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> I've stopped using sites like Reddit, because the comment sections are just toxic. Not just Reddit, HN stories about Microsoft are very toxic as well. These
by frik 10y ago
> I've stopped using sites like Reddit, because the comment sections are just toxic.
Not just Reddit, HN stories about Microsoft are very toxic as well. These company sponsored trolls are like poison for the great HN community. It's completely unbelievable what's going on, and what some invest to destroy such a great community.
Example: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12319670 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12319670 , https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12305598 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12305598
HN is about venture capitalists, startups and Silicon Valley. How does their toxic behaviour fit in - any startup who uses expensive software for a startup is heading the MySpace way and has already lost. Their PR is offtopic and their corporate trolls toxic. Their usual tactic on HN is to overflow the comment section with blurb comments to increae the comment count. As soon as the comment count is higher than the story vote count, it acts like a flagging. (Plus the flag/downvote all non-flavour able comments.) IMHO a huge flaw with the current HN algorithms.
- overcast 10y agoAgreed, while HN does attract more intelligent discussions, there needs to be more ruling with an iron fist. Warning the first time, ban the second.
- reitanqild 10y agoNo! That is part of why HN is great: you can say something and get corrected with a few downvotes. I'm all for correctional downvotes even if I get them myself sometimes. Your proposal however will is likely to encourage unnecessary cowardice and political correctness from old accounts and a landslide of throwaways.
- overcast 10y agoThere is a difference between political correctness, and just acting like an asshole. You can state your mind, without blatantly saying something just to get a rise out of everyone else. That's called a debate, not an argument. Throwaways wouldn't get anywhere, because their status needs to be earned through time, and peer review.
- reitanqild 10y ago> You can state your mind, without blatantly saying something just to get a rise out of everyone else. Aha, as long as you are talking about repeat real trolls. (No, I don't share the admiration that some parts of HN seems to have for the old trolls :-)
- DanBC 10y agoIf you think someone is a serial troll you can gather the posts and email dang and sctb to let them know. I don't know if that achieves anything, but it gives them a steer that you want more to be done.
- reitanqild 10y ago> These company sponsored trolls are like poison for the great HN community. Care to explain?