3 ms·

If you find yourself writing an informative comment on HN that will likely get buried. Urge yourself to write a blog article instead.

by z3t4 4y ago

version_five 4y ago
I've posted some blog type content over the years and don't know any good way to get anybody to read it (or really even a reason why they should). Posting on HN gets way more interaction and views than most people's blogs would
- z3t4 4y ago
  You should submit the article to HN. If you just make a comment it will likely only be seen by people reading that particular comment section that particular day. But an article you can link/reference and re-submit. (you can also link to specific comments on HN, but a standalone article is a more expressive medium)
maxbond 4y ago
Something I appreciate about HN is having the opportunity to make a case to dozens or perhaps hundreds of my peers, without the burden of having and maintaining an audience. I don't think people recognize my name from one thread to another, and if they do I don't think they have much of a parasocial relationship with me. I don't see any evidence people "follow" my comments, for instance; the people I talk to more frequently seem like people who just have similar interests and click the same threads, not people who are interested in me and are following what I do. On two occasions people have sent me an email thanking me for making a certain comment, but it always felt like a peer pulled me aside to have a one-on-one chat, not like I was some kind of personality. There's a moment towards the end of the Bo Burnham special "what." where he talks about the weight having an audience has in his life, and he says, "if you can go through your life without having an audience, you should do it." I do have thoughts to share and I am working on starting a blog, but I try to keep Burnham's warning in mind.
- shakezula 4y ago
  Ah this is such a succinct description of the real value of the town hall discussion format. I don’t care or want to maintain a subscriber list, but I absolutely do want to contribute and actively participate in my area of interests. HN is the best area I’ve found for that.
l0b0 4y ago
I've done this a few times, and it's amazing how much better (according to myself, that is) the content is than a comment. Proper length, formatting, images, inline links, and things like ‹abbr› and ‹key› elements just make for a superior reading experience. Unfortunately this means the answer might be years in the making, as I keep accumulating drafts.

If you find yourself writing an informative comment on HN that will likely get buried. Urge yourself to write a blog article instead.

by z3t4 4y ago

If you find yourself writing an informative comment on HN that will likely get buried. Urge yourself to write a blog article instead.

version_five 4y ago

I've posted some blog type content over the years and don't know any good way to get anybody to read it (or really even a reason why they should). Posting on HN gets way more interaction and views than most people's blogs would

z3t4 4y ago
You should submit the article to HN. If you just make a comment it will likely only be seen by people reading that particular comment section that particular day. But an article you can link/reference and re-submit. (you can also link to specific comments on HN, but a standalone article is a more expressive medium)

maxbond 4y ago

Something I appreciate about HN is having the opportunity to make a case to dozens or perhaps hundreds of my peers, without the burden of having and maintaining an audience. I don't think people recognize my name from one thread to another, and if they do I don't think they have much of a parasocial relationship with me. I don't see any evidence people "follow" my comments, for instance; the people I talk to more frequently seem like people who just have similar interests and click the same threads, not people who are interested in me and are following what I do. On two occasions people have sent me an email thanking me for making a certain comment, but it always felt like a peer pulled me aside to have a one-on-one chat, not like I was some kind of personality. There's a moment towards the end of the Bo Burnham special "what." where he talks about the weight having an audience has in his life, and he says, "if you can go through your life without having an audience, you should do it." I do have thoughts to share and I am working on starting a blog, but I try to keep Burnham's warning in mind.

shakezula 4y ago
Ah this is such a succinct description of the real value of the town hall discussion format. I don’t care or want to maintain a subscriber list, but I absolutely do want to contribute and actively participate in my area of interests. HN is the best area I’ve found for that.

l0b0 4y ago

I've done this a few times, and it's amazing how much better (according to myself, that is) the content is than a comment. Proper length, formatting, images, inline links, and things like ‹abbr› and ‹key› elements just make for a superior reading experience. Unfortunately this means the answer might be years in the making, as I keep accumulating drafts.