I haven’t had a boost to give out in over a month. Today’s the first Monday since 8/2 that I’ve actually gotten one.
Here’s one of the reasons MakerWorld gave me:
We noticed that you haven’t recently used any boost tokens, which may be why you haven’t received any. The quality of the models you boost is an important factor in whether boost tokens are issued.
So let’s unpack that:
You need to use tokens to get tokens.
But if you don’t have tokens, you can’t use them.
And if you don’t use them, you don’t get more.
It’s a closed loop. A system designed to reward the already rewarded.
I’ve printed cool stuff. I’ve printed useful stuff. Apparently not cool or useful enough.
Like this:
So in short, to thank or boost a model, it has to be one they deem worthy—not one you do. It has to be flashy, filament-hungry, and algorithm-friendly. Not subtle. Not clever. Not quietly brilliant.
MakerWorld doesn’t want appreciation. It wants promotion.
The points system has been gamed since day one, and the fix has been to restrict who gets points—the lazy way. Filament burned. Time spent. Metrics fed.
I’ve made peace with the fact that points won’t come my way. That’s fine.
But I won’t be told who I can and can’t appreciate.
I don’t boost to help MW advertise.
I boost to say: Thank you. Good job.
For a year now, I have apparently printed so much from Makerworld that I received three boosts every week. For the past three weeks, I have been busy with my own designs, prototypes and such, and rarely print anything directly from the site. Ergo: no boost, or only one boost per week for two weeks.
I am fully aware that “that’s the way it is”, except it isn’t.
I have still been downloading and rating and printing. I’m just not printing what’s featured.
Cumulatively I am certain my print time meets whatever arbitrary number they’ve set. I have 14 hrs to go on a current MW print. It’s not how much or how long, it’s who and what you’re printing.
I have 4100 hours on my P1S. I have no idea if that’s a lot or not but I would wager 90% of that time is on MW models.
Like you I used to get 2-3. Nothings changed on my end, they just decided I don’t print what they want.
Yet I have to spend them to get them. I can’t spend what I don’t have to get more to give out.
It’s not like I really care. Giving away boosts gives me nothing.
It’s probably because of some a*s broken algorithm that mark you for the wrong reason anyway. And if you ask to the customer service you’ll probably just get answered with the same reply.
I consider myself lucky I got penalized on something completely useless rather than something costing me points or such.
Isn’t sad that human nature is to try to get over?
I appreciate that some people can do what I can’t. When I want a print like the hologram, I appreciate someone took the time to make it. If it’s something I really like then I’ll give them a boost. It’s not to help them be seen but a “thank you”.
You’re right though. Abuse. However now it’s the other way around. MW has made it so hard to just use the boost for what it was intended for.
I’ve said it before, maybe it’s time to just end points altogether.
I stopped boosting when the new uploaded prints had constant slicer changes / edits (90%), which just come across as bot accounts ,
perhaps boosts could be made point worthy (purchase) with limitations , 12 poinnts = 12 points , or give to recieve ?
Just out of curiosity, why does it matter if you get anything in return?
The boost system was initially a way to boost visibility for good models. It was abused.
MW always swats flies with hammers, and in doing so made it worse for everyone, well almost everyone. They’ve made the point system only benefit some. That’s what they want then fine. But don’t tell me the reason I can’t get boosts to give is because I don’t give boosts. Especially when you’re not giving them out and I do use every boost.
I believe that if you’re featured you do not need boosts. They were a way for unseen creators to be seen (if they got enough) before they were abused and nerfed.
I’ve a handful of models out there, and I get a few boosts, and a decent number of downloads. Not nearly as much lately and with all the new ways bambu is promoting MW new models mine have to be searched and found. Never nearly near the trending top. To be understood. ‘new is new’ old is just passe. I download and print LOTS off mw also. it’s probably half or a bit less of what I do lately. And I ALWAYS rate every model if it prints. And some that don’t. And If I do enough, and I have no Idea of the number, but it is greater than 2 per week, I get 1 to 3 boosts. And I ALWAYS tend to boost the items I think deserve the boost, not nearly the most complex, but the most useful and I thing best in my mind. And I usually will pick a lesser complex over a complex well boosted model. I want to spread the boosts to folks who don’t get a hundred a week.
It doesn’t. I used my boosts! mainly on projects I thought were underrated, precisely because as a small creator I understand the frustration of putting out complex projects that go completely unnoticed (more and more often), while you open the trending page and find slops with 2k downloads.
It’s Makerworld that contradicts its own rules by selecting unworthy featured projects just because there are cute little dogs or some trivial objects with a nice thumbnail rendering. Not me.
But the moment you take away that possibility, I accept it… again, it’s not like I was getting anything back from spending time assigning boosts thoughtfully.
I consider myself lucky to have been limited in this way, rather than, like what happened to other people here on the forum, being accused of using bots and getting suspended from receiving points.
I’m still a fan of the old 3D printing scene… where people just shared their stuff with each other, regardless of whether no one, one person or 3,000 people could use it.
My next model will be a magnetic picture holder that can really only be used for very specific pictures. If more than two people can use it, I’ll be happy. Nevertheless, I’m investing a lot of time in it, simply because I could use it and because it makes ME happy.
Somehow it makes me sad to see that everything is constantly revolving around money…
^ the world… the more people that feel this deeply and change their behaviour as a result, the better. Money is nice and all, but there has to be a balance otherwise everything just becomes over-monetized and joyless…
but I digress… back to the point of this thread. Yeah boosts are weird and unpredictable. FWIW I haven’t personally seen any direct evidence that they are somehow preventing ppl from boosting simple models. One of my simplest models still gets boosts regularly… so it’s hard to say exactly how they have actually implemented that system.
I had so many boosts … i boosted what i simple liked. Even things i didnt have printed. And some of the boosts go to models that already have 1k boosts. If the model / idea is good and solved a real problem for me, I honor that.
That’s how it was supposed to be.
Every positive attribute the system had for everyone has been reduced to just some. Like I said, it’s MW swatting a fly with a cannon.
Well I said hammer but I like cannon better. You choose.
Laughably they gave me one today. I gave it to the hologram maker cause it gave me a good bit of joy to make it and to watch it.
I don’t think i’ve ever used a boost and Im glad they have stopped giving me them lol
If it crawls onto my screen while I’m doing something else, becomes modal, and wont go away till i find and click its stupid button: its a popup, and is now resident to the /dev/null section of my brain. The design gives hard temu vibes
I don’t submit any user-generated content to social media sites, makerworld included. I only have a makerworld account begrudgingly because of their download policy. It isn’t real information =p
This means you hope that those designers who do share their work for free to the end user with the understanding that they will receive a small amount of recompense should not have that opportunity.
It is concerning that someone without any stake in the situation is hoping that those that do shall not receive any reward promised.
Your views are as valid and valuable as anyone else’s. But do you truly believe you should be suggesting that others do no get receive any remuneration and doing so as someone with skin in the game?
It might be worth focusing your thoughts on things you have direct knowledge off and a stake in.
At the very least share your lack stake in the game when you are suggesting it should have its rules changed.
You take from the designers you seek to have any recompense reduced and yet do not share your own work.
You are not obligated to share your work in exchange for that of others, but suggesting those designers who shared with you should not gain recompense at all, whether from you or otherwise is not great.
The thing that I allow to govern my relationship with the designer is the creative commons license, not some website’s attention-economy-de-jeur. Make sure your license is correct and I will respect it to my death.
