3 ms·

I'm not convinced. What if the upvoting really is representative of a large number of the users? I don't upvote that often on reddit, but probably half of the

by paul 19y ago

I'm not convinced. What if the upvoting really is representative of a large number of the users? I don't upvote that often on reddit, but probably half of the time (at most once per day) it is for a Ron Paul link (and it's always something that I read and liked). RP may be marginal at the national level, but that doesn't imply that he's marginal at all other levels as well. And of course, "...great new things often come from the margins, and yet the people who discover them are looked down on by everyone, including themselves. ... But the best thing of all is when people call what you're doing inappropriate. I've been hearing this word all my life and I only recently realized that it is, in fact, the sound of the homing beacon. "Inappropriate" is the null criticism. It's merely the adjective form of "I don't like it." So that, I think, should be the highest goal for the marginal. Be inappropriate. When you hear people saying that, you're golden. And they, incidentally, are busted."

paul 19y ago
That said, news sites probably need some kind of clustering in order to ensure that there is a diversity of topics on the front page. Google news and Techmeme both do something like this, of course. There's no reason reddit couldn't.
brett 19y ago
> I'm not convinced. What if the upvoting really is representative of a large number of the users? My bet is that up voting is definitely representative of a large number of the users, but that many are voting out of support for Ron Paul instead of because they read and liked the linked article. You could argue this not necessarily a problem. I guess it becomes one if it hijacks the focus of the site for the remainder (or majority?) of users.
pg 19y ago
Judging by the kneejerk pattern of the voting on the comment thread, it's largely zealots.
- davidw 19y ago
  paul> I'm not convinced. What if the upvoting really is representative of a large number of the users? pg> What if the upvoting really is representative of a large number of the users? What if most of the users on reddit are, at this point, zealots, due to the effects of crowding out more moderate users?
- dfranke 19y ago
  I've been a Ron Paul zealot since years before Reddit existed, but I'm not one of the people voting up the Ron Paul stories. (It's a rarity that I use my up arrow on Reddit any more at all.) My one data point does not make a trend, but I think it's pretty plausible that the sort of people who support Ron Paul are just the same sort of people who find their way over to Reddit. Ron Paul is a libertarian, and it's nothing unique to Reddit that tech-oriented internet forums tend to be populated disproportionately by libertarians.
  - yamada 19y ago
    I found the sentiment condescending, actually. That the overwhelming online success of a candidate who appeals to people who actually care what a prospective candidate thinks about important issues can all be attributed to simple bad design.
- nostrademons 19y ago
  I dunno. I'm beginning to hear Ron Paul evangelism from RL friends, mostly over FaceBook. I'm pretty sure they didn't get it from Reddit. I suspect it's mostly because people are so fed up with everything connected to the current Washington establishment that they'll vote for anyone who sets himself up as an outsider. Ron Paul's been one of the few candidates that's consistently against the Iraq war; many people will vote for him on that basis alone, regardless of the rest of his positions. I think it's telling that the friend who's been trying hardest to convince me to vote for RP is a pro-choice Green Party atheist. When I showed him Ron Paul's recent voting record (which included a bill to eliminate all federal laws on abortion, a bill to privatize a large federal wildlife refuge, and a bill to prevent laws on school prayer), he said "It doesn't matter. He's against the Iraq war, and that outweighs everything else." He's willing to set aside every other political belief he has for that one issue. I suspect a decent-sized portion of the American electorate is the same.
vlad 19y ago
I notice that Paul Graham hates seeing Ron Paul articles, but Paul Buchheit does not. Maybe PG is used to seeing his name in Reddit since its beginning? Paul Buchheit does not expect any articles to be about him, so when he sees " Paul " in an article, he does not feel an instinctive reaction of curiosity followed by quick repulsion. I'm kidding, of course, but it could definitely be a learned reaction of seeing many Paul articles to be about oneself.

by paul 19y ago

paul 19y ago

That said, news sites probably need some kind of clustering in order to ensure that there is a diversity of topics on the front page. Google news and Techmeme both do something like this, of course. There's no reason reddit couldn't.

brett 19y ago

> I'm not convinced. What if the upvoting really is representative of a large number of the users? My bet is that up voting is definitely representative of a large number of the users, but that many are voting out of support for Ron Paul instead of because they read and liked the linked article. You could argue this not necessarily a problem. I guess it becomes one if it hijacks the focus of the site for the remainder (or majority?) of users.

pg 19y ago

Judging by the kneejerk pattern of the voting on the comment thread, it's largely zealots.

davidw 19y ago
paul> I'm not convinced. What if the upvoting really is representative of a large number of the users? pg> What if the upvoting really is representative of a large number of the users? What if most of the users on reddit are, at this point, zealots, due to the effects of crowding out more moderate users?
dfranke 19y ago
I've been a Ron Paul zealot since years before Reddit existed, but I'm not one of the people voting up the Ron Paul stories. (It's a rarity that I use my up arrow on Reddit any more at all.) My one data point does not make a trend, but I think it's pretty plausible that the sort of people who support Ron Paul are just the same sort of people who find their way over to Reddit. Ron Paul is a libertarian, and it's nothing unique to Reddit that tech-oriented internet forums tend to be populated disproportionately by libertarians.
- yamada 19y ago
  I found the sentiment condescending, actually. That the overwhelming online success of a candidate who appeals to people who actually care what a prospective candidate thinks about important issues can all be attributed to simple bad design.
nostrademons 19y ago
I dunno. I'm beginning to hear Ron Paul evangelism from RL friends, mostly over FaceBook. I'm pretty sure they didn't get it from Reddit. I suspect it's mostly because people are so fed up with everything connected to the current Washington establishment that they'll vote for anyone who sets himself up as an outsider. Ron Paul's been one of the few candidates that's consistently against the Iraq war; many people will vote for him on that basis alone, regardless of the rest of his positions. I think it's telling that the friend who's been trying hardest to convince me to vote for RP is a pro-choice Green Party atheist. When I showed him Ron Paul's recent voting record (which included a bill to eliminate all federal laws on abortion, a bill to privatize a large federal wildlife refuge, and a bill to prevent laws on school prayer), he said "It doesn't matter. He's against the Iraq war, and that outweighs everything else." He's willing to set aside every other political belief he has for that one issue. I suspect a decent-sized portion of the American electorate is the same.

vlad 19y ago

I notice that Paul Graham hates seeing Ron Paul articles, but Paul Buchheit does not. Maybe PG is used to seeing his name in Reddit since its beginning? Paul Buchheit does not expect any articles to be about him, so when he sees " Paul " in an article, he does not feel an instinctive reaction of curiosity followed by quick repulsion. I'm kidding, of course, but it could definitely be a learned reaction of seeing many Paul articles to be about oneself.