How are photos scored?

Photos are scored by a complicated algorithm. The point of Capture Arkansas is to find the best of Arkansas, and that's a huge undertaking. To help, we've enlisted tons of number-crunching computers to take all the votes and put them through an algorithm that weighs certain things in certain ways to ensure a fair contest. We can't expose the details of the algorithm because people would try to find a way to game the system, but there are a few guiding principles we can share with you.

• Dig it votes are good, nix it votes are not. Pretty simple, really.
• Loves and comments don't affect a photo's score.
• We account for the length of time a photo has been eligible for voting. This means photos uploaded today are on the same playing field as photos uploaded eons ago.
• We account for people who try to cheat.
• The credibility of each voting user is measured and impacts a photo's score, slightly. Credibility is measured in many ways, including how many photos a user has seen, how long a user has been involved in the project, the types of activity a user generally responsible for, etc.

Also remember we have editors heavily involved in the project. We can't rely on computers to know everything, so we make sure to have direct human input via our editors.

How involved are the editors?

In a word: very. We built the algorithm to help find the best of Arkansas in photos, but that goal would be impossible without the oversight of our panel of editors. Our editors are looking at submissions every day and highlighting their favorites, as well as checking things against the algorithm to be sure everything is running smoothly.

What makes a photo popular?

Special sauce. No, actually, a photo is deemed popular by the amount of dig it votes it has received within a given time period. That time period and the scoping of these vote counts are a secret, however. Don't ask, we won't tell.

How well are my photos doing?

We show you exactly how your photos are doing. On your dashboard, click the stats button. Once there, under the photos tab, you'll see a table detailing your top photos. Here are the details of each column in the top photos table:

• #: Your photos ranked by score. This is as much detail as we can show you to help you see how your photos are doing in relation to each other. It's not exactly the way the algorithm works, but it's pretty close.

• Votes: Total votes for your photos. We don't break your votes out by dig it vs. nix it because there's a lot more to a photo's score than dig it and nix it votes. Plus, how a user votes needs to remain private. If we showed you a breakdown of dig it vs. nix it votes, you'd know how each user is voting for your photos, which could turn Capture Arkansas into a vindictive affair.

• Loves: The number of loves for your photos. Folks love your photos when they want to show appreciation for your work. It's a good thing!

• Comments: The number of comments on your photos. Comments are great way to see how people feel about your photo. Sometimes comments are positive but sometimes they are constructive criticism. Use comments to hone your skills as a photographer.

• Badges: The number of badges for your photos. Badges are awarded when photos reach certain plateaus, like 100 votes, or when a photo receives a prize, like the editors' pick for a challenge.

You can sort the top photos table any way you'd like so get in there and play around with it.

Be sure to share your photos on Facebook or Twitter, email your friends to ask for their support and submit photos to challenges, which is where our editors spend a lot of time. The more people see your photos, the more likely you'll receive votes, so share like crazy!

Why can't I see how many votes I have?

We show you how your photos are doing in relation to each other on your stats page. There's a lot of info there and you should be able to glean which of your photos resonate with folks, and which photos miss the mark.

As for specific votes, we purposely hide dig it vs. nix it vote counts to ensure people don't try to game the system. Plus, how a user votes for a photo needs to be private to make sure voting is fair. How would you like it if your votes were exposed to the world? No fun, and no fair. Besides, most users that get involved in Capture Arkansas get to know one another and it becomes fairly obvious how their photos are doing based on the comments and critiques.