Do they exist?
Thinking about the idea of repping/upvoting comments (Streetsblog, for example). If someone gets enough upvotes on an insightful comment from the “echo chamber” community, is this a) positive reinforcement and b) likely to get them to move outside the echo chamber and engage other people to cause change? Or will this person become habituated to the praise he or she receives in the echo chamber, to the point where criticism from outside is either ignored or taken very personally?
See also: Participation awards.