Not exactly. Most posts published around the same time have similar Karma level. Earliest posts or highly linked-to posts get more Karma, but people either rarely get far in reading of the archives, or their impulse to upvote atrophies by the time they’ve read hundreds of posts, and as a result Karma level of a typical post starting from about April 2008 currently stands at about 0-10. The post in question currently ranks 4 Karma.
Most posts published around the same time have similar Karma level. Earliest posts or highly linked-to posts get more Karma, but people either rarely get far in reading of the archives, or their impulse to upvote atrophies by the time they’ve read hundreds of posts,...
Also, many users read the early posts while still in the lurker stage, at which point they can’t upvote.
Well, whenever somebody starts posting and doesn’t act like they’ve already read the sequences, they get told to go read the sequences and come back afterward.
Also, in the past year or so many new users have joined the site from MoR, and the link in the MoR author’s notes goes to the main sequences list. I know that I at least decided to join LW when MoR linked me to the sequences and I liked them.
they get told to go read the sequences and come back afterward.
I haven’t seen this in several months (and I’ve been watching); the admonishment seems to have vanished from the local meme selection. More often, someone links to a specific apposite post, or possibly sequence.
It’s just entirely unclear how we’d actually measure whether people who read the sequences do so before or after logging in.
(I’d suspect not, given they’re a million words of text and a few million of accompanying comments, but then that’s not even an anecdote …)
I haven’t seen this in several months (and I’ve been watching); the admonishment seems to have vanished from the local meme selection. More often, someone links to a specific apposite post, or possibly sequence.
You may be right. I think there has been less of that lately.
It’s just entirely unclear how we’d actually measure whether people who read the sequences do so before or after logging in.
I wouldn’t say it’s entirely unclear. I’m curious enough to start a poll.
I think this has mainly declined after a number of posts discussing the sheer length of the sequences and the deceptive difficulty of the demand, and potential ways to make the burden easier.
I’m tempted to start a poll to see if people think I should make this a discussion article, but I will restrain myself. I’ll just go ahead and post the discussion article: there’s been enough traffic in the poll that it apparently interests people.
Not exactly. Most posts published around the same time have similar Karma level. Earliest posts or highly linked-to posts get more Karma, but people either rarely get far in reading of the archives, or their impulse to upvote atrophies by the time they’ve read hundreds of posts, and as a result Karma level of a typical post starting from about April 2008 currently stands at about 0-10. The post in question currently ranks 4 Karma.
Also, many users read the early posts while still in the lurker stage, at which point they can’t upvote.
Do we actually know this?
Well, whenever somebody starts posting and doesn’t act like they’ve already read the sequences, they get told to go read the sequences and come back afterward.
Also, in the past year or so many new users have joined the site from MoR, and the link in the MoR author’s notes goes to the main sequences list. I know that I at least decided to join LW when MoR linked me to the sequences and I liked them.
I haven’t seen this in several months (and I’ve been watching); the admonishment seems to have vanished from the local meme selection. More often, someone links to a specific apposite post, or possibly sequence.
It’s just entirely unclear how we’d actually measure whether people who read the sequences do so before or after logging in.
(I’d suspect not, given they’re a million words of text and a few million of accompanying comments, but then that’s not even an anecdote …)
Poll: If you read the sequences before opening your account, upvote this comment.
If you read the sequences before LessWrong was created upvote this comment.
Poll: If you read the sequences after opening your account, upvote this comment.
You may be right. I think there has been less of that lately.
I wouldn’t say it’s entirely unclear. I’m curious enough to start a poll.
Could also do with “Poll: If you still haven’t read the sequences, upvote this comment.”
I’d been considering that, and since you agree I went and added it.
I think this has mainly declined after a number of posts discussing the sheer length of the sequences and the deceptive difficulty of the demand, and potential ways to make the burden easier.
Poll: If you haven’t read the sequences yet, upvote this comment.
Should this perhaps be made into a discussion article where it will be noticed more?
I’m tempted to start a poll to see if people think I should make this a discussion article, but I will restrain myself. I’ll just go ahead and post the discussion article: there’s been enough traffic in the poll that it apparently interests people.
This is a karma balance.
Funny, I remember it having 0 points, and then when I published this post it had 2 points.
Anyway, thanks FAWS and Vladimir_Nesov for the correction. I’ve changed the wording of the original post.
Yes, that’s an example of the effect of linking. I guess the post in question will easily break 10 now, perhaps even 20.