Why You Should Care About Temperature

If you're in the community world, you need to know this major ChatGPT tip

Hello Friends,

It’s your friendly neighbourhood author and community builder. By now, we are likely coming to peak ChatGPT. Some of you are probably actively tuning it out or ignoring it altogether. However, regardless of how you feel, I would like to share some crucial tips. Maybe I might even change your mind.

Before you dismiss ChatGPT or use it, it’s essential to know that “Prompt Engineers” are a thing - and the difference maker at this juncture, making outputs more effective. A central part of their skill is knowing how to ask ChatGPT (and other AIs systems) the right questions in the correct format. I fear some people have seen dull or unimpressive results and have written off ChatGPT. That, to me, is less about the tech and more about how some may be structuring their questions.

Once you read the following two tips about ChatGPT, I believe it’ll impact your feelings about it and how you use it.

The first is to know that ChatGPT learns from earlier content. For example, if you post a blog post and ask for a landing page from that content, you can refer to it in the next prompt without reposting the whole blog post. You can reference the blog post above, and it’ll know to which you refer.

The second thing to note, and the most important, is temperature. The temperature setting in ChatGPT-3 controls the level of randomness or creativity in the generated text. A lower temperature will produce more conservative and predictable responses, while a higher temperature produces more creative or unexpected reactions. The range from 0 (conservative) to 1 (creative)

So as you write prompts, be aware it defaults to more conservative writing. How does that help you? Well, let’s say you want a base to start writing out your guidelines for your community. Suppose you ask ChatGPT for some Community Guidelines. In that case, you will likely get something like the following: 

Sure, here are some community guidelines for a forum:

1. Be respectful: Treat other forum members with respect, even if you disagree with their opinions or beliefs. Personal attacks, harassment, or discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated.

2. Keep it clean: Keep your language and behavior appropriate for all ages. Do not use profanity, sexually explicit language, or engage in any behavior that may be considered offensive.

3. Stay on topic: Make sure your posts are relevant to the forum's topic. If you want to discuss something off-topic, create a new thread or find an existing one where it is appropriate to discuss.

4. No spam: Do not spam the forum with irrelevant or repetitive posts or advertisements. Spamming will result in a warning or ban.

5. Do not plagiarize: Do not post content that you do not have permission to share or that you have copied from other sources without proper attribution.

6. Be mindful of others' privacy: Do not share personal information about other members or anyone else without their consent.

7. Report any issues: If you see any violations of these guidelines or any other issues on the forum, please report them to the moderators immediately.

Remember, the goal of the forum is to create a welcoming and inclusive community where members can share their ideas and engage in productive discussions. By following these guidelines, we can all contribute to making the forum a positive and informative space for everyone.

It’s bland and relatively stale. I ask it to be a bit more lighthearted with a Temperature of 1, and it rewrites it as follows:

1. Keep it chill: Let's all be cool cucumbers and treat each other with respect. No name-calling, insults, or discrimination - that's just not cool, man.

2. Keep it PG: No need to break out the soap for dirty language or inappropriate behavior. Let's keep it clean and fun for all ages.

3. Stay on topic: Don't go off on a tangent like a squirrel chasing a nut. Stick to the forum's topic so we can all stay on track and have some fruitful discussions.

4. No spamming: We're not talking about a can of meat here - keep your posts relevant and interesting. No need to repeat yourself like a broken record.

5. Be original: Don't be a copycat or a parrot. Give credit where it's due and make sure your content is original.

6. Respect privacy: No snooping around like a nosy neighbor. Keep personal info private and don't share it without permission.

7. Report issues: If something seems fishy like a cat in a fish market, let the moderators know so we can all swim in safe waters.

Remember, we're all here to have fun and learn from each other. Let's keep it light and enjoyable, like a scoop of ice cream on a hot summer day.

That was a bit better but not as good as this human-created example I whipped up:

1. Keep it chill: This is a relaxed forum, so leave your serious face at the door and come prepared to have a good time.

2. Embrace the puns: We love a good pun around here, so feel free to share your favorite jokes and puns. Just be sure to keep it PG-rated!

3. Bring the memes: Memes are always welcome on this forum, as long as they're not offensive or derogatory.

4. Keep it positive: We're all here to have fun, so let's keep the positivity flowing. No negative vibes or drama, please.

5. Share your passions: Whether it's your love of cooking, knitting, or collecting stamps, we want to hear about it! Share your hobbies and passions with the community.

6. Be silly: Don't be afraid to let loose and be a little silly. We're all a bit weird and quirky here, and that's what makes this forum so great!

7. Spread the love: If you see someone struggling or having a bad day, show them some love and support. We're all in this together, after all.

Remember, this forum is a place to have fun and connect with like-minded individuals. So, let's keep it lighthearted and enjoy ourselves!

Except I just lied to you. The above is from ChatGPT, but it was modified by changing the temperature and tone. And to be clear, I am not 100% happy with the last example either, but it’s a great starting point and light years from the result of the first prompt. I think it’s clear that AI won’t replace empathy coming from community builders; however, the proper inputs can make the content sound less robotic and make us more efficient by giving us a solid base to work from.

I advise you not to ignore ChatGPT but embrace it and other AI tools. See how it can work into your workflows - and save you time. Understanding how to write the proper prompts in AI is a skill in demand and one of the future. It’s something that can help you not only work smarter but maybe even open up other opportunities for you. I am excited by the possibilities AI unlocks; hopefully, you are too. 

If you are new to this whole thing and ready to get started with ChatGPT, here is a great guide. Also, don’t be shy to explore all the other AI tools available. New ones are popping up on Product Hunt every day. There is so much innovation going on, and you can play with many of these tools for free to get a better understanding before mass adoption.

I hope you learned something new. Thanks for reading this edition of my newsletter and sharing it with your friends!

Here’s to your continued success!

Adrian