Konkvistador comments on Petition: Off topic area - Less Wrong

41 [deleted] 13 May 2012 06:41PM

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Comment author: [deleted] 14 May 2012 07:59:59AM 18 points [-]

This has been discussed before.

Why I think it is a bad idea:

I don't think you understand why I don't like the idea of LW becoming a forum. LessWrong is less a collection of cool people than it is a particular niche in online discussion. By changing that niche, you change the demographics, and probably increase the raw number of participants. Besides this reducing the signal to noise ratio, you are relying on the core seed group to step up their gardening, something I see very little evidence might actually happen. You also implicitly rely on them not changing their standards and expectations. People generally behave differently in different on-line venues.

Even putting these concerns aside, Karma systems have very different dynamics with different scales and the effects are nonlinear.

Comment author: falenas108 14 May 2012 08:25:21PM 1 point [-]

Something that might make this less of a problem, if it does get implemented, is having two separate karma systems for the two areas. This way, standards for main/discussion sections can be maintained, while we can have the alternate discussions elsewhere (with a karma system of its own).

Comment author: RomeoStevens 14 May 2012 09:44:27PM 11 points [-]

or just not having karma in the off topic area.

also having a higher karma threshold to join the off topic discussion will cut down on random garbage.

Comment author: Vladimir_Nesov 14 May 2012 10:20:51PM 11 points [-]

also having a higher karma threshold to join the off topic discussion will cut down on random garbage.

I like this. Since quality is potentially a very serious problem with off-topic area, make something like 500 Karma points earned on LW Main a requirement for commenting in the off-topic area.

Comment author: komponisto 14 May 2012 10:36:35PM 10 points [-]

Agreed. After all, the point of the off-topic area would be to discuss "off" topics with people from LW.

Comment author: TheOtherDave 15 May 2012 03:43:45PM 8 points [-]

It would amuse me if this were done, and (as seems a likely consequence) LW participants who dislike the average level of quality in the Main and Discussion sections started having their rationality discussions in the Off-Topic section, where the discussion exclusively comprised people who have a track record of making comments the community finds (on balance) valuable.

It would stop amusing me if this were done, and (as seems a likely consequence) LW participants who feel deprived of their presumed right to participate in the Off-Topic section despite lacking such a track record start gaming the karma system so they can defeat the mod-boss and advance to the next level.

We are the reason we can't have nice things.

Comment author: radical_negative_one 15 May 2012 04:23:00PM *  0 points [-]

Ah, but perhaps there a simple fix for this: posts that would be on-topic for LessWrong are off-topic for the Off-Topic section. (edit: didn't see komponisto's comment)

Comment author: Vladimir_Nesov 14 May 2012 10:50:33PM *  10 points [-]

Another idea: Don't keep separate Karma records between Main/Discussion and Off-Topic, but only count negative Karma earned in the off-topic area towards the total.

Comment author: windmil 14 May 2012 08:41:21PM 3 points [-]

Then why not for example just make a LW subreddit on Reddit or something? I thought the off topic section was a good idea as an initial response, but Konk has a good point.

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