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I'm not certain that I understand what the issue is here (if any); The only thing preventing the "lurking" 90% from also affecting what is seen is... their inac

I'm not certain that I understand what the issue is here (if any); The only thing preventing the "lurking" 90% from also affecting what is seen is... their inaction?

hubraumhugo 5y ago
Isn't there the danger of an echo chamber if a small number of superusers generates the majority of content?
- lumost 5y ago
  Isn’t this the definition of an editorial board?
- JadoJodo 5y ago
  There's nothing special about the "superusers" other than their decision to act. I can think of another parallel: Homeowner's Associations (setting aside my own issues with them for a moment). I would guess that a similarly disproportionate number of homeowners choose to attend HOA meetings, and thus have an outsized effect on the direction and rules of the neighborhood. As a "reward" for not just showing up, but being among the minority to do so, they have a louder voice. This "effort" is analogous to commenting/voting/etc. on HN/social sites. As long as there are nothing that stops the individuals (homeowners, lurkers) from participating, I see no issues with it.
  - emerged 5y ago
    I don’t think anyone thinks they are special, which is why ideally they wouldn’t have such influence. I don’t think practically speaking there is much to be done about it, it’s just an interesting thing to note.
- mikestew 5y ago
  "Superusers"? There's nothing super-human about going to the New page and clicking a few up arrows, nor is the Submit page significantly onerous.
- verdverm 5y ago
  Some number of them are fighting the echo chamber
- hammyhavoc 5y ago
  There is also "weighting" of posts by mods, which dang has mentioned on multiple occasions.
- JoeAltmaier 5y ago
  Not a small number? What is it?
quantified 5y ago
Follows along with “squeaky wheel gets the grease” and usual small-town-ish politics. Engage and get the benefits. Love to see stats on percentage of users that submit.

I'm not certain that I understand what the issue is here (if any); The only thing preventing the "lurking" 90% from also affecting what is seen is... their inaction?

hubraumhugo 5y ago

Isn't there the danger of an echo chamber if a small number of superusers generates the majority of content?

lumost 5y ago
Isn’t this the definition of an editorial board?
JadoJodo 5y ago
There's nothing special about the "superusers" other than their decision to act. I can think of another parallel: Homeowner's Associations (setting aside my own issues with them for a moment). I would guess that a similarly disproportionate number of homeowners choose to attend HOA meetings, and thus have an outsized effect on the direction and rules of the neighborhood. As a "reward" for not just showing up, but being among the minority to do so, they have a louder voice. This "effort" is analogous to commenting/voting/etc. on HN/social sites. As long as there are nothing that stops the individuals (homeowners, lurkers) from participating, I see no issues with it.
- emerged 5y ago
  I don’t think anyone thinks they are special, which is why ideally they wouldn’t have such influence. I don’t think practically speaking there is much to be done about it, it’s just an interesting thing to note.
mikestew 5y ago
"Superusers"? There's nothing super-human about going to the New page and clicking a few up arrows, nor is the Submit page significantly onerous.
verdverm 5y ago
Some number of them are fighting the echo chamber
hammyhavoc 5y ago
There is also "weighting" of posts by mods, which dang has mentioned on multiple occasions.
JoeAltmaier 5y ago
Not a small number? What is it?

quantified 5y ago

Follows along with “squeaky wheel gets the grease” and usual small-town-ish politics. Engage and get the benefits. Love to see stats on percentage of users that submit.