6 ms·

I'm not real because my facebook profile is private

42 points by jasonlbaptiste 16y ago

epi0Bauqu 16y ago
So... a) did you move to China; b) are you really doing 5 months work from home, one month work in a 5 star hotel; c) get in a knife fight? I don't mind privacy at all, but I like to know if what I'm reading is fact or fiction or some combination thereof. [a] http://maxkle.in/giving-up-on-europe/ http://maxkle.in/giving-up-on-europe/ [b] http://maxkle.in/my-company-5-months-work-from-home-one-month/ http://maxkle.in/my-company-5-months-work-from-home-one-mont... [c] http://maxkle.in/your-high-iq-will-kill-your-startup/ http://maxkle.in/your-high-iq-will-kill-your-startup/
- nanijoe 16y ago
  I used to think the Max Klein posts were somewhat inspirational, but at this point I just assume he's pulled a '419' on everyone. There's a healthy dose of fiction mixed into whatever facts may be contained in his blog posts.
  - maxklein 16y ago
    Why do you describe my blog as '419'?
    - PaulGram 16y ago
      Ur a Nigerian scam artist obv
    - sliverstorm 16y ago
      In case you are not aware, '419' refers to Nigerian scammers. 419 = scam/fake/fraud (loosely)
  - helveticaman 16y ago
    Some people lead more interesting lives than others.
- maxklein 16y ago
  All real.
  - Typhon 16y ago
    I must say it's very funny to read your reasons to move to China. Among them, there's this one : «There are so many little ‘unfreedoms’ in europe that seems insignificant, but together they add up to a society that advocates safety over freedom.» Ok, but this is vague. Luckily, you provide an example, about a friend of yours : «she went online to some review forum for such services and wrote a long and scathing review about the company. A few days later, she received a letter from a lawyer informing her she was being sued for defamation, and she should delete her review and pay the lawyer costs, which came to 600€.» And this is the reason why you're moving to a country where people who criticize the government online end up in jail. (this guy, for example http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Xiaoning http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Xiaoning) Thank you for not letting us believe that this is a clever kind of joke, but is really the way you think. Good luck, you're going to need an unusual amount of it... Typhon
- drtse4 16y ago
  After reading this some time ago http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1353050 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1353050 personally i don't care anymore, if some of what you write is fiction just put a disclaimer somewhere and go on writing. As for other blogs if the content is ok i'll read it, otherwise i'll use my time in some other way.
shrikant 16y ago
Sorry this is (well, somewhat) totally off-topic, but: Has anyone else noticed that the HN news items now show the sub-domain in select cases? Or has it always done this for 'popular' blogging platforms? Currently I can see this for Blogspot, Wordpress, Blogs.com and Posterous. And, peripherally related, for this item as well. Which confuses me a little...
- akkartik 16y ago
  It's done this for wordpress et al since the first public release of the source code: http://github.com/nex3/arc/blob/81576aed622d560fdb3c96a26bb56691b1b9aa9c/news.arc#L1231 http://github.com/nex3/arc/blob/81576aed622d560fdb3c96a26bb5... Around last July's release it started showing subdomains anytime they aren't 'www'. Compare http://github.com/nex3/arc/blob/arc3/news.arc#L1550 http://github.com/nex3/arc/blob/arc3/news.arc#L1550 with http://github.com/nex3/arc/blob/arc3.1/news.arc#L1556 http://github.com/nex3/arc/blob/arc3.1/news.arc#L1556
  - shrikant 16y ago
    Thanks for the info, mate. I believe you're slightly mistaken with your second line though - in this case it's showing the subdomain because the TLD is .in, and the 'www' bit is to just strip that particular bit from submitted links that might just be 'www.[blogspot|posterous|wordpress|blogs|etc].[in|jp|uk|za|etc]'. [Further aside: I don't do much code any more, but it was fun to tickle that part of my brain! Thanks again!]
    - akkartik 16y ago
      Ah, you're right. So crazy domain names get a subdomain to show up on HN. Very cool.
jackolas 16y ago
The "public" sphere is dead there is only the private sphere that is accessible by everyone. The notion of public is slowly eroding, see the death of print news media.
scott_s 16y ago
By blogging regularly, you invite people to pay attention to you. It seems natural then that you would want to carve out a private "don't look at me" space on the internet. Most people don't have this problem, though, because most other people don't care about them. They don't need to carve out a private space on the internet because no one is paying attention anyway. Personally, I share very little on Facebook because my Facebook social network is very close to my actual social network. My actual social network is quite varied, and there's little I have to say that is appropriate to every person I know.
camworld 16y ago
Just because he's figured out how to spam Hacker News with his navel-gazing, amateurish blog posts does not mean you should listen to him. If he's too chicken to post under his real name and stand by what he has to say, then he's not someone I'm going to listen to. His posts are very trollish in nature. Stop giving him the attention he so craves and the traffic that is fueling his profits. Update: Looks like "Max Klein" is voting this comment down using his numerous HN accounts. How pathetic.
- maxklein 16y ago
  Don't be hasty to criticize people - it may feel good in the short term, but over the long term it always turns out bad. And upvotes and downvotes really don't matter, you know.
blackwoodHolt2 16y ago
(I tossed my login details but i'm the same guy who posted this http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1353050 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1353050) The best lie is a half truth. "Max" the reason people read your articles is because you've said you make $40K a month from niche iphone apps. Mark (lets drop the pretense) you sound like you have read Positioning by Ries, A. and Trout,J (http://www.amazon.com/Positioning-Battle-Your-Al-Ries/dp/0446347949 http://www.amazon.com/Positioning-Battle-Your-Al-Ries/dp/044...). Your positioning this "Max" character as the idealized serial entrepreneur. Globe trotting, living in 5 star hotel, identifying markets, working out those niche products. I'm sure that idealized person is something many people here want to replicate. That's only half the story though isn't it? The reality is your $40K a month is made from these apps (http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/feather-moor-ltd/id305345763?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/feather-moor-ltd/id3053457...) 1 star apps with content ripped from sites like ehow.com. Lets not forget that feather+moor are your creation as well. Would people read 37signals in the same light if they actually made their money by running casino affiliate sites? Would people read joel on software in the same light if he actually made his money from porn sites? Would people read Paul Graham articles in the same light if he actually made his money selling teeth whitening ads? You are not hiding your identity because of privacy, your hiding it because the reality of your success doesn't fit with the image you've created for Max. "Max" is not real because he is only half the story.
- jlcgull 16y ago
  Incisive analysis. What do you have to say to this "Max" ?
- olefoo 16y ago
  If there is an aspiring journalist in the audience, now would be a good time to track down Mr. Essien and the various other players involved, interview them and put together a definitive account of as much as is known. It would make a decent cover article for Fast Company, or do it as a blog with raw information dumps and crowdsourcing the factchecking.
  - maxklein 16y ago
webwright 16y ago
You can have a private facebook profile without using a fake name/identity.
Mz 16y ago
I've seen this type thing before on the 'net and, to a lesser degree, been on the receiving end of it. Wondering if people would be willing to toss out their two cents worth concerning what signals "authenticity" to them and what signals "fake" to them in the online world (preferably without further trashing the individual in question, which is not a conversation I really want any part of). I can think of legitimate reasons for doing things like not posting photos on the 'net (and have, in fact, taken photos of me off the 'net to stop the influx of unwelcome, highly personal e-mails). Any takers? Thanks in advance.

So... a) did you move to China; b) are you really doing 5 months work from home, one month work in a 5 star hotel; c) get in a knife fight? I don't mind privacy at all, but I like to know if what I'm reading is fact or fiction or some combination thereof. [a] http://maxkle.in/giving-up-on-europe/ http://maxkle.in/giving-up-on-europe/ [b] http://maxkle.in/my-company-5-months-work-from-home-one-month/ http://maxkle.in/my-company-5-months-work-from-home-one-mont... [c] http://maxkle.in/your-high-iq-will-kill-your-startup/ http://maxkle.in/your-high-iq-will-kill-your-startup/

nanijoe 16y ago
I used to think the Max Klein posts were somewhat inspirational, but at this point I just assume he's pulled a '419' on everyone. There's a healthy dose of fiction mixed into whatever facts may be contained in his blog posts.
- maxklein 16y ago
  Why do you describe my blog as '419'?
  - PaulGram 16y ago
    Ur a Nigerian scam artist obv
  - sliverstorm 16y ago
    In case you are not aware, '419' refers to Nigerian scammers. 419 = scam/fake/fraud (loosely)
- helveticaman 16y ago
  Some people lead more interesting lives than others.
maxklein 16y ago
All real.
- Typhon 16y ago
  I must say it's very funny to read your reasons to move to China. Among them, there's this one : «There are so many little ‘unfreedoms’ in europe that seems insignificant, but together they add up to a society that advocates safety over freedom.» Ok, but this is vague. Luckily, you provide an example, about a friend of yours : «she went online to some review forum for such services and wrote a long and scathing review about the company. A few days later, she received a letter from a lawyer informing her she was being sued for defamation, and she should delete her review and pay the lawyer costs, which came to 600€.» And this is the reason why you're moving to a country where people who criticize the government online end up in jail. (this guy, for example http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Xiaoning http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Xiaoning) Thank you for not letting us believe that this is a clever kind of joke, but is really the way you think. Good luck, you're going to need an unusual amount of it... Typhon
drtse4 16y ago
After reading this some time ago http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1353050 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1353050 personally i don't care anymore, if some of what you write is fiction just put a disclaimer somewhere and go on writing. As for other blogs if the content is ok i'll read it, otherwise i'll use my time in some other way.

shrikant 16y ago

Sorry this is (well, somewhat) totally off-topic, but: Has anyone else noticed that the HN news items now show the sub-domain in select cases? Or has it always done this for 'popular' blogging platforms? Currently I can see this for Blogspot, Wordpress, Blogs.com and Posterous. And, peripherally related, for this item as well. Which confuses me a little...

akkartik 16y ago
It's done this for wordpress et al since the first public release of the source code: http://github.com/nex3/arc/blob/81576aed622d560fdb3c96a26bb56691b1b9aa9c/news.arc#L1231 http://github.com/nex3/arc/blob/81576aed622d560fdb3c96a26bb5... Around last July's release it started showing subdomains anytime they aren't 'www'. Compare http://github.com/nex3/arc/blob/arc3/news.arc#L1550 http://github.com/nex3/arc/blob/arc3/news.arc#L1550 with http://github.com/nex3/arc/blob/arc3.1/news.arc#L1556 http://github.com/nex3/arc/blob/arc3.1/news.arc#L1556
- shrikant 16y ago
  Thanks for the info, mate. I believe you're slightly mistaken with your second line though - in this case it's showing the subdomain because the TLD is .in, and the 'www' bit is to just strip that particular bit from submitted links that might just be 'www.[blogspot|posterous|wordpress|blogs|etc].[in|jp|uk|za|etc]'. [Further aside: I don't do much code any more, but it was fun to tickle that part of my brain! Thanks again!]
  - akkartik 16y ago
    Ah, you're right. So crazy domain names get a subdomain to show up on HN. Very cool.

jackolas 16y ago

The "public" sphere is dead there is only the private sphere that is accessible by everyone. The notion of public is slowly eroding, see the death of print news media.

scott_s 16y ago

By blogging regularly, you invite people to pay attention to you. It seems natural then that you would want to carve out a private "don't look at me" space on the internet. Most people don't have this problem, though, because most other people don't care about them. They don't need to carve out a private space on the internet because no one is paying attention anyway. Personally, I share very little on Facebook because my Facebook social network is very close to my actual social network. My actual social network is quite varied, and there's little I have to say that is appropriate to every person I know.

camworld 16y ago

Just because he's figured out how to spam Hacker News with his navel-gazing, amateurish blog posts does not mean you should listen to him. If he's too chicken to post under his real name and stand by what he has to say, then he's not someone I'm going to listen to. His posts are very trollish in nature. Stop giving him the attention he so craves and the traffic that is fueling his profits. Update: Looks like "Max Klein" is voting this comment down using his numerous HN accounts. How pathetic.

maxklein 16y ago
Don't be hasty to criticize people - it may feel good in the short term, but over the long term it always turns out bad. And upvotes and downvotes really don't matter, you know.

blackwoodHolt2 16y ago

(I tossed my login details but i'm the same guy who posted this http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1353050 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1353050) The best lie is a half truth. "Max" the reason people read your articles is because you've said you make $40K a month from niche iphone apps. Mark (lets drop the pretense) you sound like you have read Positioning by Ries, A. and Trout,J (http://www.amazon.com/Positioning-Battle-Your-Al-Ries/dp/0446347949 http://www.amazon.com/Positioning-Battle-Your-Al-Ries/dp/044...). Your positioning this "Max" character as the idealized serial entrepreneur. Globe trotting, living in 5 star hotel, identifying markets, working out those niche products. I'm sure that idealized person is something many people here want to replicate. That's only half the story though isn't it? The reality is your $40K a month is made from these apps (http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/feather-moor-ltd/id305345763?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/feather-moor-ltd/id3053457...) 1 star apps with content ripped from sites like ehow.com. Lets not forget that feather+moor are your creation as well. Would people read 37signals in the same light if they actually made their money by running casino affiliate sites? Would people read joel on software in the same light if he actually made his money from porn sites? Would people read Paul Graham articles in the same light if he actually made his money selling teeth whitening ads? You are not hiding your identity because of privacy, your hiding it because the reality of your success doesn't fit with the image you've created for Max. "Max" is not real because he is only half the story.

jlcgull 16y ago
Incisive analysis. What do you have to say to this "Max" ?
olefoo 16y ago
If there is an aspiring journalist in the audience, now would be a good time to track down Mr. Essien and the various other players involved, interview them and put together a definitive account of as much as is known. It would make a decent cover article for Fast Company, or do it as a blog with raw information dumps and crowdsourcing the factchecking.
- maxklein 16y ago

webwright 16y ago

You can have a private facebook profile without using a fake name/identity.

Mz 16y ago

I've seen this type thing before on the 'net and, to a lesser degree, been on the receiving end of it. Wondering if people would be willing to toss out their two cents worth concerning what signals "authenticity" to them and what signals "fake" to them in the online world (preferably without further trashing the individual in question, which is not a conversation I really want any part of). I can think of legitimate reasons for doing things like not posting photos on the 'net (and have, in fact, taken photos of me off the 'net to stop the influx of unwelcome, highly personal e-mails). Any takers? Thanks in advance.