Why would you want to increase the count though, right?
I appreciate that HN is a kind of a community where people post when they actually have something to say. I mean, I often write a comment and then delete it before posting it if I figure it doesn't really add anything to the discussion.
I actually feel like doing it for this comment too.
I’m glad you didn’t, completely on topic for this thread. I’m sure you’re speaking for an awful lot of people on HN, possibly a large majority.
If you would like to contribute more, Caslon has a great post here with advice. It’s more than a game though, we all come here not just for the stories, but for the high quality comments. Contributing high quality comments is a real benefit to others, whether your gamifying it or not. Having the discipline not to comment when you don’t have a real contribution to make is also valuable, you’re being a good member of the community. I commented on this post almost an hour after first reading it. I wanted to be sure I had something I thought was worthwhile to say.
Another way you can contribute is through voting, especially if you vote based not on agreement or disagreement, but on insightful or informative contribution to the debate.
Oh I didn’t mean “I want to increase my count but it would be work” I was just thinking that it’s probably one of those systems where doubling what I do now would take 4 times the effort as I’d need to read many more of the articles and other peoples comments so that it would go from casual browsing and commenting to “work” or my wife saying “you have a problem”
I appreciate that HN is a kind of a community where people post when they actually have something to say. I mean, I often write a comment and then delete it before posting it if I figure it doesn't really add anything to the discussion.
I actually feel like doing it for this comment too.