I find the SSC/ACX comments incredibly valuable. I rarely have time to read deeply, but the readership is so broad that usually somebody has detailed inside kno

I find the SSC/ACX comments incredibly valuable. I rarely have time to read deeply, but the readership is so broad that usually somebody has detailed inside knowledge of the subject at hand (much like HN). The comments are so constructive that Scott often makes followup posts highlighting insightful comments - especially ones that challenge him. I've given a lot of thought to why it works so well, and I think it boils down to three things: 1. Scott really embodies the "strong opinions, loosely held" philosophy and leads by example. 2. The community is big and diverse enough that it doesn't allow a single dogma to dominate. Everyone is a heretic. 3. The moderation is heavy handed, but emphasizes "be kind to each other" rather than "conform to conventional narratives". It's nice to visit a repository of user-generated content that isn't a cesspool.