I think that karma is a useful feedback but only at a very approximate level. If a post is heavily upvoted or heavily downvoted it is likely to be higher quality. But this is extremely approximate. The posts I’ve had most upvoted are rarely what I would consider my highest quality remarks. For example, this comment was relevant but I don’t see any reason why it is at +24 other than some sort of bandwagon effect.
Pff, that’s nothing. Two of my highest-karma comments (try not to laugh at the totals; I’m green as grass, remember) are utterly derivative, by virtue of being simple restatements of another person’s point in a slightly funnier way. Namely this and this.
Ok. But the real thing is the discrepancy between them. While that comment I made is at +24, this comment is at +2 where it uses a nearly identical level of sources and analysis about a somewhat similar set of demographic issues.
It isn’t just that some funny comments get voted up a lot. It is that there’s very little general pattern to how far one comment gets up compared to another even when they are very similar comments.
Comments get more upvotes, independent of quality, if they:
Are in a high-traffic thread
Are made while the thread is still new
Get an early complimentary reply
Make a point many people agree with and care about (especially if the first to make that point)
Become the highest-karma comment early on (bandwagon + people may only read/vote on the first few comments, so being the top comment is valuable)
Are closer to top-level (people don’t read deep into threads unless particularly interested)
I think these effects, in aggregate, are probably much stronger determinants of comment karma than actual quality. Top-level posts, to main or discussion, suffer from fewer of these effects, so their karma is a little more reliable. But I hope no one is taking their comment karma too much to heart.
I think that karma is a useful feedback but only at a very approximate level. If a post is heavily upvoted or heavily downvoted it is likely to be higher quality. But this is extremely approximate. The posts I’ve had most upvoted are rarely what I would consider my highest quality remarks. For example, this comment was relevant but I don’t see any reason why it is at +24 other than some sort of bandwagon effect.
Pff, that’s nothing. Two of my highest-karma comments (try not to laugh at the totals; I’m green as grass, remember) are utterly derivative, by virtue of being simple restatements of another person’s point in a slightly funnier way. Namely this and this.
It’s embarrassing, frankly.
Ok. But the real thing is the discrepancy between them. While that comment I made is at +24, this comment is at +2 where it uses a nearly identical level of sources and analysis about a somewhat similar set of demographic issues.
It isn’t just that some funny comments get voted up a lot. It is that there’s very little general pattern to how far one comment gets up compared to another even when they are very similar comments.
Comments get more upvotes, independent of quality, if they:
Are in a high-traffic thread
Are made while the thread is still new
Get an early complimentary reply
Make a point many people agree with and care about (especially if the first to make that point)
Become the highest-karma comment early on (bandwagon + people may only read/vote on the first few comments, so being the top comment is valuable)
Are closer to top-level (people don’t read deep into threads unless particularly interested)
I think these effects, in aggregate, are probably much stronger determinants of comment karma than actual quality. Top-level posts, to main or discussion, suffer from fewer of these effects, so their karma is a little more reliable. But I hope no one is taking their comment karma too much to heart.
If that’s true, then… what’s the point of karma scores?
How about this: keep track of total votes behind the scenes, but only report whether the karma is [- -] for k<-5, [-] for −4+10.