Mixed feelings, but overall, I think it does two things: - promotes more civil discussion. Commentors are less mean, less dismissive, and when posting criticis

Mixed feelings, but overall, I think it does two things: - promotes more civil discussion. Commentors are less mean, less dismissive, and when posting criticism it's usually more constructive - gets the article more attention/traction than normal as a subset of the audience is impressed by the accomplishment/effort given the backstory Which both benefit the author, and that's fine. We talk about hooks and marketing all the time here; this is harmless but effective, which IMO is the best kind.