4 ms·

I’m a big advocate that incorrect comments shouldn’t be downvoted, just corrected. Incorrect comments are valuable if they are corrected with informative commen

I’m a big advocate that incorrect comments shouldn’t be downvoted, just corrected. Incorrect comments are valuable if they are corrected with informative comments. But there is a difference between incorrect comments and comments that are broad generalisations presented in an obnoxious way. The former sparks informative conversations whereas the latter adds little informative value while pissing people off. I suspect the real value of the latter is just likeminded people patting themselves on the back for being “awesome”. Which I don’t particularly rate as a positive effect for discourse let alone the wider HN community

Annatar 6y ago
That is ironic because this entire web site consists of what appears to be like-minded people constantly patting each other on the back because they're so awesome; meanwhile they leave a lot to be desired, and the person you're criticizing so staunchly isn't necessarily one those persons... This website has turned into a hangout for "brogrammers", that's why I almost never participate here any more. Now I'll end up writing even less, I think.
- laumars 6y ago
  > That is ironic because this entire web site consists of what appears to be like-minded people constantly patting each other on the back because they're so awesome I didn’t used to be that way and there are still plenty of folk on here who aren’t just posting to sound clever. So I don’t think it’s fair to cast the same judgement for the entire active member base. But in terms of your general point, I do agree the signal to noise ratio has gotten a lot worse over the years. Unfortunately that’s just part of the natural evolution of communication platforms. Happens to every message board, IRC channel, Facebook group and so on and so forth.

4 ms·

I’m a big advocate that incorrect comments shouldn’t be downvoted, just corrected. Incorrect comments are valuable if they are corrected with informative commen

by laumars 6y ago

Annatar 6y ago
That is ironic because this entire web site consists of what appears to be like-minded people constantly patting each other on the back because they're so awesome; meanwhile they leave a lot to be desired, and the person you're criticizing so staunchly isn't necessarily one those persons... This website has turned into a hangout for "brogrammers", that's why I almost never participate here any more. Now I'll end up writing even less, I think.
- laumars 6y ago
  > That is ironic because this entire web site consists of what appears to be like-minded people constantly patting each other on the back because they're so awesome I didn’t used to be that way and there are still plenty of folk on here who aren’t just posting to sound clever. So I don’t think it’s fair to cast the same judgement for the entire active member base. But in terms of your general point, I do agree the signal to noise ratio has gotten a lot worse over the years. Unfortunately that’s just part of the natural evolution of communication platforms. Happens to every message board, IRC channel, Facebook group and so on and so forth.