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I'm compelled to ask how much you're paying for your "Hacker News" subscription... because the rest of us are somehow finding legitimate economic value in this

I'm compelled to ask how much you're paying for your "Hacker News" subscription... because the rest of us are somehow finding legitimate economic value in this nominally free resource.

sillysaurus3 9y ago
I don't have a stance on the issue either way, but that's not a fair comparison. HN is free because it makes YC one of the most powerful tech organizations on the planet. (HN is one of the main reasons YC is in its current position. But that's a topic for another time.) It's the same reason Reddit is free: because that makes Reddit one of the most influential news sources circa 2017.
- mankash666 9y ago
  In a similar fashion, a coffee from Starbucks isn't the same as an app download. For instance, though Netflix is about 2 Starbucks orders, it's subscribers attribute greater value to it. However, a $1 monthly increase brings out the pitch forks in them. It's all very confusing
  - TeMPOraL 9y ago
    It's less confusing when people stop trying to convert bewteen "value received" and "dollars paid". Starbucks coffee and Netflix subscription cost what they cost. Take it or leave it. If you take it, that becomes your baseline. And regulars/subscribers generally don't like when the base price goes up. Doesn't matter if the base price was $3 or $30.
  - pbhjpbhj 9y ago
    I think you're making the mistake of considering all Netflix users to be the same. We just got Netflix, it beat other options (Amazon mainly) because of the low price. I never get Starbucks (nor go out for a hot drink) because it's too expensive; when Netflix price increases I'll be moaning. Those moaning with me are likely to be people who also can't afford $overpricedCaffeineProduct, no?
  - udkl 9y ago
    Humans don't think rationally by default. Understanding this will save you some frustration.
- B1FF_PSUVM 9y ago
  > HN is free because it makes YC one of the most powerful Hmm, I'd guess YC spends at least 1M USD /yr on HN infrastructure, moderators and aggravation/distraction. So commenters should be providing value above that. There are about 1000 comments on the front page now. They must be worth about 2 cents each. ;-)
  - pbhjpbhj 9y ago
    Totally OT: do you think that total spend figure is reasonable. Is there a breakdown of HN costs anywhere?
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]

I'm compelled to ask how much you're paying for your "Hacker News" subscription... because the rest of us are somehow finding legitimate economic value in this nominally free resource.

sillysaurus3 9y ago

I don't have a stance on the issue either way, but that's not a fair comparison. HN is free because it makes YC one of the most powerful tech organizations on the planet. (HN is one of the main reasons YC is in its current position. But that's a topic for another time.) It's the same reason Reddit is free: because that makes Reddit one of the most influential news sources circa 2017.

mankash666 9y ago
In a similar fashion, a coffee from Starbucks isn't the same as an app download. For instance, though Netflix is about 2 Starbucks orders, it's subscribers attribute greater value to it. However, a $1 monthly increase brings out the pitch forks in them. It's all very confusing
- TeMPOraL 9y ago
  It's less confusing when people stop trying to convert bewteen "value received" and "dollars paid". Starbucks coffee and Netflix subscription cost what they cost. Take it or leave it. If you take it, that becomes your baseline. And regulars/subscribers generally don't like when the base price goes up. Doesn't matter if the base price was $3 or $30.
- pbhjpbhj 9y ago
  I think you're making the mistake of considering all Netflix users to be the same. We just got Netflix, it beat other options (Amazon mainly) because of the low price. I never get Starbucks (nor go out for a hot drink) because it's too expensive; when Netflix price increases I'll be moaning. Those moaning with me are likely to be people who also can't afford $overpricedCaffeineProduct, no?
- udkl 9y ago
  Humans don't think rationally by default. Understanding this will save you some frustration.
B1FF_PSUVM 9y ago
> HN is free because it makes YC one of the most powerful Hmm, I'd guess YC spends at least 1M USD /yr on HN infrastructure, moderators and aggravation/distraction. So commenters should be providing value above that. There are about 1000 comments on the front page now. They must be worth about 2 cents each. ;-)
- pbhjpbhj 9y ago
  Totally OT: do you think that total spend figure is reasonable. Is there a breakdown of HN costs anywhere?
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]