I wouldn't be swayed either way by a high Stack Overflow rating. That said, asking and answering technical questions can be really beneficial. It's much harde

I wouldn't be swayed either way by a high Stack Overflow rating. That said, asking and answering technical questions can be really beneficial. It's much harder to write about something clearly than some people realise, and a great skill to develop. Also, rather than the whole reputation, I might take interest in particular answers: a single solid answer to a difficult question demonstrates a lot more than many point scoring answers to easier ones.