While I don’t think this post is completely terrible, I do think there are a few things that would make people downvote it:
Status violation, of the form “hi, I’m new, but I’m going to teach you something”
The length-to-insight ratio is way too high. The general idea of “you should be able to cite concrete examples of what you’ve learned today” could be expressed in a much shorter post
Reads like a cross between Tim Ferriss and those horrible chain emails you used to get from elderly relatives about seizing the day and making every moment count
In defense of Username’s feedback, helltank did explicitly solicit feedback:
if I violated some unspoken rule of etiquette, or if you think this post is obvious and shitty, feel free to vote me down. But do leave a comment explaining why you did, so I can add it to my list of learnt things.
While this is no doubt true, NancyLebovitz’s advice is still good. “I thought” is clearer, shorter, and more forceful, than “People may think”; it is also more honest.
While I don’t think this post is completely terrible, I do think there are a few things that would make people downvote it:
Status violation, of the form “hi, I’m new, but I’m going to teach you something”
The length-to-insight ratio is way too high. The general idea of “you should be able to cite concrete examples of what you’ve learned today” could be expressed in a much shorter post
Reads like a cross between Tim Ferriss and those horrible chain emails you used to get from elderly relatives about seizing the day and making every moment count
I recommend reacting to actual upvotes and downvotes rather than hypothetical karma.
Instead of generalizing to other people from your reactions, just say what you liked/didn’t like about aspects of a post.
If you’re interested in writing about problems with commonly given advice, I’m interested in reading it.
In defense of Username’s feedback, helltank did explicitly solicit feedback:
IMO, Username’s feedback was valid.
I’m pretty sure Username is talking about what s/he didn’t like, it’s just expressed in an indirect “people would” form.
While this is no doubt true, NancyLebovitz’s advice is still good. “I thought” is clearer, shorter, and more forceful, than “People may think”; it is also more honest.