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Ask HN: What are the blocking algorithms on HN
A big sub-discussion going on in this post https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40612321 (Why are debut novels failing to launch?) is about HN's self-promotion blocking rules and evidently an algorithm enforcing those rules.
There are a lot of different takes in there as to what those rules are, and people (I among them) who believe they have fallen afoul of those rules.
One of the common subjects that comes up on this site is the need for algorithmic transparency to be fair about things, and it seems most of the userbase believes in this need. So, under that light - what are the rules and the algorithm blocking people for self-promotion?
If you think posts to your own content have been blocked can you request info on this (I never have, not wanting to bother people who have a lot of work to do)?
If you believe you have been blocked unfairly then is there a review process available?
My question was of course more general, because wondering about one form of blocking naturally led me to wonder about others, but my primary concern is the blocking to one's own content.
- brudgers 2y agoThis seems like a question for the moderators. hn@ycombinator.com Good luck.
- bryanrasmussen 2y agowell I've asked, but haven't received any response, but I can see every article of mine I've posted for the past 7 months has been shadow-banned, whereas other people's articles I post are fine.
- dang 2y ago> haven't received any response Did you expect to receive a response before 8am on a Sunday morning? That seems a little...stringent. There's no problem with your account. Some of your submissions have been killed because you posted them using a link shortener, and those are mostly banned on HN. I've replied to your email now, about 7 hours after you sent it. If that seems too long to you, you should see the inbox.
- bryanrasmussen 2y agosorry, I just meant I couldn't report on the response because I hadn't received it yet.
- dang 2y agoThat makes sense and I'm sorry for snapping at you.
- h2odragon 2y agoI do not think there's algorithm behind it. I think the users just don't like to upvote peoples' submissions of posts they seem to have some connection to. Possibly some users think of themselves as "gatekeepers" by flagging things, but I don't see that group working on "self promotion"; they're interested in political orthodoxy. Jeff Geerling's Pi posts were popular until he posted some himself. Now they may or may not fly, whoever posts them, even if multiple people think they're worth submitting over a week. (many days, I have read all of /new)
- bediger4000 2y agoI have a suspicion that voting rings existed in the past. I suspect that an anti-covid-vaccine ring operated on HN in 2021. No proof, of course, so you absolutely shouldn't believe me.
- bryanrasmussen 2y agothere have been discussions of potential national supported voting for Chinese and Russian pro posts, and downvoting of anti posts, but I don't remember if there were any substantive studies done.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]