5 ms·

Here, I rewrote your comment to say the same things in a friendlier way. There are nicer ways to provide feedback. > I would recommend updating your demo GIF t

Here, I rewrote your comment to say the same things in a friendlier way. There are nicer ways to provide feedback. > I would recommend updating your demo GIF to more accurately portray the idea. Perhaps instead of just typing the function into the text editor, it should also convey how snippets can be saved and reused at a later point. This would give me a better idea of how to utilize the project.

derp_dee_derp 7y ago
There was nothing unfriendly about the original phrasing.
- OGWhales 7y ago
  Can anyone tell me why some comments, like this one, are darker than others? It would appear lighter with the default scheme. Image showing what I mean: https://i.imgur.com/Beo2qve.png https://i.imgur.com/Beo2qve.png
  - walls 7y ago
    I believe it means the post was down-voted below zero.
  - mttjj 7y ago
    Those are comments that have been predominately downvoted. From the FAQ: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html > Why don't I see down arrows? > There are no down arrows on stories. They appear on comments after users reach a certain karma threshold, but never on direct replies.
    - OGWhales 7y ago
      Thank you! I wasn't aware there were even downvotes, so I didn't think of that as a possibility.
      - deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]
- chapium 7y ago
  Op communicated their emotional noise rather than being constructive (signal). The content is there in between the complaints.
wnoise 7y ago
Stet. The comment wasn't particularly unfriendly at all. It didn't contain any personal attacks or contentless bashing. Indeed, the comment did something valuable: identified a problem, and thoroughly described why it was a problem. If the only way some one can give usable problem analysis and criticism is by including suggested fixes, and delicately toning down the criticism, then far fewer people are going to be willing to expend enough effort to interact beyond meaningless cheerleaderism. In fact, your suggestion of a different way to criticize comes across to me as incredibly condescending -- to both the commenter and the original author.
- johnfactorial 7y ago
  I agree that the original comment was not overtly _un_friendly. I also think that the reply represents a better way. > If the only way some one can give usable problem analysis and criticism is by including suggested fixes, I think we can all agree that the inclusion of suggested fixes does make feedback more helpful in general. > and delicately toning down the criticism, then far fewer people are going to be willing to expend enough effort to interact It does require a little additional effort to write kinder feedback, to take the moment to address the human being behind an Internet comment in a similar way to how we might address a person face to face. I'm as guilty as any of failing in that way. But if criticism's aim is to improve, it will be more successful if it's more easily digested by its audience. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar and all that. And really the reply above isn't that big a difference. In my view, it's a sign of intelligence, learning how to communicate effectively. If raising the bar only this high results in "far fewer people" interacting, maybe that's a good thing. I don't really need to hear from people unable to tame their own words when they have no time limit on typing them, and I'd rather belong to a community with fewer responses but a higher proportion of politeness and shared humanity than an array of comments expressing the kind of gruff emphasis on failure that bookends the original comment, "Your gif doesn't convey your idea __at all__," and "i'm confused as to why this project even exists." Edit: BTW today I learned "stet" thanks to you.
  - wnoise 7y ago
    Including good suggested fixes is certainly better than not. But no suggested fixes are better than bad suggested fixes. Finding problems is a different skill set than proposing solutions. Letting people with these complementary skill sets coöperate in improving something seems to be better than requiring one person have both. The perfect is the enemy of the good. I'm not sure why emphasis on failure is a problem, when that failure is precisely what is being communicated. However, the comment certainly does look a lot more unfriendly in light of the responses. Perhaps I was too kind to "i'm confused as to why this project even exists", because I don't understand why I would ever want "code snippets" myself.
thrownaway954 7y ago
you're an over sensitive. grow up please.
- personhuman1 7y ago
  Oof you're the one who seems like a triggered snow flake boo boo can't deal criticism, grow up please. The people who call others over sensitive are always the MOST OVER SENSITIVE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD

derp_dee_derp 7y ago

There was nothing unfriendly about the original phrasing.

OGWhales 7y ago
Can anyone tell me why some comments, like this one, are darker than others? It would appear lighter with the default scheme. Image showing what I mean: https://i.imgur.com/Beo2qve.png https://i.imgur.com/Beo2qve.png
- walls 7y ago
  I believe it means the post was down-voted below zero.
- mttjj 7y ago
  Those are comments that have been predominately downvoted. From the FAQ: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html > Why don't I see down arrows? > There are no down arrows on stories. They appear on comments after users reach a certain karma threshold, but never on direct replies.
  - OGWhales 7y ago
    Thank you! I wasn't aware there were even downvotes, so I didn't think of that as a possibility.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
chapium 7y ago
Op communicated their emotional noise rather than being constructive (signal). The content is there in between the complaints.

wnoise 7y ago

Stet. The comment wasn't particularly unfriendly at all. It didn't contain any personal attacks or contentless bashing. Indeed, the comment did something valuable: identified a problem, and thoroughly described why it was a problem. If the only way some one can give usable problem analysis and criticism is by including suggested fixes, and delicately toning down the criticism, then far fewer people are going to be willing to expend enough effort to interact beyond meaningless cheerleaderism. In fact, your suggestion of a different way to criticize comes across to me as incredibly condescending -- to both the commenter and the original author.

johnfactorial 7y ago
I agree that the original comment was not overtly _un_friendly. I also think that the reply represents a better way. > If the only way some one can give usable problem analysis and criticism is by including suggested fixes, I think we can all agree that the inclusion of suggested fixes does make feedback more helpful in general. > and delicately toning down the criticism, then far fewer people are going to be willing to expend enough effort to interact It does require a little additional effort to write kinder feedback, to take the moment to address the human being behind an Internet comment in a similar way to how we might address a person face to face. I'm as guilty as any of failing in that way. But if criticism's aim is to improve, it will be more successful if it's more easily digested by its audience. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar and all that. And really the reply above isn't that big a difference. In my view, it's a sign of intelligence, learning how to communicate effectively. If raising the bar only this high results in "far fewer people" interacting, maybe that's a good thing. I don't really need to hear from people unable to tame their own words when they have no time limit on typing them, and I'd rather belong to a community with fewer responses but a higher proportion of politeness and shared humanity than an array of comments expressing the kind of gruff emphasis on failure that bookends the original comment, "Your gif doesn't convey your idea __at all__," and "i'm confused as to why this project even exists." Edit: BTW today I learned "stet" thanks to you.
- wnoise 7y ago
  Including good suggested fixes is certainly better than not. But no suggested fixes are better than bad suggested fixes. Finding problems is a different skill set than proposing solutions. Letting people with these complementary skill sets coöperate in improving something seems to be better than requiring one person have both. The perfect is the enemy of the good. I'm not sure why emphasis on failure is a problem, when that failure is precisely what is being communicated. However, the comment certainly does look a lot more unfriendly in light of the responses. Perhaps I was too kind to "i'm confused as to why this project even exists", because I don't understand why I would ever want "code snippets" myself.

thrownaway954 7y ago

you're an over sensitive. grow up please.

personhuman1 7y ago
Oof you're the one who seems like a triggered snow flake boo boo can't deal criticism, grow up please. The people who call others over sensitive are always the MOST OVER SENSITIVE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD