Comment by rdl
14 years ago
I think it is worth considering how this applies to Hacker News? Hacker News is somewhat niche, although not particularly, and does not have particularly arduous requirements for joining or participating. Aside from the leaderboard and some informal recognition of really stellar contributors (pg, patio11, ...), it's a fairly flat system without rewards for status.
Not to worry. HN readers have high standards and wield their downvotes aggressively. I've never seen such a well-maintained community as this one.