growth-problem/ WPwatercooler episode 432] where solutions were
 talked about, Otto brought up that one of the reasons the growth chart was
 removed was because it was giving inaccurate data, and that the data you
 can derive from it is inaccurate.

 This is exactly why I suggest wp.org provide "raw data" and not
 interpretations.
 Please note the above "it was giving inaccurate data". No, the data is
 good, it's reality - unless the data used for the chart has been modified,
 which is malicious, and I don't think that's been a problem. The chart was
 providing misleading conclusions - or perhaps through its presentation
 leading toward conclusions that are not valid.

 Also "the data you can derive from it is inaccurate": Not to be too
 pedantic, but we don't derive data, we derive conclusions from data - and
 yes, those conclusions may be inaccurate. If wp.org tells us what to think
 based on a limited set of charts, and we know that interpretation is
 incorrect, then perhaps we should have more charts to render the data
 (produced by third-parties)

 At the very least, people need to distinguish between "data" and
 "conclusions derived from data". What people see on wp.org matters. It
 bears a great responsibility - and the chart was pulled through
 recognition of that responsibility - I appreciate that. If the site
 doesn't take on responsibility for influencing interpretations of data
 then we won't need to worry about this. Of all the things here, it's not
 necessary to host this specific resource here, and there are consequences
 for doing so.

 (Sorry Benjamin - Maybe I'm quibbling about words when this was just a
 language issue.)

 > If a plugin author can derive that their plugin has 500 new active
 installs that week, but in reality it’s really just 371 installs...

 The data might tell us that today there were 300 new installations and 200
 upgrades. Of these there were 280 new activations. Polling data might
 suggest there are 1000 total installations, of which there are 970 total
 activated sites. This raw data can be plotted over time. It is up to the
 viewer of the data to derive their own conclusions. The problem comes in
 when there is only one resource for this data and it's telling people what
 they should understand. If a plugin developer can go to multiple sites to
 view the same data in different ways, they can draw their own conclusions
 about what that data means to them. As a community we can help by pointing
 toward better renderings, and well-written articles about interpreting the
 data.

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Ticket URL: <https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/6511#comment:110>
Making WordPress.org <https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/>
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