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A comment on Pwn.college.

Re:Pwn.college by solyin on Friday November 06, 2026 @03:28AM (#50389634)
Why so deferential about posting write-ups? I'd just have the rule say don't post write-ups and posting a write-up will get you banned from future editions or something.
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Re:Pwn.college by anilgulecha on Friday November 06, 2026 @04:25AM (#50390108)
Because giving a good reason is usually enough for most people to follow something. Not everything has to be a stick (which you can wield anyway).
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Re:Pwn.college by torben-friis on Friday November 06, 2026 @04:58AM (#50390369)
Almost any kind of reason actually.

It's a science-backed result that doing so massively improves compliance, it's a trick usually taught in soft skills training (negotiation, etc).

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Re:Pwn.college by petesergeant on Friday November 06, 2026 @05:09AM (#50390440)
"The Mindlessness of Ostensibly Thoughtful Action: The Role of “Placebic” Information in Interpersonal Interaction." https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1979-23568-001

I first read this in Robert Cialdini's "Influence: Science and Practice" which is both entertaining and interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influence:_Science_and_Practic...

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Re:Pwn.college by saagarjha on Friday November 06, 2026 @07:17AM (#50391477)
Because in almost every other case that involves security challenges you are generally encouraged to post a writeup, and this one is different.
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