Advanced YTMND Theory

This article exists to explain the mechanics behind what decides a site's average rating, if you actually care about the number of red stars on a website that not every person will see.

Foreword

First off, don't ever expect your site to get and maintain a rating. It's statistically impossible. You cannot please all people at once, and even if you do, users will vote lower than just because they can.

Onto the subject of downvoters, yes, downvoters are annoying. However, they're trying to get you pissed off over red-colored stars to get their kicks. The only thing worse than an anonymous downvoter is a person who gets their panties in a bunch over someone voting a on their site.

So, loosen up. It's YTMND. Have fun.

Humor

What YTMND is all about... or rather, what it should be. The majority of YTMND sites will try to score points based on how hard they can get users to laugh; an "lol factor." A few things factor into how much funny a site can generate:

Originality

Sites that are original are always good. Spinoffs of Picard doing Barrel Rolls to evade pursuit of sexual predator Brian Peppers can only be funny for so long... if at all.

Familiarity/In-Jokes

If you are going to reference an internet meme, a movie, a game, or a cartoon, make sure that the meme/movie/show is well-known, and not overused. Making a reference to a fan-subbed anime that only you have heard of will result in users scratching their heads as they drop countless s on your site. On the same note, family/friend in-jokes tend not to fare very well either.

Fad Base

In direct contrast to the originality factor, most users vote based soley on what fad you're parodizing/recreating/paying tribute to. Not all fad spinoffs are bad, but when all you can do is make up humor based on existing humor, that's a bad thing.

Cleverness/Innovation

In your quest for making funnies, you may need think outside of the box. Sites like holy crap, a meteor!!! and Wipe Out are funny because the creators went and did something out of the ordinary to produce results. If the author of the meteor site simply put a meteorite into the picture instead of using the exploding text in a new way, the site wouldn't have been funny/amazing. Likewise, if the author of the Wipe Out site simply used the audio from the video instead of putting the cat's movements to the fast drums of Wipe Out, it wouldn't have the same effect.

Shock

Shock sites can either increase or decrease an average rating on a site, depending on timing, content, and method of shock. However, people tend to not like being tricked, and a rating of over might mean that your shock isn't all that bad, or that the voters are taking some wierd designer drug.

A shock site containing something like gay porn (Ridin' Spinnaz), a sudden, loud sound ("screamer" sites), or otherwise disurbing images (gore, for example), will get nuked with . If the shock is more clever/humorous than gross/overdone, you may get higher votes.

Abstract

Abstract sites tend not to get voted very highly. In order to appreciate an abstract site, one must think about what it is they're seeing and interpret it. Most users come to YTMND for quick laughs, and not to think.

Nostalgia

Trips down memory lane will often result in a higher site rating, as thanks for bringing back the good old days.

High Effort

A high effort site is one that may not be entirely funny, abstract or clever, yet shows an obviously high amount of work and time put into it and is able to stand on that merit alone. These sites attempt to gain a rating by wowing viewers. Some examples are The YTMND Nexus 2.0 or ARTMND.

The Voter

It's impossible to please everyone. While some people may love a certain kind of humor, others may detest it. Maybe the voter has a personal vendetta against you? Perhaps the voter is an anonymous up/downvoter? Or maybe, just maybe, your site is total crap. Whatever the reason, if the general consensus of a site is good or bad, that's what it is.

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