http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html > Please don't post on HN to ask or tell us something (e.g. to ask us q

http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html > Please don't post on HN to ask or tell us something (e.g. to ask us questions about Y Combinator, or to ask or complain about moderation). If you want to say something to us, please send it to info@ycombinator.com. In your blog, you write: > And I expect explanations, if I am downvoted. Yes, I have checked FAQs; I don't think I am abusing the facility. So, I still don't understand when does the HN community downvote? Obviously, you didn't bother to read the guidelines/FAQ very carefully or you would not have made this submission to HN. This submission of yours is meta-discussion (discussion about discussion) and as such, it is "not interesting" to many. In fact, many consider it outright annoying. If wasn't in an unusually benevolent mood, I'd flag it. It seems you know HN well enough to realize that "Ask HN" posts (i.e. submissions that do not have an external URL) are weighted differently and drop from the listing quicker than submissions of external URLs. In other words, from an outside perspective it seems your choice of using an external blog post with a follow-up submission to HN to ask a question is intentional manipulation. Whether intentional or not, it either makes you look like an ass or makes you look like you're too lazy to figure out how HN works. Your expectation of receiving explanations for down-votes has no basis in reality. A down-vote means different things to different people. It could disagreement with your opinion. It could be a hint that you're acting in a way that makes you seem like an ass. It could be your tone is a bit too sharp. You may have poor writing skills or rushed your response and failed to write clearly (happens to me a lot). You might have failed to consider the international aspect of this forum or realize civility can be quite different in different cultures. You might have had a bad day, or wrose, a "bad typing day" --When I have a bad typing day, my text looks like it was passed through ROT13. Though there is no prohibition on humor here on HN, be very, very, very careful with it. One-liners, memes, and similar humor-only posts are considered by many to detract from the discussion, and hence are discouraged by down-votes. The safe bet is to let your sense of humor add spice to your attempt of adding to the discussion in a positive way. No, I'm not smart enough to take my own advice, so yes, I can admit to occasionally posting relevant and original one-liners... and of course, sometimes I pay dearly in down-votes for letting my sense of humor get the better of me. Regardless of the reason for any down-vote or up-vote, the fact that someone took the time to give you feedback, positive or negative, is something you should always appreciate. Feedback helps you learn what other people consider to be useful, beneficial, and civil/polite contributions to a discussion.