This page explains different varieties of lists that are featured around Ranker.com. Ranker has hundreds of thousands of lists about all sorts of topics, and most of them appear in the same format. However, there are a few options provided for Ranker listers, and a few special kinds of lists that Ranker's editorial team will feature on the site, that will be explained below.
Ready to get going on a list of your own? Check out our guide to Making a List on Ranker
http://www.ranker.com/list/types-of-ranker-lists/ranker,
User List
Most of Ranker's content is made up of lists by users just like you. These lists are very flexible and can be customized based on your preferences. (This means you can choose how the results display, add images, videos and commentary to your selections and even decide whether or not other Ranker members can vote on your list.)
You can choose to display your own lists in one of three ways:
In "List View," visitors will see your list depicted as a grid, with your items and all sorts of information about them squeezed into a single line. "List View" is perfect for when you are making a straight-forward list with many items and not a lot of original writing about any of them.
In "Blog View," the list takes up much more space, and the items are spread out to more closely resemble a blog post. "Blog View" is much more readable and visually engaging, and is perfect for when you write to write a bunch of commentary to each individual item on your list.
In "Slideshow View", your users can view one item at a time. The image will be biggest in this view, and the copy less important, so it's best for showcasing image-focused lists.
When building your list, you will have the option to select either view as seen in the image above. You can change your mind about how your list is displayed at any time simply by "editing" your list and choosing the other view.
When building your list, you will have the option to select either view as seen in the image above. You can change your mind about how your list is displayed at any time simply by "editing" your list and choosing the other view.
VoteRanked List
When writing a new list, Ranker users have the option of locking in their numbered ranks themselves, or leaving it open for the rest of the Ranker community to decide. If this option is selected, items will be rearranged based on the votes of other Ranker users. This can be helpful if you want to make a list of something, but need help figuring out where all the items should go. Or if you just want to use Ranker to poll your friends!
You can also add Vote buttons to your list just to get general feedback on your rankings from others without having their votes re-rank your list. Choose the option to the left. In this case, It's YOUR list, ranked in YOUR order, but you invite others to weigh in on the items on your list with thumbs up or down.
To turn your regular list into a VoteRanked list, you just need to click on the button marked "List Options" at the top of the page while you are editing your list. If you look under the tab marked "Voting & Contributions," this will bring up the option to allow "user voting that changes your list order." Save with this option and other users can start voting on your picks!
The integrity of our site depends on accurate rankings and we take this very seriously. When we detect suspicious voting patterns (either for or against list items), our system eventually offsets most of those votes in the opposite direction to ensure that the integrity of the overall ranking is maintained. This ensures that any biased or malicious voting cannot game the rankings.
Ultimate List
Ranker lists all have the option to be "Re-Ranked." A re-rank is simply any Ranker list that was inspired by another list. Click the "Rerank This List Your Way" button on any list and, BOOM, a new Ranker list is started. Once this new Re-Ranked list is published, a link to it will appear at the bottom of the original list. Ultimate Lists are automatically generated by Ranker any time a single list topic has been re-ranked 3 or more times.
These "Ultimate" lists are meant to be the definitive resource on the Web for this topic. If you want to know what The Worst Cars Ever Made are, this is where to look.
The ranking of these lists are decided on in two ways:
- Ranker visitors re-rank lists on the Ultimate topic ("Here are MY PICKS for the worst cars ever made!"), and then their choices and personal rankings influence the Ultimate List
AND/OR
- Ranker visitors vote directly on items already appearing on the Ultimate List. ("You're wrong, these other cars are FAR worse than the ones at the top of this list.")
The integrity of our site depends on accurate rankings and we take this very seriously. When we detect suspicious voting patterns (either for or against list items), our system eventually offsets most of those votes in the opposite direction to ensure that the integrity of the overall ranking is maintained. This ensures that any biased or malicious voting cannot game the rankings.
The Math
Ranker's top-secret ranking algorithm then takes everyone's votes and lists and turns them into the final definitive Ultimate guide to the topic.
Bear in mind, visitors who create their own versions of the Ultimate lists get a lot more say in the final list. Not only do they get to make their own selections and actually add items to the list if they want to (which solves the "How is __ not on this list?!" problem), but we also just count their votes more! So there!
Reference Lists
AKA: Listopedia
A reference list is just a simple list of factual information provided by Ranker, for when you're just doing research rather than ranking opinions or browsing entertaining content. For example, if you wanted a list of all movies made in Turkey or every rock opera ever made , you'd really be looking for a reference list.
Reference lists can be found by going to the "Listopedia" tab in the top navigation bar. There you will discover an index of all the Reference Lists we have in the system, broken down into category. You can also find other, user-made reference lists by browsing around the various categories on Ranker (found at the top of every page) or by doing a site search. Reference lists are almost always displayed using "list view," so you can scan to find the info you're looking for quickly. If you think the information would look better in blog view, you can always just click the "Blog View" button below the title, above the list on every list page.
Open List
An "Open List" is a list that anyone can add items to, after it's already been written and published. It's ideal for lists that you want to collaborate on with other Rankers. So let's say you'd like a great list of the best movies ever that have gone direct to DVD, but you can only come up with a few great examples yourself. Posting an Open List and getting it started with a few items will encourage other people to come and leave their own suggestions. Before long, you'll have a definitive list full of great rental suggestions.
You can make any of your lists Open Lists, even ones you've already published. Just go into Edit Mode on any list. (You can get there by going to the list's page and clicking the "Edit" button next to the list title.)
Now click the button near the top of the page marked "List Options." This will take you to your main List Options menu.
Choose the "settings" tab. You will see some green text reading "Make Your List an Open List"? Clicking the box provided and then saving will turn your list into an Open List and allow other users to make their own contributions.
It's also easy to see if the list you're reading is an Open List. Just look in the upper left hand corner of the page, next to the list image and the title. If there's a green bar saying "Open List," you can add your own suggestions. Scroll to the bottom of the list's first page and you'll see an area marked "Add to this Open List." Then start typing the item that you want to add to the list in the space provided and hit Go. Just like when you're editing a new Ranker list, you'll see some options for items in the Search Results box below.
To take a closer look at any item, just click View. Now you can add commentary, videos and photos to your item. Once you're happy with your item, click "Add to List" and you're done! You should see it appear on the list itself right away.