[wp-meta] [Making WordPress.org] #7648: Stop weighing active installations in plugin search heavily

[Making WordPress.org]

#7648: Stop weighing active installations in plugin search heavily
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 Reporter:  Cybr              |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  defect (bug)      |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal            |   Milestone:  Improved Search
Component:  Plugin Directory  |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                    |
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Comment (by duanestorey):

 Replying to [comment:3 gibrown]:

 > The goal behind the ranking alg is giving end users the best plugin
 experience possible. The user is trying to solve a problem and plugins
 that have a larger install count are much more likely to provide good long
 term support. There are also a number of other factors used in the alg
 that help newer plugins improve their rankings (support thread resolution,
 ratings, etc).
 >

 The problem with this approach is it's a self-fulfilling prophecy - by
 putting one at the top, it'll get more installs, which will drive it to be
 even higher on the ranking system. Without some other type of data feeding
 into the algorithm, like age, or randomizing the list slightly, you're
 just going to end up self-selecting all the plugins on the first page.

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Ticket URL: <https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/7648#comment:8>
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