The Hottest Feed uses a specific algorithm to display Posts in a Group based on how popular it is.
If you have enabled the Hottest Feed option for your Group(s) by amending your Group(s) settings, you and your members will have the option to toggle their view between Latest and Hottest. This can be easily done by tapping on the words themselves to change between the two.
If a member chooses Hottest, they will be shown Posts in an order that is based on the Post's popularity and how new/old the Post is.
The algorithm is designed so that no single Post can remain at the top of the Hottest Feed indefinitely.
How does this Work?
The algorithm in use, calculates the position of each Post based on two separate factors:
- The age of the Post.
- The score given to the Post, which comes from the interactions the Post receives.
The Age of the Post:
Here, the algorithm calculates the age of the Post relative to a fixed point in time. The age of all Posts are calculated against this fixed point in time.
The Popularity of the Post:
A Post is scored by our algorithm based on its level of engagement. Engagement is pulled from:
- Likes.
- Comments.
The number of likes and comments are taken and are applied to a special math equation called a logarithm, to generate a specific score for its popularity.
The Hottest Score:
The final score given by the algorithm is a sum of its age and popularity. The hottest score of each Post is compared, and that leads to the order in which Posts are shown.
No Post can stay at the top of the Hottest Feed forever, as there will always be a new Hottest Post!
