I tried that a while ago, but the results were disappointing enough that in the meantime I've grown somewhat embarrassed by that post. (Disappointing both in terms of the lack of interesting feedback and the ruckus occasioned by some concrete examples that touched on controversial topics, which I avoided with less scrupulousness back then.) For whatever reason, insofar as I get interesting feedback here, it looks like I get more of it per unit of effort when I stick to run-of-the-mill commenting than if I were to invest effort in quality top-level posts. (I don't think this is a general rule for all posters here, though.)
For whatever reason, insofar as I get interesting feedback here, it looks like I get more of it per unit of effort when I stick to run-of-the-mill commenting than if I were to invest effort in quality top-level posts. (I don't think this is a general rule for all posters here, though.)
What about comments that are basically article length posted in the open thread? I've found them a useful place to write drafts and have had some interesting commentary on them.
Also I would say you are heavily underestimating just how useful it is to other LWers to have a well thought out article on a certain subject available for future reference, even if the comment section isn't that great.
Just giving a short table-summary of an article by James Shanteau on which areas and tasks experts developed a good intuition - and which ones they didn't. Though the article is old, the results seem to be in agreement with more recent summaries, such as Kahneman and Klein's. The heart of the article was a decomposition of characteristics (for professions and for tasks within those professions) where we would expert experts to develop good performance:
Static stimuli
Decisions about things
Experts agree on stimuli
More predictable problems
Some errors expected
Repetitive tasks
Feedback available
Objective analysis available
Problem decomposable
Decision aids common
Dynamic (changeable) stimuli
Decisions about behavior
Experts disagree on stimuli
Less predictable problems
Few errors expected
Unique tasks
Feedback unavailable
Subjective analysis only
Problem not decomposable
Decision aids rare
I do feel that this may go some way to explaining the expert's performance here.