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Get most StackOverflow rep by avoiding difficult questions
6 points by normalocity on Oct 28, 2013 | hide | past | favorite | 6 comments
I really shouldn't be surprised...programmers are lazy, they say.

If you look at my top-voted answers, they all seem like things where someone either doesn't understand a basic concept, doesn't read available documentation, or hits an error message and drops it directly into Google without considering the issue on their own. It's an interesting phenomenon, and I wonder if it's a observation for other users. I have really simple questions that still get me 1-2 upvotes a month for years after the answer was provided.

If the answer also happens to be for a popular language/framework/n00b problem, then all the better.

Ex: http://stackoverflow.com/users/249543/jefflunt

If this is common, then it would seem a reasonable strategy to just look for easy questions and answer them quickly - if the only reason you're on SO is to play the reputation game, that is.

This supports my general view that, if you want a decent chance at running a business that will have a large client base, simply take a problem that is very common, but not very difficult (maybe trivial) to solve for an experienced person, and sell an automated solution to the masses.



The more effort I put into an answer on StackOverflow the less I get back. This question for example drives me crazy (http://stackoverflow.com/questions/18885347/is-there-an-imag...): I have no idea why it was upvoted 6 times in 48 views and no clue why my answer was upvoted 9 times. I wonder if there's like some network of people who upvote thing to give people a lot of reputation points?


I do not understand the rhyme or reason behind why people vote some answers but not others, but I always upvote questions I have also had, and answers that solve my problem. It's possible the post you link hits some magic combination of commonly-searched-for terms used by some of the zillions of programmers each day, many of whom have SO accounts.


Interesting. The downside of solving trivial problems is that the barrier to entry for your competitors will also be trivial.


Most people face simple issues. And when they look for answers, they find stackoverflow and upvote the answer.

When a really tough question comes up, it probably effects only a few people, so only few people will upvote. I'm assuming 'tough problem' comes up only because something new and unusual is being attempted.


Add to that the fact that If you already have a lot of rep, and answers the same exact thing as other people, OP will tend to validate you instead of the first guy thats posts :).

It happened to me in several occasions. And this is one of the reasons I tend to avoid answering questions now.


Same here. Got 9k rep by mostly answering basic Java questions.




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