I think that’s the most inviting community post I have ever read. I’ve been a lurker for awhile with almost no participation. Lately I’ve started catching up on old articles. My background is raised in a Jesus people hippie cult and thus took a long road to atheism and attempted rationality.
In other forums I tend to participate more (I’m a software developer, so that’s plenty of online community). However I’m at LessWrong to learn, and so I don’t have much to contribute at present. Which reminds me, I love this place for not being ivory tower. I find too much of this type of community in other forums to be biased towards academia (and somehow proud of it). It’s a nice contrast here.
The first few times I got down voted it hurt a bit, but it is a signal (in many cases) that something with my commenting was wrong, and as long as that is the case I prefer to have it pointed out.
Note that there are also people being helpful when you commit errors, or write articles.
I think the less inviting feeling can come from the higher regard for content. In some atheism forums where I post we have super nice theists posting, and getting respected just for being honest and decent people. Which is fine, but they do not get any flack for the content they write. On LW you don’t get additional karma points for being a nice person.
I think it’s pretty intimidating at first glance, but a good bit of effort seems to go towards helping newcomers get to where they ought to start (this post is an example). This seems like the key thing to me, and I think it’s done reasonably well. Every time anyone makes a sincere, well-intended, and not condescending “Welcome to Less Wrong” reply comment, I think the community gets a little more inviting.
: ) It’s certainly challenging, and of course leans towards ivory tower, quite reasonably though considering high concept is intrinsic to the subject matter.
I think that’s the most inviting community post I have ever read. I’ve been a lurker for awhile with almost no participation. Lately I’ve started catching up on old articles. My background is raised in a Jesus people hippie cult and thus took a long road to atheism and attempted rationality.
In other forums I tend to participate more (I’m a software developer, so that’s plenty of online community). However I’m at LessWrong to learn, and so I don’t have much to contribute at present. Which reminds me, I love this place for not being ivory tower. I find too much of this type of community in other forums to be biased towards academia (and somehow proud of it). It’s a nice contrast here.
Wow, thanks! It’s been said with some justice that LessWrong is ridiculously forbidding, so it’s nice that it doesn’t always come across that way.
The first few times I got down voted it hurt a bit, but it is a signal (in many cases) that something with my commenting was wrong, and as long as that is the case I prefer to have it pointed out. Note that there are also people being helpful when you commit errors, or write articles. I think the less inviting feeling can come from the higher regard for content. In some atheism forums where I post we have super nice theists posting, and getting respected just for being honest and decent people. Which is fine, but they do not get any flack for the content they write. On LW you don’t get additional karma points for being a nice person.
PS: welcome
I think it’s pretty intimidating at first glance, but a good bit of effort seems to go towards helping newcomers get to where they ought to start (this post is an example). This seems like the key thing to me, and I think it’s done reasonably well. Every time anyone makes a sincere, well-intended, and not condescending “Welcome to Less Wrong” reply comment, I think the community gets a little more inviting.
: ) It’s certainly challenging, and of course leans towards ivory tower, quite reasonably though considering high concept is intrinsic to the subject matter.