Re:Software Developers after 40, 50 and 60 Who're Still Coding
by Terr_ on Monday April 24, 2017 @03:56PM
(#14187586)
Yeah, and I feel there's not much point contributing answers either, because it seems most situations are either:
1. Simple and quickly snapped up by other users who are aggressively trying to grow their reputation on the site (perhaps with more free-time than I) and there's a first-response advantage that crowds out later answers.
2. Duplicate of something else. Why bother making a good answer when it'll get closed because somebody else happens to think a different question is the "better" one?
3. Way outside my expertise and it's probably better for everyone involved if I don't try to answer when I'm not sure.
So in a way SO is a victim of its own success when it comes to lowered engagement.
P.S.: I've even had an answer I was proud of converted into a "community wiki" just for a few tiny wording changes, with the side-effect that I get no reputation from it. So yeah, it seems like a rat-race.
1. Simple and quickly snapped up by other users who are aggressively trying to grow their reputation on the site (perhaps with more free-time than I) and there's a first-response advantage that crowds out later answers.
2. Duplicate of something else. Why bother making a good answer when it'll get closed because somebody else happens to think a different question is the "better" one?
3. Way outside my expertise and it's probably better for everyone involved if I don't try to answer when I'm not sure.
So in a way SO is a victim of its own success when it comes to lowered engagement.
P.S.: I've even had an answer I was proud of converted into a "community wiki" just for a few tiny wording changes, with the side-effect that I get no reputation from it. So yeah, it seems like a rat-race.