Some really great points. Couple very quick thoughts, and then ideas about your points. First, you only need to average 3.5 to be oranage if that's a concern, meaning posts around 2 or 3 don't set you back much, and just a few +10 or +20 comments here and there means you can comment totally freely and stay orange.

2. Don’t post on a front page post that already has more than a full page of text.... You’re just yelling into the void. --> I actually think this is GREAT. People won't post into an already largely full thread unless they have real insight that's bursting to get out, instead of rehashing some obvious observation.

3. When possible, reply to a highly rated comment that doesn’t already have replies. Particularly focus on getting your comment to appear "above the fold" when it is posted. This will ensure that your comment is read and enjoyed. --> If it gets abused for gamesmanship, that's ugly. However, an insightful follow-on or dissent from the top comment IS more read, and thus does create more value, and thus, more karma. But we should be vigilant as a community to these karma-jackers.

4. Don't post against the prevailing mood of a post. If the mood of that article is pro-libertarian, beware critiquing that philosophy! On the other hand, when the population is more balanced in that individual thread, feel free. In general someone who agrees is more likely to upvote than someone who disagrees, so you should get be ahead on balance. --> At first, this really upset me. I've seen a lot of warm'n'happy comments get upvoted more than an insightful point I made that I assume took heat from people with a different opinion based on the voting patterns around it. Then I realized - if you're on something controversial, it's got to either be balanced, or really good to get community respect. If people reflect for a minute before spouting talking points, that could be a good thing.

5. As soon as you make a comment, upvote the article and all of the parents to your comment. This will put your article closer to the public eye. If you want to truly join the dark side, vote down the other comments on the thread or other replies. I’ve never done this, but it’s an option. --> Yeah, could be a big problem - will be interesting to see how it plays out.

6. Say something interesting. Without this, you’ve got nothing! --> This is awesome.

7. If you’re trying to be funny or sarcastic, make it incredibly obvious. If it’s not incredibly obvious what you’re trying to say, don’t bother posting. --> I'm not everyone, but I HATE online sarcasm. It's cheap and easy to get that ANYWHERE. The internet is overflowing with sarcasm. I like that Hacker News is really an intelligent discussion place, and humor is used less frequently and more judiciously than elsewhere.

8. Don't get involved in a long discussion! This will only end with a bunch of 1 point posts that drag your average down. --> Finally, I just realized something. I try to check my comments later and see if anyone replied to me. I'm going to make more of an effort to upvote 1-karma posts that were late to the party if they offer even a bit of insight, as a way of saying thanks for keeping the discussion going.

Cheers Gavin!