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It's just a number in a database. What you say and how you say it is more important than what other people think of it. If your words are important to you and y

by eksith 14y ago

It's just a number in a database. What you say and how you say it is more important than what other people think of it. If your words are important to you and you said them in earnest, why does it matter? Side note: You may even be unconsciously censoring yourself in fear of losing karma. It's a similar effect to suddenly having a lot of followers on Twitter.

Udo 14y ago
Sure, but karma is an important measurement of the (perceived) quality of your posts. If a comment gets upvoted that's not only because people agree with you but also because they think your comment has value. Likewise, if a comment gets downvoted, that's a fair indicator it did not have a lot of merit. Of course, HN distorts this somewhat by just having one score for all the possible reasons a user might have to vote on a comment, and inevitably superstar posters get upvoted reflexively often drowning out better comments. But overall, as both a tool for measuring quality and a reward system it works pretty well. By voting, we give each other points of a credibility currency that transcends individual discussions.
- eksith 14y ago
  I just got a measurement of my post, simply because you replied. ;) Just by talking to me, you've let me know what I said was worth at least a reply. This is just opinion, so take it for what its worth... I'd much rather someone reply to me, email, chat whatever, and let me know what exactly they think rather than assign my words a value via a mouse click. Wouldn't you?
  - Udo 14y ago
    > I just got a measurement of my post, simply because you replied. ;) Yes, but I also upvoted you ;) I essentially agree with you, it's just that I think karma has its place, too. And usually when I reply to a comment, I make it a point to give it a vote as well.
  - nsns 14y ago
    You're confusing a single conversation with the ongoing presence on the forum. Karma is an imperfect but effective way of assessing a user's position within the community based on her/his previous actions and reactions. It can be looked at as a substitute to an auditory/visual first impression in the "real" world.
- DanBC 14y ago
  > inevitably superstar posters get upvoted reflexively It would be interesting to see if hiding usernames for 24 hours has any effect on voting.
petercooper 14y ago
You may even be unconsciously censoring yourself in fear of losing karma. I consciously say things I wouldn't otherwise because I know I have karma to burn. It's when you have < 100 karma you have to watch out otherwise you could end up in negative territory quickly and your posts be dead by default (the idea of voting people down for disagreement rather than stupidity is still going strong, it seems).
pavel_lishin 14y ago
> Side note: You may even be unconsciously censoring yourself in fear of losing karma. I've thought about this, actually, and based on my comment/karma history, it appears that I'm too dumb to keep from blurting out things people downvote. I'm free of the tyranny of the hivemind by virtue of ignorance and stupidity!

by eksith 14y ago

Udo 14y ago

Sure, but karma is an important measurement of the (perceived) quality of your posts. If a comment gets upvoted that's not only because people agree with you but also because they think your comment has value. Likewise, if a comment gets downvoted, that's a fair indicator it did not have a lot of merit. Of course, HN distorts this somewhat by just having one score for all the possible reasons a user might have to vote on a comment, and inevitably superstar posters get upvoted reflexively often drowning out better comments. But overall, as both a tool for measuring quality and a reward system it works pretty well. By voting, we give each other points of a credibility currency that transcends individual discussions.

eksith 14y ago
I just got a measurement of my post, simply because you replied. ;) Just by talking to me, you've let me know what I said was worth at least a reply. This is just opinion, so take it for what its worth... I'd much rather someone reply to me, email, chat whatever, and let me know what exactly they think rather than assign my words a value via a mouse click. Wouldn't you?
- Udo 14y ago
  > I just got a measurement of my post, simply because you replied. ;) Yes, but I also upvoted you ;) I essentially agree with you, it's just that I think karma has its place, too. And usually when I reply to a comment, I make it a point to give it a vote as well.
- nsns 14y ago
  You're confusing a single conversation with the ongoing presence on the forum. Karma is an imperfect but effective way of assessing a user's position within the community based on her/his previous actions and reactions. It can be looked at as a substitute to an auditory/visual first impression in the "real" world.
DanBC 14y ago
> inevitably superstar posters get upvoted reflexively It would be interesting to see if hiding usernames for 24 hours has any effect on voting.

petercooper 14y ago

You may even be unconsciously censoring yourself in fear of losing karma. I consciously say things I wouldn't otherwise because I know I have karma to burn. It's when you have < 100 karma you have to watch out otherwise you could end up in negative territory quickly and your posts be dead by default (the idea of voting people down for disagreement rather than stupidity is still going strong, it seems).

pavel_lishin 14y ago

> Side note: You may even be unconsciously censoring yourself in fear of losing karma. I've thought about this, actually, and based on my comment/karma history, it appears that I'm too dumb to keep from blurting out things people downvote. I'm free of the tyranny of the hivemind by virtue of ignorance and stupidity!