How often do you check this forum?

Here, have a poll.

How often do you check the LW discussion forum?

[pollid:1190]

Do you just read, or also vote or comment?

[pollid:1191]

Do you bother clicking through to links?

[pollid:1192]

How do you mainly read LW discussion?

[pollid:1193]

Do you know of other places that make better Schelling points for LW-ish topics?

[pollid:1194]

You know, I barely checked LW from 2015 to 2020, and now I check it like, every time I feel like I need some novelty refresh, almost as much as I do Twitter... It has definitely improved since a few years ago

when I visit LW, I am almost always using a desktop computer. sometimes whole months go by without my visiting LW. to see what is new on LW, I scan http://lesswrong.com/r/all/recentposts/ (which mixes discussion and main). I never look at Open Thread posts. added: I took the poll.

Polled. And I think the polling has a higher response rate than even a simple "ping" because of peoples curiosity what others may have answered. This is already confirmed by the rate of votes in the poll.

I'm here since 2013 and used to write a fair number of polls and comments. Haven't written much lately (quite typical in that regard during the decline phase of LW). But I like the link aggregator revival. I think it works. I posted a few links myself. And continue to check about once a day.

I never used RSS readers so the current mode is very useful for me as it provides access to high quality posts from all over the rationalverse (I check OB manually as there seems to be no links to those posts).

I visit /discussion every 1-2 days on my laptop, typically spend a few seconds and then move on to something else. Sometimes I click through links or read posts if they look interesting, probably averaging ~1/day. I'm more likely to read posts with comment threads, and more likely to read posts than links. I rarely comment or vote.

I used to just view.

Now, I'm making an intentional effort to engage more with things. I think a community norm of voicing even simple agreement / appreciation can make this place a more enjoyable place to be.

I use a feed reader, so I check out almost all the posts and links. I click through to the comments on almost all of them as well, since that's the real point.

The reddit /r/slatestarcodex community is very active too, and I like that.

ping (glance at site occasionally, rarely log in these days)

I check, using desktop, vote and comment occasionally, click through some links.

I read Discussion daily, by desktop and smartphone using browser (desktop mode on smartphone). I check Main regularly as well, just to ascertain there's nothing new there. I never click through link posts, will regularly follow interesting-sounding links with descriptive context in posts and comments.

I only read and do not comment except VERY rarely using this community account to comment on meta issues when they are raised by others who are taking active role in trying to improve LW. I used to have a personal account with a moderate amount of karma (500 < k < 1000) but removed it, now I only read except for comments like this. Perhaps I should not have a voice in this discussion but I feel like there are many other such members who have effectively checked out in similar way, yet continue to lurk.

Other places: None. Perhaps because there are no longer coherent themes remaining at LW (despite the momentary attempt in Nov/Dec to bring in high-quality posts on "classic" LW topics), and different subtopics are variously served by combinations of other sorts of networks (including increasingly, engagement with academia).

Polled.

I don't read much here anymore, and comment less (7 comment threads in the last year). I'm commenting now mostly because you specifically mentioned appreciating any response, and because of having known and respecting you personally, not because I'd normally read and comment on something like this.

I'm not aware of any other place with more shellingness on this stuff than here, but I am also skeptical of recent efforts to bring more discussion back to LW.

Once every few days or so.

I check it a fair bit at the moment. I suspect I'll give it up in a bit.

Used the poll. Mostly check discussion in my feed reader (both smart phone and desktop), read easily digestible stuff right away, put off the harder stuff for later (and read about 1/3 of the things I intend for later consumption). Do vote, rarely comment.

Polled.

1. I generally do only a quick skim of post titles and open threads (edit: maybe twice a month on average; I'll try visiting more often). I used to check LW compulsively prior to 2013, but now I think both LW and I have changed a lot and diverged from each other. No hard feelings, though.

2. I rarely click link posts on LW. I seldom find them interesting, but I don't mind them as long as other LWers like them.

