Another thought is to wonder how we build social networks in real life. The mechanisms are hard to isolate because they are so normal, but attempting to transpose those to the internet is interesting. People have reputations. This acts as an incentive for people to behave. If you get known as a jerk then you don't have much of an audience.
But reputation is complicated. There is a lack of civility - someone who breaks the laws or is otherwise a danger/problem/nuisance. Then there are people who are civil but have different social customs/expectations. One of these perhaps has to do with trust - is the person safe. The other has to do with engagement. I'm not interested in having a discussion about Trump so I won't engage. I suspect there is a lot more to it. Like if you go to a bus stop at night and there is someone there, what really determines how you react to that person? It seems to me that people are generally very good at "clues".
HN has karma, but not really a reputation. You can go look at someone's comments. You can pay attention to how they react. It would be interesting to know how many down votes a person uses for example. How many up votes.
Another different issue, but perhaps related, is the idea of boundaries. If you have a community that is productive, what happens if someone can easily come in and be divisive. Imagine a gardening group talking about how to control aphids without pesticides and someone comes in and starts saying "it is stupid not to use pesticides" (or vice versa).
But reputation is complicated. There is a lack of civility - someone who breaks the laws or is otherwise a danger/problem/nuisance. Then there are people who are civil but have different social customs/expectations. One of these perhaps has to do with trust - is the person safe. The other has to do with engagement. I'm not interested in having a discussion about Trump so I won't engage. I suspect there is a lot more to it. Like if you go to a bus stop at night and there is someone there, what really determines how you react to that person? It seems to me that people are generally very good at "clues".
HN has karma, but not really a reputation. You can go look at someone's comments. You can pay attention to how they react. It would be interesting to know how many down votes a person uses for example. How many up votes.
Another different issue, but perhaps related, is the idea of boundaries. If you have a community that is productive, what happens if someone can easily come in and be divisive. Imagine a gardening group talking about how to control aphids without pesticides and someone comes in and starts saying "it is stupid not to use pesticides" (or vice versa).