The consequence of user-feedback ranking systems tends to be that content needs to be either novel and attention grabbing, or already popular amongst the user base. Discussion that is niche, or just mildly interesting, is often given less attention than spam and trolling, just because it isn't attention grabbing enough to rise above the noise. The most active users of HN, Reddit, etc. are homogeneous and interchangeable because that is what the environment selects for. More distinct posters and groups exist but regardless of their quality, they will not be able to become more visible (actively engaging with the community) without losing that quality. Obviously, this phenomenon applies to more than just web forums.
No comments yet.