To compensate for the "strangeness" of the HN community, I have a small set of 'rules' for posting on HN. Keep a central focus in each post. Extraneous lines (

To compensate for the "strangeness" of the HN community, I have a small set of 'rules' for posting on HN. Keep a central focus in each post. Extraneous lines (especially ones that don't affect the core argument) tend to spawn major disagreements. Delete! Don't be funny. HN has a great sense of humor, but good luck pinning it down. State "I disagree" quickly and simply. Hedging will either muddy your point or sound rude. Listen to the crowd. HN users are intelligent and thought-provoking. If they downvote or overwhelmingly disagree, you might be the problem. The good news is that since you were downvoted quickly, nobody saw your post or recognizes your username. Keep trying! Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Nothing is easier than defeating an Internet opponent by demanding evidence for a broad claim. If your post can only be proven by actually conducting a study yourself, modify your argument and find actual evidence. Interestingly, phrasing your claim as an anecdotal story seems to be more acceptable than stating, "In my opinion..."