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This has been debated in so many threads. I want to sum up the arguments for comment scores (as see them) and maybe someone else could sum up the arguments agai
by hooande 15y ago
This has been debated in so many threads. I want to sum up the arguments for comment scores (as see them) and maybe someone else could sum up the arguments against them.
1. comment scores let you quickly scan to see the most interesting comments
2. comment scores provide an additional layer of information ("what did the community think about this?")
3. comment scores make it easier to assess comment quality in threaded discussions (the most popular top level comments will move to the top of the page, but little information is provided about the quality of replies)
As a hacker I'm generally on the side of getting as much information as I can, as fast as I can get it. I'd love to bring back the comment scores and think of other ways to address the problem of nasty arguments.
- getsat 15y ago> "what did the community think about this?" I like when sites treat this as a fuzzy metric, such as on Newgrounds. "This comment is helpful." "This comment is not helpful." "A consensus can't be reached about this comment."
- wickedchicken 15y agoI totally agree with this. If you read through comments generally distrusting the community (as I do) then pretty much all specific information is useless. A gist is all you need, anything else is needlessly complicated.
- themal 15y agoThose are all valid points, but the thing that's always bothered me about Hacker News is the cult-like feel that comments exude. I would suggest that by hiding the scores, the website disguises the level of futility of voting against this collective mindset, and thereby encourages diversity of opinions.