7.7. Practitioner’s Tips

7.7.1. Leaderboards Considered Harmful

It’s still too early to speak in absolutes about the design of social-media sites, but one fact is becoming abundantly clear: ranking the members of your community—and pitting them against one another in a competitive fashion—is typically a bad idea. Like the fabled djinni of yore, leaderboards on your site promise riches (comparisons! incentives! user engagement!!) but often lead to undesired consequences.

The thought process involved in creating leaderboards typically goes something like this: there’s an activity on your site that you’d like to promote; a number of people are engaged in that activity who should be recognized; and a whole bunch of other people won’t jump in without a kick in the pants. Leaderboards seem like the perfect solution. Active contributors will get their recognition: placement at the top of the ranks. The also-rans will find incentive: to emulate leaders and climb the boards.