4 ms·

> disable comments from anyone you do not follow A good chunk of what I publish online doesn't have a comment section at all, but the moment someone posts a li

> disable comments from anyone you do not follow A good chunk of what I publish online doesn't have a comment section at all, but the moment someone posts a link to HN (or reddit, or...), suddenly it does.

VHRanger 3y ago
You don't have to read it? If you hate reading comments AND you can't stop yourself from reading them, go see a therapist. I don't mean this blithely, it's a sign of unaddressed emotional issues, it's a fixable thing and nothing to be ashamed of. It's not "who you are", it's just "a bad behavioral habit".
- b112 3y ago
  I'm not going to say you're wrong, but provide a differing perspective. Imagine that for no reason you can fathom, you hear that Bob claims <bad thing> about you. You don't know why, so you seek to find out, and you feel you should let people know that Bob isn't right! That's the sort of logic involved sometimes. Is it wrong? Well, likely in the world of "1 million strangers are reading and some are replying" it is. But it's perfectly sensible in a local community, to want to 'set the record straight'. And this peer-pressure derived desire to not be seen as a 'bad guy', is moderately important in a cohesive society. This desire to be seen by others in our community in a positive light, is just part of how we as animals, form a society. It's a "good thing", when locally derived. But yes, we need new ways to deal with this I guess.
  - catapart 3y ago
    You're very close to hitting the main point that people miss: Posting on the internet is a global audience and that means writing with a global audience in mind. It's a thousand times more taxing than a local audience because you lose all colloquialisms and points of common reference. It's more taxing than even writing for a newspaper because even in the worst case of national coverage, it's rare that an article author would have to consider the global perspective (though still required for certain types of news). This whole article is just the author chafing at WANTING to use social media like ne has a local audience, while being FORCED to use social media with a global audience in mind. I very much empathize, in the same way I empathize with product manual writers or software documentation authors. Having to come up with every way some dickhead is going to misunderstand you is a massive undertaking. And THEN you have to come up with all the ways that some dickhead will TRY to misunderstand you. To guard against all of them is impossible, so you just have to shore up as many sides as you can and take the criticism as it comes. That is what it means to write for a global audience, and its exhausting. So I don't blame anyone at all for saying "this isn't my job, fuck this." Personally, I just write how I want to write and let the chips fall where they may. I don't begrudge anyone for just not writing at all, and leaving all the chips alone. But I also don't find their intention to do so particularly worth description; especially not in long form. It's not like its a binary choice. When you have the spoons to troll any troll that comes at you, and engage earnestly with anyone who is trying to engage with you - no matter how misguided - then have at it! Make your posts and enjoy or muddle through as applies. And on days when you don't want to deal with it? Just shut the fuck up. Don't say anything. Don't reply to people. Don't engage at all. It's that "easy".
- Retr0id 3y ago
  The world is small, I regularly stumble across my own work or discussion thereof. I don't hate reading replies, I just hate reading replies that suck, and you can't tell if a reply sucks until after you've read it.
  - MichaelZuo 3y ago
    Since the benefits of the internet connected world are practically impossible to reject, and unless you go full hermit. It stands to reason the downsides are also practically impossible to reject, unless you go full hermit.
themaninthedark 3y ago
Just because someone links to and has the ability to commentate on your work does not mean that you need to read/engage/acknowledge the commentary.
- Retr0id 3y ago
  Good point, I'm going to un-read your reply now.
  - themaninthedark 3y ago
    I appreciate the humor :) In my line of work and my position, everything I do stays in the background out of the public eye. I can appreciate that for some people; researchers, open source programmers that you need to share what you do and your thoughts on how to do it with an audience. And naturally that if there is a discussion on a topic that your work might get brought up and commented on. Unfortunately, people are jerks, even more so online sometimes and there is no way of stopping it. The only solution I can see is creating a walled garden that is exclusive in it's membership and had a robust moderation policy. However that creates it's own problems such as echo chambers and allows those with power to control and shape discourse. In short, it looks like we are trying to find a technical solution to a social problem or perhaps even a human nature problem.

