Once new users gain the ability to downvote stuff, actively engaging in discussions increases the risk of losing karma, and lose the one ability that is not ava

Once new users gain the ability to downvote stuff, actively engaging in discussions increases the risk of losing karma, and lose the one ability that is not available to new users. So if users perceive the main value of Hacker News as a moderated news feed, it seems the best strategy is to earn their 501 points somehow and lurk after that. Maybe that's why user activity falls off after a few years.