On HN, high karma comments are more visible than low-karma comments. Instead of giving everyone the same soapbox regardless of quality, HN gives quality commen

On HN, high karma comments are more visible than low-karma comments. Instead of giving everyone the same soapbox regardless of quality, HN gives quality comments a better soapbox. I don't mean to imply that Boston.com could simply copy the HN system and be successful. Merely that the concept of "carrots" and "sticks" they present in the concluding section is too limited. Being a valued member of the community is one type of carrot that encourages quality contributions; having high visibility for your comments is a different carrot that encourages fast and aggressive posting. Being embarrassed by having your real name associated with stupidity is one stick; having your comments removed and therefore not influencing people is another. The article touched on this ("a more basic question needs to be answered first: Who are these people who spend so much of their days posting anonymous comments, and what is motivating them?"), but didn't really follow through by identifying appropriate carrots and sticks to encourage good comments.