4 ms·

Sorry to hear that. I can sort of relate. Ran a blog once for a niche topic, and put in effort to promote it. Some of my things got read, but so much felt like

Sorry to hear that. I can sort of relate. Ran a blog once for a niche topic, and put in effort to promote it. Some of my things got read, but so much felt like I was talking to an empty room. Same with HN. It's a ghost town. I commented here with another account for a few years. Never made a connection with anyone beyond someone replying to a comment. It's too big for users to encounter eachother on a regular basis, so you never get to know anyone. It's just a bunch of strangers.

DoreenMichele 9y ago
It's too big for users to encounter eachother on a regular basis, so you never get to know anyone. It's just a bunch of strangers. No, this is not true. Patio11 and tptacek were business partners at one time. People get work through here, make friends, make business connections. At least, men do. Lots of evidence of HN being a career maker for people right here in this discussion from 4 days ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16409768 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16409768 My highest traffic piece has over 40k page views. That is a lot more than the figures in the article. No, it didn't do anything at all for me professionally. I have tried figuring out how to write for the HN crowd. For example, this piece about how HN works: http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2017/08/hacker-news-how-that-work.html http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2017/08/hacker-news-... It gets no traction, though I routinely see stuff like that posted here. Here is a discussion of a similar piece from just yesterday: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16437973 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16437973 It is a self post by the author. It has hundreds of upvotes and lots of good discussion. I largely stopped self posting. It got me all kinds of bullshit personal attacks that were usually not rebutted by other members of the community. People do not vouch for me the way they do for guys here who have made the leaderboard. I have done everything in my power to try to make this work under difficult circumstances. I don't need anyone's pity. I don't need to hear anymore bullshit explanations about how it just cannot be done -- because the guys here do it all the fucking time. I need respect. I need to be taken seriously as a professional. I need people vouching for me, reaching out to me as a professional and cluing me as to how it's done. I get compliments in comments. People tell me publicly that I write well. But no one ever hits me up with an email asking if I would write something for them for pay. And I am ready to spit nails. How can 100k+ people all stand idly by and do not a goddamned thing to help me succeed professionally while pretending they aren't being sexist jerks? How do you casually watch a chronically ill homeless* woman starve and feel okay about what a good guy you are? This boggles my mind. I don't get it. * I am no longer homeless. But I was for a long time.
- urahara 9y ago
  Have you ever tried doing all the same under a male handle? There is multiple evidence it works, maybe worth testing if you are sure that gender bias is the main problem?
  - DoreenMichele 9y ago
    No. And I find the suggestion incredibly offensive. I can't get hired without pretending to be a guy? How does that work when it comes time to pay me? Assuming I can manage to actually get paid while pretending to be male, what happens when someone finally says "Let's do lunch"? The cure for sexism is not for women to pretend to be men. That fixes nothing.
    - urahara 9y ago
      I didn't want to sound offensive at all, sorry if it happened. I agree that it fixes nothing in terms of curing sexism, but if it could fix the problem of not getting paid gigs I would try it, and I know several cases when it works for female freelancers. They just have male handles and don't contact their clients in person (offline or with voice).
      - DoreenMichele 9y ago
        I know you mean well. This is a non starter for me. Thanks.
    - acct1771 9y ago
      Knew I'd find that suggestion. A slightly better one would be to use a nonspecific handle, because, as you're saying, it shouldn't matter. If your writing stands out (and if you have the stats you claim, it must), using a gender neutral pseudonym (because you've identified discrimination is what's stopping you from eating well), and having clients pay an LLC could work. Also, I work a shitty, barely above minimum-wage job at a gas station, and buy and sell old used crap on eBay and Craigslist, while (literally simultaneously, some nights), building my company. Curious to know if there's something comparable you're doing. Always interested in others' hustle.

DoreenMichele 9y ago

It's too big for users to encounter eachother on a regular basis, so you never get to know anyone. It's just a bunch of strangers. No, this is not true. Patio11 and tptacek were business partners at one time. People get work through here, make friends, make business connections. At least, men do. Lots of evidence of HN being a career maker for people right here in this discussion from 4 days ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16409768 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16409768 My highest traffic piece has over 40k page views. That is a lot more than the figures in the article. No, it didn't do anything at all for me professionally. I have tried figuring out how to write for the HN crowd. For example, this piece about how HN works: http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2017/08/hacker-news-how-that-work.html http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2017/08/hacker-news-... It gets no traction, though I routinely see stuff like that posted here. Here is a discussion of a similar piece from just yesterday: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16437973 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16437973 It is a self post by the author. It has hundreds of upvotes and lots of good discussion. I largely stopped self posting. It got me all kinds of bullshit personal attacks that were usually not rebutted by other members of the community. People do not vouch for me the way they do for guys here who have made the leaderboard. I have done everything in my power to try to make this work under difficult circumstances. I don't need anyone's pity. I don't need to hear anymore bullshit explanations about how it just cannot be done -- because the guys here do it all the fucking time. I need respect. I need to be taken seriously as a professional. I need people vouching for me, reaching out to me as a professional and cluing me as to how it's done. I get compliments in comments. People tell me publicly that I write well. But no one ever hits me up with an email asking if I would write something for them for pay. And I am ready to spit nails. How can 100k+ people all stand idly by and do not a goddamned thing to help me succeed professionally while pretending they aren't being sexist jerks? How do you casually watch a chronically ill homeless* woman starve and feel okay about what a good guy you are? This boggles my mind. I don't get it. * I am no longer homeless. But I was for a long time.

urahara 9y ago
Have you ever tried doing all the same under a male handle? There is multiple evidence it works, maybe worth testing if you are sure that gender bias is the main problem?
- DoreenMichele 9y ago
  No. And I find the suggestion incredibly offensive. I can't get hired without pretending to be a guy? How does that work when it comes time to pay me? Assuming I can manage to actually get paid while pretending to be male, what happens when someone finally says "Let's do lunch"? The cure for sexism is not for women to pretend to be men. That fixes nothing.
  - urahara 9y ago
    I didn't want to sound offensive at all, sorry if it happened. I agree that it fixes nothing in terms of curing sexism, but if it could fix the problem of not getting paid gigs I would try it, and I know several cases when it works for female freelancers. They just have male handles and don't contact their clients in person (offline or with voice).
    - DoreenMichele 9y ago
      I know you mean well. This is a non starter for me. Thanks.
  - acct1771 9y ago
    Knew I'd find that suggestion. A slightly better one would be to use a nonspecific handle, because, as you're saying, it shouldn't matter. If your writing stands out (and if you have the stats you claim, it must), using a gender neutral pseudonym (because you've identified discrimination is what's stopping you from eating well), and having clients pay an LLC could work. Also, I work a shitty, barely above minimum-wage job at a gas station, and buy and sell old used crap on eBay and Craigslist, while (literally simultaneously, some nights), building my company. Curious to know if there's something comparable you're doing. Always interested in others' hustle.