3. I mostly check LW through a desktop browser. Back in 2011–2012, I used Wei Dai's "Power Reader" script to read all comments. I also used to rely on Dbaupp's "scroll to new comments" script after they posted it in 2011, but these days I use Bakkot's "comment highlight" script. (Thanks to all three of you!)

4. I've been on Metaculus a lot over the past year. It's a prediction website focusing on science and tech (the site's been mentioned a few times on LW, and in fact that's how I heard of it). It's sort of like a gamified and moderated PredictionBook. (Edit: It's also similar to GJ Open, but IMO, Metaculus has way better questions and scoring.) It's a more-work-less-talk kind of website, so it's definitely not a site for general discussions.

   I've been meaning to write an introductory post about Metaculus… I'll get to that sometime.

   Given that one of LW's past focus was on biases, heuristics, and the Bayesian interpretation of probability, I think some of you might find it worthwhile and fun to do some real-world practice on manipulating subjective probabilities based on finding evidence. Metaculus is all about that sort of stuff, so join us! (My username there is 'v'. I recognize a few of you, especially WhySpace, over there.) The site itself is under continual improvement and work, and I know that the admins have high ambitions for it.

Edit: By the way, this is a great post and idea. Thanks!

I used to come here daily or more, now more like once a week, as the amount of interesting discussion has gradually declined.

I check once or twice most days.

1. On average I'll maybe read two or three posts per day, comment once per week (though it comes in spurts), and vote once per day.
2. Maybe 1/3-1/2 of link posts. Oftentimes, they're links to things I've already seen posted elsewhere (like Facebook)
3. Browser on a desktop. Occasionally smartphone.
4. SSC is the obvious answer. Also a few Facebook groups*, or people I follow on Facebook.

Much of the time, I'll just look at the recent comments to see what's getting activity. But when I look at the actual discussion posts, I usually find things worth clicking that I wouldn't have found by only looking at recent comments. I don't know why I do this. Maybe commenting about it here will make me stop.

Also, I feel like the LW meetup in Austin meets some of my need for the sorts of discussions that might otherwise be met by the website.

*Optimal Memes for Cosmopolitan Teens has become an unexpectedly useful place to hang out.

Polled. I check Discussion almost every day on a desktop, but almost never comment (though I plan to do so more often). I occasionally click through links but I prefer LW posts because of the community aspect. Ideas reliably get a meaningful response from intelligent readers with a common background, and the author of the post is always part of the discussion. For the same reason, I don't think any other rationalist discussion site has the potential of LW. Although I wasn't here back before the Diaspora, I do think a revival is in order--centralization may have its drawbacks, but the existence of this website, even now, gives us a baseline both for what has been explored in the past and what topics are currently open/unresolved.

1. I come here daily, mostly 10 read to 1 comment to 2 upvote, perhaps.
2. Yes
3. Desktop, web browser
4. Was: Omnilibrium; Kinda but nefarious to use: SSC; is currently my favorite besides LW: putanumonit

Ping

I come here probably a few times a week, almost entirely just for reading or clicking through on particularly interesting links. I always use a desktop.

Polled.

Used the poll, though I'll elaborate.

I'd probably spend more time if I wasn't busy reading the archives. I imagine this will change to more use over time.

1-2 visits per week.

I read 1-2 posts per visit.

50% link click rate.

Desktop via browser, sometimes RSS (Feedly).

I generally prefer the Less Wrong slack to this site. But this site has a karma system, which i like. (Contact Elo here for more info).

I might start reading the similar effective-altruism.com too.

Used the poll. I've been reading mostly old posts for the last year but never registered as I feel I can't contribute much to the discussions. I check the discussion forum regularly but read/click only what seems interesting or is highly upvoted.

I have it in my RSS reader. I read almost everything, but often more than a week after it's posted when I happen to want something to read. I vote more often than I comment, but not nearly a quarter of everything.

Taken the poll.

I read most weekdays, but not usually on weekends; almost always on a desktop browser. Occasionally I check my inbox on my phone. I probably click through to less than half of the articles posted and less than half of the links, and don't read all of what I click through to.

I read almost every post and not very many comments...because i subscribe to the RSS feeds.

Ping