VHRanger 3y ago

You don't have to read it? If you hate reading comments AND you can't stop yourself from reading them, go see a therapist. I don't mean this blithely, it's a sign of unaddressed emotional issues, it's a fixable thing and nothing to be ashamed of. It's not "who you are", it's just "a bad behavioral habit".

b112 3y ago
I'm not going to say you're wrong, but provide a differing perspective. Imagine that for no reason you can fathom, you hear that Bob claims <bad thing> about you. You don't know why, so you seek to find out, and you feel you should let people know that Bob isn't right! That's the sort of logic involved sometimes. Is it wrong? Well, likely in the world of "1 million strangers are reading and some are replying" it is. But it's perfectly sensible in a local community, to want to 'set the record straight'. And this peer-pressure derived desire to not be seen as a 'bad guy', is moderately important in a cohesive society. This desire to be seen by others in our community in a positive light, is just part of how we as animals, form a society. It's a "good thing", when locally derived. But yes, we need new ways to deal with this I guess.
- catapart 3y ago
  You're very close to hitting the main point that people miss: Posting on the internet is a global audience and that means writing with a global audience in mind. It's a thousand times more taxing than a local audience because you lose all colloquialisms and points of common reference. It's more taxing than even writing for a newspaper because even in the worst case of national coverage, it's rare that an article author would have to consider the global perspective (though still required for certain types of news). This whole article is just the author chafing at WANTING to use social media like ne has a local audience, while being FORCED to use social media with a global audience in mind. I very much empathize, in the same way I empathize with product manual writers or software documentation authors. Having to come up with every way some dickhead is going to misunderstand you is a massive undertaking. And THEN you have to come up with all the ways that some dickhead will TRY to misunderstand you. To guard against all of them is impossible, so you just have to shore up as many sides as you can and take the criticism as it comes. That is what it means to write for a global audience, and its exhausting. So I don't blame anyone at all for saying "this isn't my job, fuck this." Personally, I just write how I want to write and let the chips fall where they may. I don't begrudge anyone for just not writing at all, and leaving all the chips alone. But I also don't find their intention to do so particularly worth description; especially not in long form. It's not like its a binary choice. When you have the spoons to troll any troll that comes at you, and engage earnestly with anyone who is trying to engage with you - no matter how misguided - then have at it! Make your posts and enjoy or muddle through as applies. And on days when you don't want to deal with it? Just shut the fuck up. Don't say anything. Don't reply to people. Don't engage at all. It's that "easy".
Retr0id 3y ago
The world is small, I regularly stumble across my own work or discussion thereof. I don't hate reading replies, I just hate reading replies that suck, and you can't tell if a reply sucks until after you've read it.
- MichaelZuo 3y ago
  Since the benefits of the internet connected world are practically impossible to reject, and unless you go full hermit. It stands to reason the downsides are also practically impossible to reject, unless you go full hermit.

themaninthedark 3y ago

Just because someone links to and has the ability to commentate on your work does not mean that you need to read/engage/acknowledge the commentary.

Retr0id 3y ago
Good point, I'm going to un-read your reply now.
- themaninthedark 3y ago
  I appreciate the humor :) In my line of work and my position, everything I do stays in the background out of the public eye. I can appreciate that for some people; researchers, open source programmers that you need to share what you do and your thoughts on how to do it with an audience. And naturally that if there is a discussion on a topic that your work might get brought up and commented on. Unfortunately, people are jerks, even more so online sometimes and there is no way of stopping it. The only solution I can see is creating a walled garden that is exclusive in it's membership and had a robust moderation policy. However that creates it's own problems such as echo chambers and allows those with power to control and shape discourse. In short, it looks like we are trying to find a technical solution to a social problem or perhaps even a human nature problem.