Just started looking at slashdot this last week. Several of the articles are interesting and a few have been useful (of value to me and providing information I'd be unlikely to receive soon from any other channel). I haven't yet had occasion to delve into the archives, but apparently they are extensive.
Other than the links to news stories, I'm generally undecided about the value of slashdot's features. I'm taking the time to read through some of the commentaries. Seems like a strange mix of college banal/naieve and deep expertise. I'll look for some description of the readership demographics. I'll also look into adjusting my "threshhold" to weed out more dross, which should allow me to scan more material.
I'm putting an hour or so into reading the FAQ, etc, this morning, and starting this journal.
The moderation structure and the technology it is birthing are very interesting. What I've read so far suggests that this is an attempt toward a self-governing anarchy using negative feedback systems to prune the outliers of some of the more disruptive behaviors. Trying to work up a better description of the process "in twenty-five words or less" is going to be an intriguing puzzle for at least a few weeks' time.
Too early to say how much of my time I want to give to slashdot, or how actively involved I want to get (I've posted 3 messages so far-- none requiring much effort).
Summary Slashdot has some definite value, but how important it might be to me is not something I can yet estimate. Investigating that will be fun, and rewarding of iteslf.