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I don't post on HN often. Should I have modify the title to be less clickbaitey or be true to the post? I thought about changing it to give more context.
by anyfactor 4y ago
I don't post on HN often. Should I have modify the title to be less clickbaitey or be true to the post? I thought about changing it to give more context.
- kerblang 4y agoPersonally I would only call it "clickbait" if it didn't fulfill expectations. Instead it was an entertaining story. HN would nitpick the second coming of christ until he apologized for it and agreed to start all over again.
- beardyw 4y agoMost criticism comes from changing or replacing the title but I think adding something in brackets at the end would be ok.
- dang 4y agoThe site guidelines cover this: "Please use the original title, unless it is misleading or linkbait; don't editorialize." (https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html) In this case the title was linkbait so it would be correct to change it. When changing it, the goal is to represent the article accurately and neutrally (i.e. not putting a spin on it, which would be editorializing). The best way to do this is to find a representative phrase from the article itself which has those qualities—if you can find one. I took a quick look at that Reddit post and couldn't find one. That might be a sign that this article is too sensationalistic/shallow to make a good HN submission.
- anyfactor 4y agoMy first response from dang! Thank you, I will be more cautious next time.