Initial user experience
I wish Stack Overflow would just let me use a username and password instead of requiring OpenID.
The Flickr OpenID support doesn’t actually work, so I used the Yahoo mode, and it was a bit crazy. I’m not sure if I’ll ever figure out how to log into the same account again. (Now, in addition to my credentials, I have to remember that I used Yahoo for this.)
After I had eventually registered, I figured I’d upload a profile photo. Oh wait, I can’t just upload an image file. I need to sign up for Gravatar! (At that point, I just abandoned the idea of having a profile photo.)
I started using the site by asking a question. Then I went around to other questions to see if I could contribute somehow. But everything I could answer had already been sufficiently answered. I tried at least up-voting the good answers, figuring that could contribute some value, but I’m not allowed to do that — I don’t have enough reputation points yet, and without being able to answer anything with any new information, I don’t see how I’ll possibly gain enough anytime soon. (You need 2 people to up-vote one of your questions or answers to be able to vote.)
Since I can’t really participate, and I have nothing else to ask right now, I left.
What’s my incentive to go back unless I have something else to ask?