Hi there.
I used to comment once in a while, but I find myself less and less interested in the topics of conversation around here. For a short while, people were going on a lot about dating (wtf?) and then more recently there’s been a fair amount of what is essentially self-help for the scientifically inclined. I dunno, I guess I was just more into thought experiments and Yudkowsky posts.
I don’t think “Not sending in your $200 rebate” and “not writing in an article to Overcomingbias” are the same phenomena at all.
It’s not that people who are now writing all these LW posts felt like it was too much of a hassle to send an email to Overcomingbias; it’s that deliberately and unusually sticking your neck out to contribute has a different social connotation than simply participating in the expected community behavior.
Contributing to Overcomingbias is like getting on stage: walking up to the stage is a socially loaded act in and of itself. “Hey, everyone, I’m going to stand out here and say something.” Lesswrong, since the entire site is built around community posting, practically invites you to post as you please. There’s nothing out of the ordinary about it. How could there be? The tools to do so are right there, embedded into the infrastructure of the site. It must be expected for me to do that!