Slashdot, a user-generated news, analysis, peer question and professional insight community. Tech professionals moderate the site which averages more than 5,300 comments daily and 3.7 million unique visitors each month.
As I said before, we don't have a really good idea on the number of unique IPIDs visiting the site, but we do have solid numbers for our daily comment counts. Here's the graph as generated by slashcode for a biweekly period:
(due to a quirk in slashcode, the graphs don't update until 48 hours later; our comment count for 04/01 was 712 comments total).
Taking in account averages, we're roughly getting a little less than 10% of Slashdot's comment counts, with a considerably smaller user base. As I said, the OkCupid story made me take notice. Here's the comment counts at various scores between the two sites
| SoylentNews | Slashdot.org | --------------------------------------- Score -1 | 130 | 1017 | Score 0 | 130 | 1005 | Score 1 | 109 | 696 | Score 2 | 74 | 586 | Score 3 | 12 | 96 | Score 4 | 4 | 64 | Score 5 | 1 | 46 | ---------------------------------------Furthermore, I took a look at UIDs on the other site, the vast majority of comments came from 6/7 digit UID posters. Looking at CmdrTaco's Retirement Post as well as posts detailing the history of the other site most of the low UIDs are still around, and are simply in perma-lurk mode.
(Score: 2) by TheloniousToady on Wednesday April 02 2014, @08:22AM
Here's a really simple solution: just show something like "Your post hasn't really disappeared. See here [link to another page] for details." Then, have a static page with a full explanation, as well as some encouraging words about why you should create an account. (Most folks resist creating accounts unless they find some real advantage in it that makes it worth their time and trouble.)
(Score: 2, Interesting) by len_harms on Wednesday April 02 2014, @08:37AM
I stopped posting using my account a long time ago. As the responses became rather derogatory if you got some detail wrong. It was quite annoying. With huge spirals of why that detail was so wrong. Usually ignoring my original point. So I started posting AC as I just wanted to vent and did not care if anyone responded.
Some people used the site to get their OCD on. I got tired of being part of that. https://xkcd.com/386/ [xkcd.com]
Some people were using it to show off how politically connected and up to date they were. Yawn. These discussions usually ended up with particular views modded up and the interesting ones modded down. It is clear someone is 'managing' their image here. Another thing we should keep an eye out for here. As I detest being manipulated.
I still post on the other site too. As there are good discussions there. But many times they are just hate fests of pedantic where only youtube comments are worse.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Grishnakh on Wednesday April 02 2014, @09:21AM
As the responses became rather derogatory if you got some detail wrong. It was quite annoying. With huge spirals of why that detail was so wrong.
I hate to break it to you, but this kind of thing is absolutely unavoidable on an internet site populated by techies. That's just the kind of personality many of them have. If you want to avoid that, you should go to Reddit, and only go to subreddits dealing with totally non-tech stuff, like maybe women's issues or something like that (I'm not saying there's anything wrong with a women's issues subreddit, I only say that because off the top of my head it's one place I can think of where you probably won't find any perfectionist geeks with poor social skills.) Of course, the discussion there might not be very interesting to you, but hey, you can't have everything.
The only reason you're not seeing as much of it here is because the site is still quite small.
(Score: 1) by len_harms on Wednesday April 02 2014, @09:47AM
The only reason you're not seeing as much of it here is because the site is still quite small.
I understand that. However, this happens everywhere and just going to another site does not stop it. Even women's issues you probably would find the nit-picker. People just do it on the internet. There was a small meme going around calling it tool-shedding. As they know something about paint they decide the whole project is wrong.
About the only place I do not get this sort of thing is on facebook. As they know I will be merciless with them :)
If you want to avoid that, you should go to Reddit :)
I think I will give that a skip
(Score: 1) by Grishnakh on Wednesday April 02 2014, @11:37AM
However, this happens everywhere and just going to another site does not stop it. Even women's issues you probably would find the nit-picker.
I never said you'd be totally free of pedantry and nit-picking anywhere, but in a women's issues forum, you're far, far less likely to find it, I think, than in a tech forum populated by geeks. One occasional annoying person is not likely to drive you away the way a large population of them will.
As for Facebook, the reason you don't see it there is because no one ever talks about things of substance there. They just post pictures of their latest meal, their pets, their baby's turds, and other mindless drivel.