Engagement Baiting Post Labeling

Guidelines (Approved 11/05/18)

Note: This is a working document, which we will update as we progress forward. We
will continue to add examples as they emerge, and we will be sure to communicate
any changes to coding as we move forward.

Purpose of Document

The purpose of this document is to provide guidance and instructions on labeling

attributes of posts that seek to gain feed ranking or post engagement by creating
posts that bait Facebook users into interaction. We define engagement baiting as:

Engagement baiting: Any attribute of a post that uses tactics which seek to create
engagement or interaction. A large portion of engagement baiting cases seek to bait
users into interaction with the post by explicitly asking users to complete an action
(such as like or share the post), or create a scenario in which the user feels obligated
to interact with the post (e.g. Type “America” if you agree).

Why are we doing this?

We are trying to understand the prevalence of bait-y content on News Feed. We

know from research that people do not like to see posts, images, or videos that bait
them into engagement in their News Feeds. If we can understand the prevalence
and nature of such posts, we can better understand the News Feed ecosystem and
work to improve the News Feed experience for everyone.

It's important to not overthink things here. Again, we are focused on understanding
the ecosystem of content that's attempting to 'bait' people into engagement, and
using specific bait-y images and videos is one way publishers/posters do this. Again,
thoroughness/accuracy is the most important factor when you are labeling posts, so
please focus on ensuring each piece of content is labeled to the best of your ability.

Big points to keep in mind:

1. **VERY IMPORTANT: It's very important that we clearly identify posts that
are about seeking help or centered around social goodwill. If a post falls into
any of the categories below, we will label them with a dimension named Call
for Help / Input. Posts that fall into this category are to include posts that
are centered around:
a. Help finding missing/abducted people
b. Help finding missing/stolen pets
c. Help finding missing/stolen property
 d. Examples of these above categories include:
i. Calls for help such as: “Help us find this missing child”
or “Police searching for missing person” or “Person requests
help searching for missing pet” or “This man went missing and
police need your help” or “Citizen seeks help with finding
stolen property”
e. Raising money or awareness for a charitable event, organization,
foundation, community, or other specified group or cause
f. Asks for recommendations (e.g., travel recommendations)
g. Natural disasters and life-threatening events
2. If you notice anything out of the ordinary or anything you'd like to flag,
please tell your project support team. Importantly, please make note of any
trends that come out.
3. Thoroughness/accuracy is the most important factor when you are labeling
posts, so please focus on ensuring each piece of content is labeled to the best
of your ability.
4. We need to ensure that we omit personal bias to every extent possible. If you
have questions, please don't hesitate to ask your project support team.
5. Please let us know when you find a post that is very, very difficult to classify
so we can discuss the items that are challenging.
6. Defining “Composer box”: In the second labeling dimension (where in the
post the engagement baiting taking place?), the “composer box” is one of the
options. This is the where the poster enters their own text (some people call
this the 'status update box'). Example:
Instructions for labeling engagement-baiting posts:

Each post should be labeled on five dimensions of engagement baiting with full
details on each in the tables below:
1. What kind of engagement is being baited?
2. Where in the post is the engagement baiting taking place?
3. How in the post is the engagement baiting taking place?
4. Does the post call for help / input?
5. Does the post seem like engagement bait even though it doesn't meet any
guidelines?

#1

#2

#3

#4
Question #5 to be added

(1) WHAT KIND OF ENGAGEMENT IS THE POST BAITING FOR?

Here we are labeling which type of engagement(s) the post is baiting for. If the post
uses a combination of baiting tactics, please select all of the types of baiting
attributes the post contains. Whether the content is an original post or a reshare
(ex: user shared someone else's post) please mark if either contains engagement
bait.
Type Description Example

1 Like baiting The post asks the user to like the post
 The post asks the user to comment with
(1) a number, (2) a given word, phrase
or emoji (e.g., comment yes/no or
Comment comment with a heart), or (3) a specific
2
baiting answer (e.g., comment with your birth
month). Open-ended questions that are
not looking for a specific answer are
NOT comment bait.

The post asks the user to share the post,

3 Share baiting
to include "please copy/paste" examples

(1) The post asks the user to react to the

4 React baiting post (2) Gives a conditional statement
and asks users to chose a reaction

The post gives the user specific

instructions to click on an external link
without context ex: "Click Here", "Watch
now!", "Check this out!", or arrows or
5 Link baiting emojis implying to click on a link would
be marked yes, whereas more
descriptive "Visit our website to book
your dream vacation" or "Watch my TV
Show" would not
 The post asks the user to tag a friend in
Friend tag the comments or other areas of the post,
6
baiting or to share and tag a friend based on
instructions from the original post.

The post asks the user to vote using

reactions, comments, sharing, or other
means of representing vote. Sometimes
images have implied voting (ex: multiple
sports teams with their names in the
image) and not in the composer box.
7 Vote baiting
This does NOT include voting for off-
Facebook competitions, such as talent
shows where votes are cast on the talent
show's website. This also does NOT
include posts encouraging people to vote
in government elections.

Does not bait The post does not contain engagement

8 for baiting characteristics and leave other
engagement responses blank
(2) Where in the post the engagement baiting taking place?

