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Another startup that managed it, around the same time, was Cloudflare (not a YC startup). We spent a huge amount of time on the Cloudflare blog making sure tha

Another startup that managed it, around the same time, was Cloudflare (not a YC startup). We spent a huge amount of time on the Cloudflare blog making sure that it was precisely not a marketing outlet but technical. I think that's why it took off here. And we were/are very honest about when we had/have problems* and use simple, clear language. I personally spent/spend hours per day editing/writing for the blog. *https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30069658 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30069658

ryan_lane 5y ago
This is similar to how we edited the Lyft tech blog, and why I think we hit #1 so frequently.
samwillis 5y ago
Reminded me of @eastdakota's tweets RE your blog: https://twitter.com/eastdakota/status/1444337534759149574 https://twitter.com/eastdakota/status/1444337534759149574 "One of the smartest decisions we made at @Cloudflare was recognizing that the primary purpose of our blog was attracting employees, not attracting customers."
- jgrahamc 5y ago
  Yes, and I've spent a lot of time on HN over the years answering questions about Cloudflare. So, I think the story of our success on HN is a combination of content and commitment to the community (and a slap on the wrist from @dang for being overly aggressive posting blog.cloudflare.com links).
  - papertokyo 5y ago
    To what extent do you think the "Discuss on HN" CTA on your blog posts has helped? Every time I see that I think it's genius.
dreamcompiler 5y ago
That you can write well outside of blogs is evident from your posts. You obviously put in a lot of time sweating how to write before you joined Cloudflare, and that makes your blog posts a joy to read. The Geek Atlas is one of my favorite books by anybody, BTW.
- jgrahamc 5y ago
  That's very kind of you. I am glad you enjoyed my book.
  - ceocoder 5y ago
    Well, in case if this matters at all. I truly enjoy how you ‘eastdakota and ‘Kentonv engage with this forum - whether things are going well or not, I’ve come to expect a level of honest, direct and transparent dialog from you all. Oh and you are a really good author - truly enjoyed your book.

ryan_lane 5y ago

This is similar to how we edited the Lyft tech blog, and why I think we hit #1 so frequently.

samwillis 5y ago

Reminded me of @eastdakota's tweets RE your blog: https://twitter.com/eastdakota/status/1444337534759149574 https://twitter.com/eastdakota/status/1444337534759149574 "One of the smartest decisions we made at @Cloudflare was recognizing that the primary purpose of our blog was attracting employees, not attracting customers."

jgrahamc 5y ago
Yes, and I've spent a lot of time on HN over the years answering questions about Cloudflare. So, I think the story of our success on HN is a combination of content and commitment to the community (and a slap on the wrist from @dang for being overly aggressive posting blog.cloudflare.com links).
- papertokyo 5y ago
  To what extent do you think the "Discuss on HN" CTA on your blog posts has helped? Every time I see that I think it's genius.

dreamcompiler 5y ago

That you can write well outside of blogs is evident from your posts. You obviously put in a lot of time sweating how to write before you joined Cloudflare, and that makes your blog posts a joy to read. The Geek Atlas is one of my favorite books by anybody, BTW.

jgrahamc 5y ago
That's very kind of you. I am glad you enjoyed my book.
- ceocoder 5y ago
  Well, in case if this matters at all. I truly enjoy how you ‘eastdakota and ‘Kentonv engage with this forum - whether things are going well or not, I’ve come to expect a level of honest, direct and transparent dialog from you all. Oh and you are a really good author - truly enjoyed your book.