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How did RankBoards
get started?

I was doing some research on why we like certain people and products. We have things we really like – our favorites – and things that we don't think are all that great. We automatically rank things in our minds. It occurred to me that ranking is hardwired into our system.

Around this same time, my son Colin started firing off ranking questions to me. He started asking me:
“Dad, what is your favorite snake?”
“Dad, what is the best Japanese car?”
“Dad, I like the Siberian tiger, what is your favorite tiger?”

He continues to ask me these questions on a daily basis. Just this morning he asked me what my favorite wolf was; I never really thought about it, but just kind of assumed there was just one type of wolf. There are a bunch of different wolves! Well, now, my son has a place to list his favorite wolves, dinosaurs, and crustaceans! He can also ask other people to vote on them - a real win/win situation!

So, it was this research I was doing and the constant questions from my son that made me think that I should build something that allows people to vote, rank, and share things on the Web. I shared the idea with a bunch of people and they all said the same type of thing: “That's awesome! Wait, doesn't that exist?” Well, as far as I can tell, it doesn't exist. So we built it!

Beyond this basic foundation, our goal is to provide a way for you to vote, rank, and share the people and products that you are passionate about. If you are moving to a new area, then I want you to be able to quickly find the best dentists, day care providers, and cool spots to check out. If you are passionate about sports or celebrities, then I want you to be able to debate and vote up your team or actor. Additionally, I want you to be able to share more about who you are in a very easy way. I want your friends to be able to quickly learn about your favorite books and movies, but I also want them to know about who you are becoming. Life is a journey and it can be fun to let others know where we are going.

In short, I launched this site because I think we naturally rank and share things all of the time. I wanted there to be a place on the Web to do these things. And – I wanted my son to have a place to fire off questions to learn more about the world around him :)

I'm delighted you've found us!

What is RankBoards?

RankBoards is real-time leaderboard for everything. People rank what is the best in a number of general categories, like the best movies, books, and music, and more locally focused categories like the best restaurant, pre-school, or coffee shop in your area. You can vote, comment, and add items to established boards. You can also create your own boards and invite others to add and vote on them.

RankBoards also allows you to create your own personal boards for your favorite things. You start with boards on your favorite books, movies, and places to visit. Beyond that, however, we want you to share with us who you are becoming. You can share items on your bucket or wish list and also share the people you admire.

Why is Ranking important?

Ranking is important because we do not have a lot of time and money. We want to know what the best items are so we know what to focus on. For example, New York Times puts out a best books list, so we know which books are the top books to read. We don’t have time to read them all. Google’s search engine is so good – as compared with earlier search engines – because it creates a rank order of the best Web pages. You don't have time to look at all of the Web pages; you just want to focus on the best Web pages. Google’s focus on rank helps you get in touch with the best information in the shortest amount of time. We are doing something similar with RankBoards. We think ranking is essential because it helps us figure out what is the most important.

What is a RankBoard or Board?

A RankBoard or Board allows you to rank order items. You grab images and enter information on each item, then you order them to show what items are in first, second, and third place. There are 2 types of boards: Public and Personal.

• Public boards provide a space for us to vote, rank, and comment on our shared people and products. Many of us care about the best movies or sports teams. You can also create public boards for your favorite restaurant, schools, dentists, or for people in your profession.
• Personal boards provide a space for you to express yourself by listing your favorite books, movies, and songs. These types of boards share who you are now. However, you can take things a step further and share where you are going. You can share trips you want to take, items you are going to buy, and people you admire. These types of boards tell us more about the person you are becoming. They are aspirational. You are completely in charge of your personal boards. Other people can see and comment on them, but no one can vote on them. You determine the order.

How can I create a RankBoard or Board?

After you login, you'll see a button called “Add Board” at the top. Simply click on that button. You can also add a board by clicking on "My RankBoards."

How do I add an item to a RankBoard or Board?

Click the green "+ New Item" button. Enter in the title, more info, and then grab or upload an image. If you have the image on your computer, then you can simply select the radio button titled "upload image" or you can "Grab Image from Website." The grabbing tool works well and is pretty convenient. You should know, however, that if you enter a URL in for a page and it has a lot of images, then it'll take a few moments to load all of the images. Also, it sometimes works best to just cut and paste the URL into that box, rather than entering it manually. We plan to release a bookmarklet tool that you can add to your browser in the near future.

Please be sure to reference where you grabbed or uploaded the image if it is from a third party. Also, it is often helpful to comment on the item – you might share why it is meaningful to you. For example, I added an item on Best Preschools in Norfolk VA the other day. My kids went to FPC and had a great experience. Sharing that kind of personal information can be helpful.

What is repinning?

When you hover over an image you have the option of repinning it to one of your boards. This is an easy way to grab items for a public board or for your personal boards. I might see a book I really like, so instead of going to the site, I can simply repin it to my personal board titled "top books I plan to read in the next 6 months."

What does it mean to follow a board?

When you follow a board it shows up on your "My RankBoards" area. It allows you to closely track what is happening on the boards you are following. If you are a big fan of Dowton Abbey, then you can see if it continues to be the #1 Best New TV Show. If it falls to #2, then you can vote to help get it back up to #1.

How do I delete an item?

Just click on "edit item" and then click "delete." Please note that only the original creator of the item may delete it and once the board it belongs to has received 10 votes, it may not be modified or deleted.

How do I delete a board?

Just click on "edit board" and then click "delete." Please note that only the original creator of the board may delete it and once it has received 10 votes, it may not be modified or deleted.

How does RankBoards make money?

We make money through a product called www.skimlinks.com. Skimlinks takes words and images and places links in them that go to sites. If someone clicks through an image or a link and ends up buying something on that site, then we’ll get a small referral fee. This is sometimes referred to as an affiliate link. We chose this route, because we are not huge fans of advertising and we want to keep the site as clean and easy to navigate as we possibly can.

Where can I give feedback?

Please give feedback here http://rankboards.com/Technology/lZei/FeedbackforRankBoard.html