November 3, 2007

"AutoAdmit is like the Iowa primary, where a really backwards group of people get way too much attention..."

The Harvard Record interviews the law school grad who hacked AutoAdmit. For the details of how he did it, go to the link. Here's what he found:
While the information is far from perfect, there were a significantly large number of lurkers when compared to very few posters, a trend that was very common. There were no more than 5 regular posters from [Harvard, as compared to over 150+ readers.

The vast majority of posters who claim to be at Harvard were not. Amazingly, there were entire threads where various HLS posters turned out to really be just one guy talking to himself (who was not even in law school yet!)....

Of my own classmates, and from what I understand from my peers at other schools who worked with me, the average AutoAdmit poster was largely restrained, apolitical, and was not particularly interesting....

Most of the time I looked at people and wasn't really that surprised that they wrote such offensive posts. I guess the real shocker was the number of women who post, which is surprisingly high....

Other than occasional one-time posters, AutoAdmit really is the playground of a handful of really obsessive people that is followed by an incredible number of watchers.
I guess those backward people are terrified that their names will become known. At least that will add some excitement to their restrained, apolitical, uninteresting lives.

12 comments:

Paco Wové said...

"Other than occasional one-time posters, Althouse really is the playground of a handful of really obsessive people that is followed by an incredible number of watchers."

Sorry, dyslexia kicking in again.

Trooper York said...

Last week I went on a strange journey. Instead of posting here, I followed the profiles of some of the people who post here back to their personal blogs. Some blogs didn't exist. Some were up and running and the blogger would reply immediately to what I posted. Quite a few of the more vociferous posters here have moderated their comments section to control the speech on their site. Most of the big liberals that post here either have inactive blogs or don't allow comments. I know that I will look at their comments in a whole different way now that I see how they really feel about the give and take of ideas on the internets. Try it yourself; I think you will find it kind of interesting.

john said...

Trooper

Thats a strange journey, kind of like one who walks down back alleys at night, after dinner.

Regards,

Trooper York said...

No doubt, but when you meet someone at their home so to speak, it's really interesting how they interact with you. Some have no problem carrying on a conversation and seem like genuine people, and some seem like pretentious douches. But what is funny is the contrast between the pose they strike here and how they act on their own blog. Plus you know the professor just goes down those dark alleys for the pictures. The photo is the thing. I wonder if she is going to take up her offer to go to the Bronx. That would be pretty interesting to vblog. What a hoot.

rcocean said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rcocean said...

Amazingly, there were entire threads where various HLS posters turned out to really be just one guy talking to himself (who was not even in law school yet!)...."

This just adds fuel to my suspicion that Trooper York, H. Daddy, LOS, Maxine, and Cedarford, are all just one person.

Trooper York said...

Well no one has ever seen rcocean and Richard Simmons in the same place, so anything is possible. I do know that you love those shorty shorts

rcocean said...

"Well no one has ever seen rcocean and Richard Simmons in the same place, so anything is possible. I do know that you love those shorty shorts"


I love wearing shorts even at 50 degrees. And Mrs. RcOcean tells me I should flaunt my manly, beautiful legs even more.

Trooper York said...

And it's really, really cool when you are sweat'n to the oldies.

George M. Spencer said...

rcocean you know that we are all you, and we know that you are all we.

Joe M. said...

I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.

Trooper York said...

kumbaya bitch, lets hug it out!