I understand what you’re saying qualitatively; I was trying to get at your quantitative estimates. The numbers will constrain your optimal strategy for extracting value from the site.
For example,if for every “good” post there are N “table-thumping” ones and N=20, it’s difficult-but-possible to find the “good” stuff. If N=200, it’s effectively impossible. If N=2, it’s pretty easy.
Conversely, at N=2 it is perhaps worth trying to convince the 2⁄3 majority to behave differently (the way you seem to be doing, sort of), but at N=20 you probably do better to figure out ways to flag the “good” 5%, concentrate your attention there, and allow the “table-thumpers” to play around on the less-valuable periphery in the hopes that maybe we’ll be inspired by your good example. (At N=200 you probably do better to create a different site where the top .5% of LW-contributions can be hosted.)
You’re right, of course, that this is a very imprecise way of talking about it. Given that I’m just asking about your off-the-cuff judgments rather than the results of your actual measurements, that seemed appropriate.
I understand what you’re saying qualitatively; I was trying to get at your quantitative estimates. The numbers will constrain your optimal strategy for extracting value from the site.
For example,if for every “good” post there are N “table-thumping” ones and N=20, it’s difficult-but-possible to find the “good” stuff. If N=200, it’s effectively impossible. If N=2, it’s pretty easy.
Conversely, at N=2 it is perhaps worth trying to convince the 2⁄3 majority to behave differently (the way you seem to be doing, sort of), but at N=20 you probably do better to figure out ways to flag the “good” 5%, concentrate your attention there, and allow the “table-thumpers” to play around on the less-valuable periphery in the hopes that maybe we’ll be inspired by your good example. (At N=200 you probably do better to create a different site where the top .5% of LW-contributions can be hosted.)
You’re right, of course, that this is a very imprecise way of talking about it. Given that I’m just asking about your off-the-cuff judgments rather than the results of your actual measurements, that seemed appropriate.
Qualitative or quantitative measures of the value of LW are an interesting thing to think about. AFAIK we don’t have any at the moment.