4 ms·
In my experience, responsible professionals do not give free Internet advice in situations with potentially serious consequences. Serious situations require ver
by forapurpose 8y ago
In my experience, responsible professionals do not give free Internet advice in situations with potentially serious consequences. Serious situations require very carefully considered advice; you could leave something out or misstate something; it could be misconstrued - and someone dies. For much less dire situations, I don't give professional advice without giving it far more care than I give an HN comment.
Authoritative sources are great. They probably bring to bear far more expertise than HN commenters, they've already performed all that careful consideration, and in many cases they've also tested how the information will be understood. Again, misunderstandings can be deadly.
The proper response is not 'here's what to do'; it's 'here's a link to an excellent authoritative source'.
- JshWright 8y agoI agree with your general premise. I disagree with your application of that premise here. In this case the comment is providing a warning that the situation is more dangerous than it appears. Someone reading that comment would be more likely to act conservatively, resulting in fewer deaths.