I only have a HackerNews cred of (10), does it make a difference to have more? | Hacker News Reader

I only have a HackerNews cred of (10), does it make a difference to have more?

7 pointsflavmartins9 comments

I've submitted a few links and comments on HackerNews but like more users, I don't ever make it to the front page. Actually, most of my stuff usually gets 2, maybe 3, total ^ on HN.

So, here's my question. Does it really matter? Is my (10) cred number with HackerNews just a vanity metric or does HackerNews actually improve my experience or sharing ability as I get a higher cred number?

Thoughts?

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You get some secret powers like flagging, downvoting, and the ability to initiate polls. But mainly it's a vanity metric.

By the way I had the exact same experience, and most submissions I make die with 1 or 2 points even after several years. Then other times I'll get hundreds of points for some whimsical thing that I didn't think was important at all. I rarely pay attention to people's karma scores unless I think they're whoring for points, like persistently making 'me too' posts on popular issues or posting every single thing from a popular blog.

Just post what you think is interesting, think your opinions through before expressing them, don't be afraid to say that you were wrong or have changed your mind even if you feel momentarily foolish. Same as life really.

Some moderator-type abilities are tied to your points. I have 50-60ish credit, so I can flag posts, but I can't downvote anything.

That's all from comments, if it matters, I don't post. I don't think HN keeps track of the two separately, though.

What sort of flagging abilities do you have?

At a certain level (500 I think) you can downvote comments. No one can downvote submissions though. There is some evidence that your score affects how quickly your comments "sink" on a discussion page, but they never disappear or anything.

Super interesting. I wonder if we could get a 500-er to confirm this?

Yes, the level is 500. I don't know about the "sinking" though since I don't comment a lot and those are mostly answers to older comments.

After a few hundred points you can change the color of the orange bar at the top. I really like this. Mine is set to F6F6EF, the same as the tan background behind all the content.

Flagging powers are also a nice thing to have if you spend any time at all in New.

Hey, I do that too! It's an easy way of telling if I'm logged in.

link submissions net a lot more points them comments, and for a lot less investment. I wish I could have the option only look at points people got for comments, or to split the two, or to show a ratio.

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