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I suspect it's because people aren't reading the guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html#:~:text=Please%20don%27t%20post%20comments%20sayin

I suspect it's because people aren't reading the guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html#:~:text=Please%20don%27t%20post%20comments%20saying https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html#:~:text=Ple...

300bps 4y ago
The last of which says: Please don't post comments saying that HN is turning into Reddit. It's a semi-noob illusion, as old as the hills.
- gjsman-1000 4y ago
  If I was joining Hacker News today and saw that in the guidelines, I would actually immediately laugh my head off and leave. It's a stupid argument - we're not, and don't talk about it, because we say we aren't, regardless to whether we are. Edit: I know, that it is a semi-noob illusion as he says and people have said it for years. I've been here for years and actually feel an increasing decline (and I don't think I am alone - this is like the second time this question has been asked in a week) - but the argument is used to shut down conversation regarding HN's decline rather than just keep newcomers in check.
  - xeromal 4y ago
    Doesn't mean it ain't true. I've been on HN since about 2013 and people have been claiming its reddit since I joined.
  - Sebb767 4y ago
    Also, see this comment from 2009: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=607789 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=607789 I think we can pretty safely say that 13 years in, the transformation hasn't finished yet. So it's totally okay to discuss this (as clearly shown by this thread being on the front page), but if you want to make that argument, you should probably have more data points than a gut feeling.
    - thrill 4y ago
      And yet it's flagged.
robbrown451 4y ago
Whether people read the guidelines and whether they follow them are different things. Sorta like with speed limits.... people can be well aware of them, but if they aren't enforced, only some subset are going to obey them. And that subset gets smaller when they see tons of people zooming past them. That said dang does an admirable job.
- the_only_law 4y ago
  Quote the guidelines when they support you, bend them when they dont.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - gjsman-1000 4y ago
    I've been repeatedly flagged by @dang for fermenting flamewars. I am guilty as charged for some of them. However, it is infuriating because he leaves plenty of flamewars unchallenged. IMHO, if I had a criticism of him, I would argue his enforcement is inconsistent at best.
    - snoopy_telex 4y ago
      Humans are inconsistent at best. It sounds like the right time to pitch my AI startup that detects and manages HN comments in real time. I look forward to getting a sweet investment deal. Now, I just need to fix where it thinks cat video games are revenge porn…
    - dang 4y ago
      You may be running into this problem: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&query=likeliest%20explanation%20by%3Adang&sort=byDate&type=comment https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu... It's possible that we have different interpretations of what counts as a flamewar, but the likeliest explanation is just that we don't see everything. If you see a comment that hasn't been moderated and should have been, you can always let us know at hn@ycombinator.com.

300bps 4y ago

The last of which says: Please don't post comments saying that HN is turning into Reddit. It's a semi-noob illusion, as old as the hills.

gjsman-1000 4y ago
If I was joining Hacker News today and saw that in the guidelines, I would actually immediately laugh my head off and leave. It's a stupid argument - we're not, and don't talk about it, because we say we aren't, regardless to whether we are. Edit: I know, that it is a semi-noob illusion as he says and people have said it for years. I've been here for years and actually feel an increasing decline (and I don't think I am alone - this is like the second time this question has been asked in a week) - but the argument is used to shut down conversation regarding HN's decline rather than just keep newcomers in check.
- xeromal 4y ago
  Doesn't mean it ain't true. I've been on HN since about 2013 and people have been claiming its reddit since I joined.
- Sebb767 4y ago
  Also, see this comment from 2009: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=607789 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=607789 I think we can pretty safely say that 13 years in, the transformation hasn't finished yet. So it's totally okay to discuss this (as clearly shown by this thread being on the front page), but if you want to make that argument, you should probably have more data points than a gut feeling.
  - thrill 4y ago
    And yet it's flagged.

robbrown451 4y ago

Whether people read the guidelines and whether they follow them are different things. Sorta like with speed limits.... people can be well aware of them, but if they aren't enforced, only some subset are going to obey them. And that subset gets smaller when they see tons of people zooming past them. That said dang does an admirable job.

the_only_law 4y ago
Quote the guidelines when they support you, bend them when they dont.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- gjsman-1000 4y ago
  I've been repeatedly flagged by @dang for fermenting flamewars. I am guilty as charged for some of them. However, it is infuriating because he leaves plenty of flamewars unchallenged. IMHO, if I had a criticism of him, I would argue his enforcement is inconsistent at best.
  - snoopy_telex 4y ago
    Humans are inconsistent at best. It sounds like the right time to pitch my AI startup that detects and manages HN comments in real time. I look forward to getting a sweet investment deal. Now, I just need to fix where it thinks cat video games are revenge porn…
  - dang 4y ago
    You may be running into this problem: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&query=likeliest%20explanation%20by%3Adang&sort=byDate&type=comment https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu... It's possible that we have different interpretations of what counts as a flamewar, but the likeliest explanation is just that we don't see everything. If you see a comment that hasn't been moderated and should have been, you can always let us know at hn@ycombinator.com.