3 ms·

I left Reddit because the extreme levels of opinion mixed with self-righteous cynicism inevitable in every single thread was unbearable. I enjoy reading convers

by ksaj 6y ago

I left Reddit because the extreme levels of opinion mixed with self-righteous cynicism inevitable in every single thread was unbearable. I enjoy reading conversation threads, which I think Hacker News has basically mastered. Reddit, not so much. These people think they know everything, dramatize the crap out of their hostile opinions, and yet as time goes on, they're quite often proven wrong. But that's what they seem to enjoy, so let 'em at it. I see Reddit as a rite of passage. Go there in your youth and pretend you know everything. Once you grow up and learn you don't know everything, move onto less obnoxious forums where you can discuss things like an adult. Not everything has to end in a meme of the day or an attack based on someone's assumptions of your personality/ knowledge/ skill/ appearance/ etc.

fragsworth 6y ago
I wouldn't say HN has mastered the conversation. There are still major issues, like how late comments can be drowned out by the noise, despite being really high quality. And how there's a tendency to brigade one side of an issue on particular topics. I think these problems are solvable with a bit of creativity.
- ksaj 6y ago
  Yes there is that issue. If someone posts something, and you post the one and only correct answer 12 hours later, it is highly likely nobody will notice. But it does suit my attention span, so I don't even mind missing upvotes if I'm able to answer something a bit late for the party. Upvotes just mean that something I've said might be worth looking back on just in case there are replies to reply to. If I get an upvote for something I said more than 12 hours ago, I will at least notice that and get a chance to reply to it. Without that, they're lost, too. I just hope the OP notices whatever it was I tried to add, and move on. I'm not the center of what OP was presenting. Unlike Reddit, where everyone is competing to be that center. It's why I always upvote anything resembling a good thread. Sometimes its the only hope of noticing if a comment got any traction. There probably is no way to solve it for everyone. But at least here it doesn't automatically devolve into a meme or fire storm of utter hatred. When that is the norm, I know I'm not among peer and search for a different site. And I say all that knowing that nearly nobody will notice. ;p

by ksaj 6y ago

fragsworth 6y ago

I wouldn't say HN has mastered the conversation. There are still major issues, like how late comments can be drowned out by the noise, despite being really high quality. And how there's a tendency to brigade one side of an issue on particular topics. I think these problems are solvable with a bit of creativity.

ksaj 6y ago
Yes there is that issue. If someone posts something, and you post the one and only correct answer 12 hours later, it is highly likely nobody will notice. But it does suit my attention span, so I don't even mind missing upvotes if I'm able to answer something a bit late for the party. Upvotes just mean that something I've said might be worth looking back on just in case there are replies to reply to. If I get an upvote for something I said more than 12 hours ago, I will at least notice that and get a chance to reply to it. Without that, they're lost, too. I just hope the OP notices whatever it was I tried to add, and move on. I'm not the center of what OP was presenting. Unlike Reddit, where everyone is competing to be that center. It's why I always upvote anything resembling a good thread. Sometimes its the only hope of noticing if a comment got any traction. There probably is no way to solve it for everyone. But at least here it doesn't automatically devolve into a meme or fire storm of utter hatred. When that is the norm, I know I'm not among peer and search for a different site. And I say all that knowing that nearly nobody will notice. ;p