Here we are labeling for where the post is employing the baiting. If the post uses a
combination of baiting tactics, please select all the types of baiting attributes the
post contains. The options include:
• In the composer box
• In the photo
• In the video thumbnail
• At the end of the video (not the thumbnail)
• In other video frames (not the thumbnail, not the end of the video)
• In the video title
• In the video transcription
• None of the above.

Text Only Post:

Composer Box

Text / Photo Post:

Composer Box

Photo

Text / Video Post:

Composer Box
Video Title

Video Transcription

Video Thumbnail

Video
(3) Is the post a Call for Help / Input

There are various types of Call for Help / Call for Input / Call for Support / Call for
Recommendations that we want to capture for this dimension.
These could include:
• Sharing an Amber Alert (missing child)
• Reporting stolen property
• Asking for help finding stolen property
• Sharing a petition to raise awareness
• Sharing support for an issue
• Sharing a fundraiser
• Asking for recommendations
• Asking for advice
• A politics or government entity asking for input from constituents
• Natural disasters and/or life-threatening events
o Example: “The hurricane arrived this morning and waters are still
rising — beware exit 405 is completely blocked. Please share and
send to your friends and family so they know to avoid”
o Example: “Chipotle has been reported to have an e-coli scare
AGAIN — please be careful if you go eat there, I'd avoid if possible!
Please share this post so others can see it.”
o Example: “The Red Cross is delivering supplies to families in need.
Please comment if you need assistance and we will reach out to you
over message to coordinate.”

Please note - most Calls for Help will engage in some form of engagement bait (ex:
please share this to help me find ...) and should be marked positive for Call for Help
and the appropriate Engagement Bait.

In some cases, Calls for Help may not engage in engagement bait (ex: a link to a
fundraiser that describes the goals of the fundraiser vs. one that doesn't; “please
support my daughter's birthday party” - NOT Link Baiting vs. “please support my
fundraiser” - Link Baiting)
 Method Description Example
Posts that fall into this category
are to include posts that are
centered around:
1. Find missing/abducted
people
2. Find Missing/stolen pets
3. Find Missing/stolen property
4. Calls for help such as: “Help
us find this missing child” or
“Police searching for missing
Call for
1 person” or “Person requests
help
help searching for missing pet”
or “This man went missing and
police need your help” or
“Citizen seeks help with finding
stolen property”
5. Raising money or awareness
for a charitable cause
6. Asks for a recommendation
7. Natural disasters and life-
threatening events

(4) Does the post seem like engagement bait even though it doesn't meet
any of the guidelines?

We've added an open-ended question to be used if the post seems subjectively like
engagement bait but isn't engagement bait by the current definition. This question
reads:

“Does this seem like engagement bait to you, even if it doesn't meet any of the
guidelines?”

Remember that engagement bait is any attribute of a post that uses tactics which
seek to create engagement or interaction. A large portion of engagement baiting
cases seek to bait users into interaction with the post by explicitly asking users to
complete an action (such as like or share the post), or create a scenario in which the
user feels obligated to interact with the post (e.g. Type “America” if you agree). If the
post seems like engagement bait to you but does NOT match the above definition,
please select this option.

We are using this question for our own information only and not to directly action.
We believe this question will help us identify any possible gaps in our guidelines.
(5) Clarification on vote baiting

Vote baiting asks the user to engage with the post to cast their vote through
reactions, comments, or sharing of some type. This could include:
• Commenting specific phrases to vote: “Comment YES if you think so or NO if
not.” → vote baiting (this is also comment baiting)
• Using reactions to vote: “LIKE for yes, SAD for no.” → vote baiting. This can
often be visual, as in this example:

• Implied calls to vote on different “options”. For example, if the post above
were just the picture, it'd still be vote baiting since it's suggesting that the
user use reactions to vote.
 • Voting by using different types of engagement, such as number of likes for
one team vs. number of shares for the other: “Like this post if you think I
should go to Tahiti or share if I should go to New York. I'll announce the
winner on Monday!” → vote baiting.

However, this does NOT include asks to vote off of Facebook. These posts usually
include links to websites where the user can vote for the relevant competition. Some
examples of asks to vote that are NOT considered vote baiting are:

• Asking the user to vote for the poster in an election for government
office: “Vote for me in the upcoming midterm elections! Make sure you're
registered.” → not vote baiting.
• “Get out the vote” posts encouraging the user to generally vote in elections
for government office: “Vote anytime this week to make sure that your voice
is heard!”
• Asking the user to vote for a competition, where the voting takes place off-
Facebook: “Vote for me in the semifinals of America's Got Talent! Text 7533
to AGT14 to place your vote!” → not vote baiting.
(6) Clarification on Comment Baiting

Comment baiting may include asking the user close-ended questions, which have a
specific set of possible answers like:
• “What's your birth month?” → Comment baiting, since there is a specific set
of answers.
• “Which jacket would you choose? Comment RED or BLUE.” → Comment
baiting, since asking the user to comment one of two specific answers. (This
is also vote baiting.)

Open-ended questions that could have multiple answers asking for people's opinion
is NOT engagement bait:
• “What do you think your pet does when you're not home?” → Not comment
baiting: the question does not have a specific set of answers and, in
addition, there is no explicit or implicit ask to comment.