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HN has an 80 character title max length. The full original title is 157 characters, nearly double that. The alternatives generally suggested are to shorten th
by dredmorbius 2y ago
HN has an 80 character title max length. The full original title is 157 characters, nearly double that.
The alternatives generally suggested are to shorten the original title, omitting needless descriptives or words (e.g., counts, emotives, etc.) if possible, or barring that, to substitute alternative text, preferably from a subtitle or passage from the article (both to avoid editorialising):
dang comment: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9908533 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9908533>
Guidelines: <https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html> ("In Submissions", title guidance.)
Something's got to give, though, and the submitted title is accurate so far as it goes.
If HN's readers can't be trusted to read even the title of an article, well, the whole premise of a an article-based discussion site seems somewhat imperiled. This may well be the case, of course ...
- notpushkin 2y agoThis one is 75 characters: > IKEA solved ‘unhappy worker’ crisis by raising salaries, flexible schedules It's not really grammatically correct I think, but otherwise seems like a good compromise: we only leave out childcare subsidies, which is another monetary compensation, and do mention flexible work schedules which is a non-monetary benefit and might be crucial to IKEA's strategy.
- ricc 2y agoBut then there’s this rule to not editorialise headlines, so…
- notpushkin 2y agoI'd say just cutting out half of the headline is more editorializing than trying to edit it to fit more of it.
- dredmorbius 2y agoI'd give the submitter more credit than that. The title was cut for length, retaining the earlier (and presumably more significant) aspects of the original. As I noted in my other comment, wordsmithing title is a challenge, and most people probably aren't fully aware of HN's nuances and preferences in the practice. And you did do a better job of it, as I also indicated a few minutes ago.
- notpushkin 2y agoOf course, no negativity towards the submitter – I was just trying to make an argument for editing titles more carefully and trying to preserve original meaning. I think you did a better job in the sibling comment though!
- dredmorbius 2y agoEditing titles is permitted. That is, removing specifically indicated guideline violations, or shortening titles to fit length. Editorialising is NOT the same thing. It is replacing (or adjusting) a title not for length or clarity, but to give a specific slant to a subject or inject the submitter's opinion. Dang: "Editorializing is editing a title to put one's own spin on it." <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32085439 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32085439>
- dredmorbius 2y agoThat's actually pretty good, and I'd suggest you email it to the mods: hn@ycombinator.com Wordsmithing titles is a bit of an art and often a challenge.
- belter 2y agoAgree. Only mods can change now. I posted it and English is not my native language. Just Creole. As mentioned above, was trying to fit the title without editorializing....
- Angostura 2y ago74 characters: Ikea improves salaries, flexible working, childcare to solve ‘unhappy worker’ crisis.
- nonrandomstring 2y ago> Ikea’s boss solved the Swedish retailer’s global ‘unhappy worker’ crisis by raising salaries, introducing flexible working and subsidizing childcare Kid aid plus dosh foils toil says Swede sofa shop boss surely there's a command line tool for abstract2dailymail
- ranguna 2y agoSalary raise, childcare, flexible hours fixes 'unhappy worker' crisis says IKEA 78 characters