4 ms·

Why have all these threads dropped so far down from the front page?

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
GaryNumanVevo 4y ago
The frontpage ranking algorithm is pretty simple (and open source). It just takes into account post age + votes with an exponential falloff over time. It doesn't take into account comments, so going to news.ycombinator.com/active is probably where you'll see the more active threads. https://medium.com/hacking-and-gonzo/how-hacker-news-ranking-algorithm-works-1d9b0cf2c08d https://medium.com/hacking-and-gonzo/how-hacker-news-ranking...
- monocasa 4y ago
  It's deeper than that, stories with 'too much' engagement get auto down ranked. The open source code doesn't tell the whole story, as they leave bits out related to moderation.
dang 4y ago
A combination of user flags, software penalties, and moderation downweights. Re the mod aspect: we have nothing against this story in principle but the utter degradation of these threads into predictable, reflexive vitriol from (dare I say it) both sides is some of the most profoundly uncurious "conversation" (where by conversation I mean people snarking as loudly as they can and hating on others) that I've seen on HN. It's a disgrace and I feel ashamed. If it were up to me I'd send everyone to bed without supper, but there's nothing we can do besides downweight the worst that shows up here. We can't convince people of anything, such as the purpose of the site, the destructiveness of what they're doing, or to listen to each other. It's a lesson in human nature. The line from this to people clubbing each other (and I don't mean dancing together) seems continuous to me.
- j-bos 4y ago
  Thanks. I often feel concerned when interesting stories get downweighted on hn, but comments like this remind me why. Still, it feels like the discussion is all lost in chaos. Kind of wish there were an online equivalent to the supposed "mirror behind customer service desk" trick. https://www.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/ehevmg/lpt_work_in_customer_service_put_a_mirror_behind/ https://www.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/ehevmg/lpt_wor...
- hackinthebochs 4y ago
  You should start disabling or /dev/null-ing votes from people who engage with the site in ways against its ethos. It's an extreme measure but this shit is getting out of hand.
- bitewhite 4y ago
  This definitely seems like the right thing to do. I’ve noticed more and more one line snarky comments on HN the past year. As well, the top posts have trended less and less technical.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

The frontpage ranking algorithm is pretty simple (and open source). It just takes into account post age + votes with an exponential falloff over time. It doesn't take into account comments, so going to news.ycombinator.com/active is probably where you'll see the more active threads. https://medium.com/hacking-and-gonzo/how-hacker-news-ranking-algorithm-works-1d9b0cf2c08d https://medium.com/hacking-and-gonzo/how-hacker-news-ranking...

monocasa 4y ago
It's deeper than that, stories with 'too much' engagement get auto down ranked. The open source code doesn't tell the whole story, as they leave bits out related to moderation.

dang 4y ago

A combination of user flags, software penalties, and moderation downweights. Re the mod aspect: we have nothing against this story in principle but the utter degradation of these threads into predictable, reflexive vitriol from (dare I say it) both sides is some of the most profoundly uncurious "conversation" (where by conversation I mean people snarking as loudly as they can and hating on others) that I've seen on HN. It's a disgrace and I feel ashamed. If it were up to me I'd send everyone to bed without supper, but there's nothing we can do besides downweight the worst that shows up here. We can't convince people of anything, such as the purpose of the site, the destructiveness of what they're doing, or to listen to each other. It's a lesson in human nature. The line from this to people clubbing each other (and I don't mean dancing together) seems continuous to me.

j-bos 4y ago
Thanks. I often feel concerned when interesting stories get downweighted on hn, but comments like this remind me why. Still, it feels like the discussion is all lost in chaos. Kind of wish there were an online equivalent to the supposed "mirror behind customer service desk" trick. https://www.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/ehevmg/lpt_work_in_customer_service_put_a_mirror_behind/ https://www.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/ehevmg/lpt_wor...
hackinthebochs 4y ago
You should start disabling or /dev/null-ing votes from people who engage with the site in ways against its ethos. It's an extreme measure but this shit is getting out of hand.
bitewhite 4y ago
This definitely seems like the right thing to do. I’ve noticed more and more one line snarky comments on HN the past year. As well, the top posts have trended less and less technical.