LavishMade

Interests & Your Feed

RED FLAG: Is This an Algorithm?

If you're wondering "what is this, an algorithm or something?"... we get it. You've been burned by social media platforms that use mysterious algorithms to manipulate what you see. Let us be abundantly clear:

This is NOT an algorithm in the traditional sense. LavishMade is fundamentally different from what you've experienced on other platforms.

  • No computer science manipulation: We don't use AI, machine learning, or complex algorithms to decide what you see. There are no mysterious systems working behind the scenes.
  • No behavioral tracking: We don't monitor how long you view something, track your engagement patterns, or use that data to curate your feed. We respect your privacy and your time.
  • You decide: You explicitly choose what interests you want to see by hearting them. Your feed reflects your choices, not our predictions about what might keep you scrolling.
  • Transparent and simple: When you heart an interest, you see content tagged with that interest. That's it. No hidden signals, no engagement metrics, no manipulation.

This is your corner of the internet. Your feed is built on your explicit choices, not on our assumptions about what might keep you engaged.

Why Do You Have a Feed? (LavishMade Terms)

You might be wondering: if there's no algorithm, why have a feed at all? On LavishMade, your feed is simply a convenient way to see content that matches your interests in one place.

Think of it like this: instead of visiting dozens of different interest pages every day, your feed brings together content from the interests you've hearted, plus content from people you follow and subscribe to. It's a collection, not a manipulation.

  • Your feed shows: Content tagged with interests you've explicitly hearted, plus content from friends and people you subscribe to
  • Your feed doesn't: Use engagement metrics, track your behavior, or try to predict what will keep you scrolling
  • You control it: Heart interests you love, unfavorite ones you don't. Your feed changes based on your choices, not our algorithms.

Your feed is a tool for discovery and connection, not a tool for keeping you on the platform. It's that simple.

What are Interests?

Interests are curated collections of content organized around specific topics or themes. When you add hashtags to your blog posts, deep dives, or thoughts (posts), you're connecting your content to interests that help others discover what you're sharing.

What are Interests?

Interests are like topic categories that bring together content from across LavishMade:

  • They're created from hashtags that people use in their content
  • Each interest has its own page showing all related posts, blog posts, and deep dives
  • You can heart (favorite) interests to personalize your feed
  • Interests help you discover content and connect with people who share your passions

Adding Hashtags to Your Content

When you add hashtags to your content, you're automatically connecting it to interests. Here's how it works:

In Thoughts (Posts)

Simply type a hashtag directly in your post content:

  • Type # followed by a word or phrase (no spaces)
  • Example: "Just finished reading an amazing book! #reading #books #literature"
  • Hashtags automatically become clickable links
  • Your post will appear on the interest page for each hashtag you use

In Blog Posts

You can add hashtags to blog posts in two ways:

  • In your content: Type hashtags directly in your blog post content (same as posts)
  • In the tag field: Add tags in the tag field when creating or editing your blog post
  • Both methods work the same way - your blog post will appear on relevant interest pages

Example: If you write a blog post about photography and include #photography in the content or tags, it will appear on the photography interest page.

In Deep Dives

Add tags when creating or editing your deep dive:

  • Use the tag field when creating your deep dive
  • Separate multiple tags with commas
  • Example: art, philosophy, #quietweb
  • Your deep dive will appear on interest pages for each tag you add

Finding Interests

There are several ways to discover and explore interests on LavishMade:

Clicking Hashtags

The easiest way to find an interest is to click on any hashtag you see:

  • Hashtags in posts, blog posts, and deep dives are clickable links
  • Clicking a hashtag takes you to that interest's page
  • You'll see all content tagged with that hashtag

Interest Pages

Each interest has its own dedicated page where you can explore all related content. Interest pages are accessible at:

  • https://lavishmade.com/browse/interests/[interest-name]
  • For example: https://lavishmade.com/browse/interests/christmascrack
  • Interest pages show posts, blog posts, and deep dives tagged with that interest
  • You can see how much content is available for each interest

Browsing All Interests

You can also browse all available interests:

  • Visit the interests index page to see all interests
  • Interests are organized by popularity and content count
  • Featured interests appear at the top
  • Use the search to find specific interests

Hearting (Favoriting) Interests

When you heart an interest, you're telling LavishMade that you want to see more content related to that topic in your personalized feed. This is one of the best ways to curate your "For You" feed.

How to Heart an Interest

There are a few ways to heart an interest:

  • On an interest page: Click the heart icon in the top right corner of the interest card or page
  • From interest cards: Click the heart icon on any interest card when browsing interests
  • The heart will fill in with gold to show it's been favorited
  • Click it again to unfavorite and remove it from your preferences

What Happens When You Heart an Interest

When you heart an interest, LavishMade uses that information to personalize your feed:

  • Feed Curation: Your "For You" feed will show more content related to your favorited interests
  • Content Discovery: You'll see posts, blog posts, and deep dives tagged with those interests
  • Personalization: The more interests you heart, the more tailored your feed becomes
  • Tag Association: When you heart an interest, you're also favoriting all the tags associated with that interest

How Interests Influence Your "For You" Feed

When you heart an interest, your feed simply shows you content related to that interest:

  • Content tagged with your favorited interests appears in your feed
  • You see posts, blog posts, and deep dives from people you follow that match your interests
  • Content from across the community that's tagged with your favorited interests is included
  • Your feed balances your favorited interests with content from friends and people you subscribe to

That's it. No complex algorithms analyzing your behavior. No engagement metrics determining what you see. Just content that matches the interests you've explicitly chosen to follow.

Multiple Interests

You can heart as many interests as you like:

  • Each interest you heart adds more variety to your feed
  • Your feed will show content from all your favorited interests
  • The more interests you heart, the more diverse and interesting your feed becomes
  • You can unfavorite interests anytime to adjust your feed preferences

Managing Your Interests

You can view and manage all your favorited interests:

  • Visit your favorites page and filter by "Interests"
  • See all the interests you've hearted in one place
  • Unfavorite interests you no longer want to see in your feed
  • Your favorited interests are private - only you can see what you've hearted

Best Practices for Using Interests

  • Use relevant hashtags: Only tag your content with hashtags that actually relate to it
  • Be specific: Use specific interests rather than overly broad ones for better discovery
  • Don't over-tag: Use a reasonable number of hashtags (3-5 is usually good)
  • Heart interests you love: Heart interests that genuinely interest you to get the best feed experience
  • Explore regularly: Check out new interests to discover content and creators you might not have found otherwise
  • Update your interests: As your interests change, update your favorited interests to keep your feed fresh

Interests vs. Tags

On LavishMade, interests and tags are closely related:

  • Tags: Individual hashtags you add to your content (e.g., #photography, #books)
  • Interests: Curated collections that can include multiple related tags
  • When you use a hashtag, your content automatically appears on that tag's interest page (if one exists)
  • Interests can group multiple tags together, making it easier to discover related content
  • Hearting an interest favorites all the tags associated with that interest

Tip: Interests are a powerful way to discover content and connect with your community. Use hashtags thoughtfully in your content, explore interests that spark your curiosity, and heart the ones you love to create a feed that's perfectly tailored to you!