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SA is also not the font of internet culture that it once was, either, so clearly the price of admission is not sufficient to make it successful. It seems to me
by idiotsecant 4y ago
SA is also not the font of internet culture that it once was, either, so clearly the price of admission is not sufficient to make it successful. It seems to me it was, at most, a partial contributor.
- onetimeusename 4y agoI think it's an interesting argument about what SA is now. I hear membership is growing again. It has a dedicated group there. I think that's what's most interesting. That's really not much different than a Reddit board in theory. But Reddit boards seem to come and go constantly and suffer from all sorts of problems. I am not a redditor but SA seems like a better board than a specific sub reddit. My point is that maybe what SA is now is the best you can hope for on the internet, and it's going strong(?).
- Apocryphon 4y agoAlso, SA has "underperformed" as an internet platform- Lowtax notoriously failed to capitalize on the community and grow it into something bigger (and more lucrative). So it remains a large old-school vBulletin-style internet forum instead of a potential Reddit or even greater, albeit with its culture and soul intact.
- Waterluvian 4y agoNot suggesting you meant it this way, but there's an amusing "money person with blinders on" angle to the statement. It's the "what's the point of anything if you're not making money?!"
- Apocryphon 4y agoPerhaps, but it's not even an HN/startup point of view. Goons regularly make fun of Lowtax for squandering the large audience (some of whom included popular Internet personalities who would go on to reach greater success and celebrity) and lead SA had. It all plays into the "loser admin" mythos.
- idiotsecant 4y agoTo be fair to Lowtax, he was an insane person.