Errichto's blog

By Errichto, 6 years ago, In English

I initially wrote a longer comment on Radewoosh's blog but realized the following part is a completely separate thing.

Wanting to get contribution is a good thing.

It's an incentive to literally contribute to the community. This is how rankings work. People dream to be top10 rating one day and it motivates them to work harder. The "top contributors" list has the same goal: to incentivize people to help others.

I don't mind if someone says "you want to get to top10 contribution" to me, and I joke with friends about it (also about Swistakk and Radewoosh). The bad thing is that a comment like this can be seen by others and make them less motivated (maybe unconsciously) to contribute. You likely don't realize how much the feedback matters. Preparing contests isn't more profitable than working in a company, but it's so rewarding to know some people liked your problems that it motivates you to do it again. It should be similar for writing educational blogs.

The contribution isn't a perfect measurement and for example fcspartakm has so incredible impact on the whole CP world (he works on Polygon) that he deserves to be top10 easily. There are so many people contributing locally too. kostka recently organized a relatively cheap camp for polish representation for IOI (and a few people next in line). He invited me and a few others as organizers and paid us, did most of the problems-related job himself anyway. We got some money (a payment/salary as agreed earlier), he didn't. He spent week+ of his time and some money on gasoline, and he didn't get anything. It's good to appreciate people like that. While an upvote is a nice easy thing, remember that you can always let them know that you appreciate their job and commitment.

(And I'm not saying you should start spamming some people now, because that would be annoying for them ;p )

So remember: saying "you just want contribution" basically means "you just want people to find your comment/blog useful". It's a very stupid insult. Btw. I have some predictions about the first comment under this blog xd

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6 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +290 Vote: I do not like it

you just want contribution

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6 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +26 Vote: I do not like it

I do agree completely with what you said, it should just be perceived as great that people spend (a lot of) their time for free to help this community out :)

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6 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it -57 Vote: I do not like it

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6 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +63 Vote: I do not like it

How does the contribution system even work? It seems that blogs give insane amounts of contribution and comments nearly none. There also seems to be some kind of diminishing returns.

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6 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it -59 Vote: I do not like it

How is that considered as a useful blog ? :p still you got free upvotes, Kappa .

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6 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +201 Vote: I do not like it

anybody wants to translate Chinese OI materials for contribution? :P

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6 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +25 Vote: I do not like it

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge, for rating, for contribution has marked the upward surge of mankind.

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6 years ago, # |
Rev. 2   Vote: I like it +93 Vote: I do not like it

Great, now people will think I'm a nice person. Well, fuck you too.

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5 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +2 Vote: I do not like it

talking about contribution to get contribution is a thing now.