User:DoctorWho42/Dogspotting

Dogspotting (DS) is a a Facebook group dedicated to sharing of images of dogs through the sport of spotting. It was established 2008 by Something Awful forum member John Savoia. As of July 2015, Dogspotting has over 52,000 members.

History
In 2006, Something Awful forum member John Savoia conceived the idea of Dogspotting. Savoia wrote about dogs he spotted on receipts and kept these records in his wallet. In 2008, Savoia created a Facebook group adding 20 to 30 of his friends, most of whom left. In mid-July 2014, people began joining.

Format
The content of Dogspotting is user-submitted. Members of the group create posts illustrating dogs they have "spotted". Lengthy discussion threads often follow each posting through Facebook's comment feature of members assigning "points" arbitrarily. Posts may include images, text, or video.

The group has a scoring system based on various details as the action, number, and size of the dog. Property damage ranks a score of "[+]2". In a "reverse spot," points are awarded to the dog if the "spotted" dog spots the "dogspotter".

A score table, or "leaderboard", displays the users who have earned the most points based on year.

Moderation
The group's moderators and set of rules require that the "spotted" dog must not be the original poster's pet or a "known dog." Posting Snoop Dogg is also discouraged.

Rules
Dogspotter Josh Boruff introduced a stricter set of rules in opposition to Savoia's original points system. According to Boruff, this set of rules would dismiss small dog spots with "zero points." According to a phone interview between John Savoia and Vice, Savoia's personal computer was hacked before reforms could begin and a splinter group hijacked the original points system.

Reception
In October 2016, American news and talk morning television show Today's Matt Murray called Dogspotting Facebook's "hottest new group." In March 2018, The Spectrum's Dan McKeon included Dogspotting among "part of a rise in niche Facebook groups that are often light-hearted" with Cone Spotting and New Urbanist Memes for Transit-Oriented Teens. In May 2018, when Facebook announced its plans to launch a new dating service, Slate's Rachelle Hampton remarked "Users can then browse a list of other singles who theoretically share the same ardor for Dogspotting or transportation memes."

Dogspotting has received criticism for its purportedly strict moderation policies.