People tend to score comments based on who says it as well as what is said. Simple change I think could improve signal-noise ratio: Make username invisible until after an upvote, or disable upvoting after viewing the username.
Ask HN: Feature Idea: Make upvote receiver anonymous
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Re: Ask HN: Feature Idea: Make upvote receiver anonymous
#2Do you have any evidence that this takes place?
Your proposal would make it more difficult to follow conversations in comments.
Re: Ask HN: Feature Idea: Make upvote receiver anonymous
#3My favorite commenters/contributors are quite identifiable by their phraseology, wit, and wisdom. And I think the reverse is true. Spending much time here brings a familiarity of who is saying what.
And in rereading your expected result, I now realize I don't know how your proposed change would change the signal-to-noise ratio even without the above.