Maybe this is what you're thinking of, but instead of randomly altering the actual score, how about randomizing just the position on a per page view per user basis?
I.e. a particular comment/story has it's normal score + X% chance of being promoted to somewhere near the top. You can vary X depending on age & actual score.
This seems much easier to implement, and many more stories/comments would get exposure (each to fewer users).
I.e. a particular comment/story has it's normal score + X% chance of being promoted to somewhere near the top. You can vary X depending on age & actual score.
This seems much easier to implement, and many more stories/comments would get exposure (each to fewer users).