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This is off-topic, but how is it that this is the top story on HN right now with zero discussion (assuming that by the time I click "add comment" I am the first

This is off-topic, but how is it that this is the top story on HN right now with zero discussion (assuming that by the time I click "add comment" I am the first to comment). Is it dumb to assume that it's normal for upvotes and comments to increase at a similar rate?

codegeek 11y ago
Writing a good comment takes effort. Interesting posts are upvoted just so that they can be part of a discussion even if you are not the one starting the discussion. I do this all the time. If I feel that I can add to the discussion, I will write up a comment later.
- robotnoises 11y ago
  That makes sense. I guess I just assumed that the pattern would be more like this: 1.) See headline 2.) If the user enjoyed the read, they click upvote 3.) (Maybe) comment What you are suggesting is that it's more like this: 1.) See headline 2.) Click upvote 3.) Read link 4.) (Maybe) comment
  - scott_s 11y ago
    Not necessarily. codegeek's point holds for both patterns; it's a statement on upvoting a submission for potential discussion.
  - ad_hominem 11y ago
    I think you misinterpreted what codegeek wrote. People won't comment if they feel they don't have anything of substance to add - sometimes submissions can stand on their own pretty well and thus don't solicit a lot of comments. It's about maintaining a high signal-to-noise ratio. If anything I've found that you can use the karma/comment ratio as a moderately reliable indicator of link quality. As for your original question, you should probably "lurk moar" before starting off-topic discussions. This really isn't that uncommon.
striking 11y ago
Because it's an incredibly interesting topic. There's a delay between upvote and comment for interested readers.
thanatropism 11y ago
I've always assumed that some users (closely related to the pg-sphere) have heavier upvotes than others. How else would they maintain a sane frontpage?
eterm 11y ago
It's because the HN algorithm treats multiple submissions as upvotes for the first submission. So if lots of people see a new blog entry, then submit to HN, all but the first count as upclicks for the first submission. This propels it up the ranking.

codegeek 11y ago

Writing a good comment takes effort. Interesting posts are upvoted just so that they can be part of a discussion even if you are not the one starting the discussion. I do this all the time. If I feel that I can add to the discussion, I will write up a comment later.

robotnoises 11y ago
That makes sense. I guess I just assumed that the pattern would be more like this: 1.) See headline 2.) If the user enjoyed the read, they click upvote 3.) (Maybe) comment What you are suggesting is that it's more like this: 1.) See headline 2.) Click upvote 3.) Read link 4.) (Maybe) comment
- scott_s 11y ago
  Not necessarily. codegeek's point holds for both patterns; it's a statement on upvoting a submission for potential discussion.
- ad_hominem 11y ago
  I think you misinterpreted what codegeek wrote. People won't comment if they feel they don't have anything of substance to add - sometimes submissions can stand on their own pretty well and thus don't solicit a lot of comments. It's about maintaining a high signal-to-noise ratio. If anything I've found that you can use the karma/comment ratio as a moderately reliable indicator of link quality. As for your original question, you should probably "lurk moar" before starting off-topic discussions. This really isn't that uncommon.

striking 11y ago

Because it's an incredibly interesting topic. There's a delay between upvote and comment for interested readers.

thanatropism 11y ago

I've always assumed that some users (closely related to the pg-sphere) have heavier upvotes than others. How else would they maintain a sane frontpage?

eterm 11y ago

It's because the HN algorithm treats multiple submissions as upvotes for the first submission. So if lots of people see a new blog entry, then submit to HN, all but the first count as upclicks for the first submission. This propels it up the ranking.