Graham’s Hierarchy of Disagreement

How (Not) To Comment

LA Rysk

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Pro Tip: Not the Bottom Two Tiers

Paul Graham, a writer and computer scientist laid the foundation of “comments section” etiquette, which most writers and content creators would surely appreciate. Graham’s hierarchy presents a great method to discern the sophistication of critique and creates a gauge for the integrity of feedback. Writers and content creators could benefit from his hierarchy when choosing how much energy to put into responding (or choosing not to) to critics/comments.

Creators should categorize their feedback, which in the age of the internet is unavoidable.

Comments that align with the bottom two tiers, writers and content creators should ignore, unless they (the creators) have written or said something awful, malicious, and have rightfully categorized themselves as “idiots”, which in case, requires introspection. The middle two tiers are perhaps worth taking a gander. Creators can benefit from comments of the top three tiers, if they are valid. As creators, we are not always right. Feedback can help us improve. However, the lowest two tiers are low-tier, low vibrational energy, which is the opposite of what my blog, TCG, and most content creators represent. We do not deserve to be recipients of abusive comments and name-calling.

I am curious if other, more experienced writers and content creators read their comments at all and how they respond? I am certain it is a “case by case” scenario. If Graham ever reads this, I would be interested to know if a software or algorithm could be developed to remove the bottom two tiers from social media. I would surely buy into it.

Readers, please Wikipedia (secure) Graham’s hierarchy for more info. The illustration above is provided per Wikipedia.

Here is a cross-link to another article for more insight.

If you are already aware of this handy tool, and I am late to the party, no condescension is intended. I just thought I would share.

Thanks for reading.

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LA Rysk

TCG content provides techniques and insight for lifestyle elevation. Connect with us: Web: www.discovermbmm.com; Instagram: DiscoverTCG; YouTube: TCG by MBMM