Is the birth of Stack Exchange documented somewhere? How did the system trust users in the very beginning before there were any users with any reputation?
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3Note that each site has its own reputation system, so the whole network didn't 'boot' at once. The Beta site process may be informative, though I expect the Trilogy may have worked differently in some ways. Surely someone who knows more will come by and answer, instead of ramble pointlessly, as I am!!!– Andrew BarberJul 10, 2012 at 17:05
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9It was CHAOS!! CHAOS!!!– juanJul 10, 2012 at 17:05
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8@JQAn was? It was chaos? ;)– Andrew BarberJul 10, 2012 at 17:06
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@OlegV.Volkov Not really. The new sites have a very specific way of working, built around Area51. That system did not exist when all of this first came online– yoozer8Jul 10, 2012 at 17:11
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Then: How are Stack Exchange sites “bootstrapped” given that it starts with 0 questions and 0 users with reputation?– ArjanJul 10, 2012 at 17:12
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2@Arjan that, along with with the other, seem to focus on new sites being made, where this one seems to focus on the original sites being stood up in the first place.– yoozer8Jul 10, 2012 at 17:14
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5@random, I think he was asking about the birth of SO... but meh– juanJul 10, 2012 at 17:15
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6Jon Skeet was given all the power.– animuson StaffModJul 10, 2012 at 18:51
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1@JQAn I don't think so... pretty sure CHAOS has only been around for about a year.– PopsJul 10, 2012 at 18:55
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@PopularDemand, I'm gonna go and close all your questions for contradicting me. Oh, right, they added voting :(– juanJul 10, 2012 at 18:59
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Still the same way to build up from a base of 1 reppers @jqa– randomJul 10, 2012 at 20:05
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I'll bootstrap your reputation system, buddy.– Josh DarnellJul 11, 2012 at 15:19
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1 Answer
In the earliest earliest days of Stack Overflow, there was no rep requirement for voting, and reduced reputation requirements were later adopted for newer Stack Exchange sites:
Private Public
Beta Beta Graduated
1 15 15 Vote Up
15 15 15 Flag Offensive
1 50 50 Leave Comments
1 100 100 Edit Wiki Posts
1 125 125 Vote Down
1 150 150 Create New Tags
1 200 200 Retag Questions
500 750 2000 Edit Posts
1 500 3000 Vote to Close
2000 2000 10000 Access Mod Tools
Remember that the most basic functions (asking and answering) require no reputation at all, so you can build up reputation simply by asking and answering questions and reputation is awarded to you through the community vote.
The reduced reputation requirements allow the early adopters to vote and to start taking control of the community sooner rather than later. Users who have experience on other SE sites also get a 100-rep bonus to get them started. But until the higher-rep users kick in, the Stack Exchange Community Team runs the higher-rep moderator functions.
But going back to the beginning of it all—
The closest thing we have to something documenting the process are the original Stack Overflow podcasts:
Stack Overflow Podcasts Archive (#1-32)
The first site, Stack Overflow, started with a private beta. Essentially, founders Jeff and Joel developed and launched this experiment in full view of an enthusiastic and interactive community. The earliest days were a bit of a wild-west endeavor where behaviors and ideas were tested and coded into the system publicly from day one.
So, I guess you can say the earliest Stack Exchange was "bootstrapped" by trusting the community through a process of openness and experimentation until they "got it right"… and the whole thing snowballed to what you see today.
answered Jul 11, 2012 at 14:36
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BTW, why is the word bootstrapped often quoted (in other questions as well) ? English in not my mother tongue so I'm not able to feel if it sounds weird. I know this term applies to the compiler generation problem, but I'm not sure for the reputation system.– alecailJul 11, 2012 at 14:53
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1@Antoine quoting a word is generally shorthand for preceding the word with so-called and is often used to recognize the specific usage of a word without necessarily indicating acceptance or agreement.– user149432Jul 11, 2012 at 15:14
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@Antoine: An explanation of where the word comes from can be found here on Wikipedia. I had originally heard that the term came from the phrase, to pull oneself up by his bootstraps, which pretty much describes what a computer does to get itself started.– RobHJul 11, 2012 at 16:22