The first mover advantage goes beyond increased exposure. It means that one has maximumized their ability to shape the direction of the conversation in alignment with their thoughts. Because early comments are more likely to draw responses, the top poster in a thread has the most opportunity to clarify and extend their thoughts in follow-up responses.

Follow-up responses will tend to be received in the same vein as the initial post, and if the initial post gained traction the one's follow-up is likely to garner upvotes as well.