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Two months ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1192790 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1192790 Three months ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1

Two months ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1192790 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1192790 Three months ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1102238 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1102238 This is a really cool presentation. The idea and technique have their flaws, as are pointed out here by several participants, but what bothers me most is that the last two times this was submitted it sank with no up-votes and no comments. Yet here it as (as I write this) 74 up-votes and 17 comments. How many more brilliant things deserving of our attention do we miss on HN? Is this really a problem? Can it be fixed? Should it be fixed? Hackers Unite! Don't let the good stuff escape you! Find a way to rid yourself of the dross and find the good stuff!

dpritchett 16y ago
This link was more likely to be clicked because it appeared more relevant to the interests of HNers: - The previous two links were Youtube links. I can't click those during business hours so I rarely notice them. I am guessing that many HNers skip Youtube for similar reasons. - This submission had a better-targeted title: it led with a feminine name. This is good headline craft, especially if your target audience skews male. - Smarterware.org sounds like either a typo for HN-regular asmartbear.com or a noncommercial lifehacks site. Again, better targeted than Youtube and more likely (from a "should I click this?" heuristic perspective) to have a writeup and the possibility to research the author. Edit: Just clicked through and noticed that smarterware.org is Gina Trapani's new shindig. This gives added cachet for lifehack enthusiasts.
duck 16y ago
I think this will always be a "problem" because once an item drops off the new page not many people are going to see it, so it all depends on the quality of the other items currently on the front & new pages, along with the number of other new submissions. I know I've either posted or upvoted a story thinking that it would be popular (i.e. hacker news worthly) and it ends up with maybe two points and is gone. I put problem in quotes though, b/c I really don't see it as something that should be solved. There is just too much to consume each day, and in the end if it really is worthly it probably will get to you some other way or in this case become popular later on.

dpritchett 16y ago

This link was more likely to be clicked because it appeared more relevant to the interests of HNers: - The previous two links were Youtube links. I can't click those during business hours so I rarely notice them. I am guessing that many HNers skip Youtube for similar reasons. - This submission had a better-targeted title: it led with a feminine name. This is good headline craft, especially if your target audience skews male. - Smarterware.org sounds like either a typo for HN-regular asmartbear.com or a noncommercial lifehacks site. Again, better targeted than Youtube and more likely (from a "should I click this?" heuristic perspective) to have a writeup and the possibility to research the author. Edit: Just clicked through and noticed that smarterware.org is Gina Trapani's new shindig. This gives added cachet for lifehack enthusiasts.

duck 16y ago

I think this will always be a "problem" because once an item drops off the new page not many people are going to see it, so it all depends on the quality of the other items currently on the front & new pages, along with the number of other new submissions. I know I've either posted or upvoted a story thinking that it would be popular (i.e. hacker news worthly) and it ends up with maybe two points and is gone. I put problem in quotes though, b/c I really don't see it as something that should be solved. There is just too much to consume each day, and in the end if it really is worthly it probably will get to you some other way or in this case become popular later on.