You probably understand more how the system behind google works to promote content to the top based on weight and how helpful it is. I know I watched a documentary that explained it kind of like a soccer game where more "klout" was given to star players. Maybe it makes more sense to you. I usually understand something like this after a few rereads.
And while having multiple users look through content for whales like @smooth is doing may not work scaled up to a million people, having ten people looking through content and finding hidden gems is far better than one. But I agree I like your idea @spookypooky. What's your background for work?