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JoshuaZ comments on [META] Karma for last 30 days? - Less Wrong Discussion

15 Post author: ArisKatsaris 30 August 2012 10:33AM

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Comment author: JoshuaZ 31 August 2012 01:19:58PM *  15 points [-]

Meta-discussion is also a horrible slime-dripping cancer on a forum

Meta-discussion has to occur on fora if fora are going to function. It may be that non-functioning fora have more meta-discussion, but there are obvious correlation v. causation issues.

Comment author: [deleted] 31 August 2012 07:27:28PM 0 points [-]

Meta-discussion has to occur on fora if fora are going to function.

You have some evidence for this?

In this thread and the perfectly superfluous other thread you made for this topic, I have observed a tendency to state ex cathedra beliefs on the nature of communities and what mechanisms are necessary for their survival.

Comment author: JoshuaZ 01 September 2012 12:40:41AM *  5 points [-]

You have some evidence for this?

Only some personal experience and general intuition. I don't think anyone, even Eliezer, is going to argue that zero meta discussion is optimal. The question then is how much is optimal. It is possible that a weaker version of my statement like starting it with "it seems that" might have been helpful.

In this thread and the perfectly superfluous other thread you made for this topic, I have observed a tendency to state ex cathedra beliefs on the nature of communities and what mechanisms are necessary for their survival.

I agree that there's a fair bit of stated beliefs without much evidence all around, although I'm puzzled by your description of the other thread as superfluous.

Comment author: radical_negative_one 02 September 2012 05:58:07AM 1 point [-]

Do we have any reliable authorities on the sociology of internet forums yet?