Lately I have found myself reading the comments on a article prior to reading the article itself. I don't know why, but maybe its because the discussion on YC is invariably better than the article itself. Also, if I see too many negative comments, I skip the article altogether. I read a lot during the day, and using the comments as a filter prevents me from adding to that list, if it be so.
I think a lot of us end up hesitating to bother opening an article because so often the submitted-title is a bad attempt at humor that instead completely masks the true topic of the article. Titles like "you really want to know..." are a total waste of my time. KNOW WHAT? If the topic is interesting, I will click. If it is about something of interest only to you, don't post it with a title that forces everyone to click just to know what the subject matter even is.
That said, I always read via google reader, since the actual interface makes it impossible to say "I have seen all these, don't show me them again!".
I hope that made sense...