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I think a lot of the problem is I can't trust your reputation unless I know you or you have some other proven characteristics to help create that trust. There a

I think a lot of the problem is I can't trust your reputation unless I know you or you have some other proven characteristics to help create that trust. There are a few people on HN like that, but it's rare. In real life if you present an opinion I know what you do for a living and potentially how educated that opinion is. On the internet I don't. That means that if you're an econ PhD and you tell me a basic statement, I'll trust it in real life. On the internet you'd have to prove you're a PhD first. It really does limit the conversation we can have. A lot of the time I find myself talking to someone (or arguing with them) and realizing they don't have the framework to hold the conversation - they'd need to read a half dozen books and do some intensive study because they want to work through problems that have already been solved.

dogma1138 9y ago
No one said anything about trusting an opinion or a presented fact, you should always do your own research that's the point. On a more anecdotal side the people I tend to "trust" the least at least on the internet are those who often come out with citations for everything and dump a huge wall of text. The problem with the internet is that you can find a citation for everything, I can find that enough citations that lizard aliens are actually the ones who control the exchange rate of the Yuan to the Dollar using a weather machine. The credibility of sources is also extremely hard to determine these days especially in subjects which are not your primary proficiency it's too easy to publish anything you want these days even in reputable sources.
- ameister14 9y ago
  So, you object to people asking for citations because citations suck? The problem then comes back to how to know which to trust, which usually requires a reasonable degree of proficiency in and knowledge of the subject. My point was partially that if I encounter you in another environment, I can quickly and easily assess whether you have the required proficiency, even if I don't possess it. It's much harder to do that online, at least at the moment. I can't always do my own research, as I don't have the time to build a framework of knowledge that would allow me to do it efficiently, much less brute force it. All I can do is ask people I know who are very well educated in a field or read an abstract.
  - NicoJuicy 9y ago
    No need to go there, but none the less it seems interesting. Mostly because I don't know much about bonds

dogma1138 9y ago

No one said anything about trusting an opinion or a presented fact, you should always do your own research that's the point. On a more anecdotal side the people I tend to "trust" the least at least on the internet are those who often come out with citations for everything and dump a huge wall of text. The problem with the internet is that you can find a citation for everything, I can find that enough citations that lizard aliens are actually the ones who control the exchange rate of the Yuan to the Dollar using a weather machine. The credibility of sources is also extremely hard to determine these days especially in subjects which are not your primary proficiency it's too easy to publish anything you want these days even in reputable sources.

ameister14 9y ago
So, you object to people asking for citations because citations suck? The problem then comes back to how to know which to trust, which usually requires a reasonable degree of proficiency in and knowledge of the subject. My point was partially that if I encounter you in another environment, I can quickly and easily assess whether you have the required proficiency, even if I don't possess it. It's much harder to do that online, at least at the moment. I can't always do my own research, as I don't have the time to build a framework of knowledge that would allow me to do it efficiently, much less brute force it. All I can do is ask people I know who are very well educated in a field or read an abstract.
- NicoJuicy 9y ago
  No need to go there, but none the less it seems interesting. Mostly because I don't know much about bonds