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Why flag any and not just see what the community engages with? You don't have to participate in threads about subjects you aren't interested in, you know. And t

by asdff 2y ago

Why flag any and not just see what the community engages with? You don't have to participate in threads about subjects you aren't interested in, you know. And the expectation that this is somehow taking time from the community who would otherwise be engaging in threads you are more interested in yourself, is a little, well, self centered to me.

tptacek 2y ago
I'm going to keep flagging all of them, because these stories are all activating and attract tons of upvotes and comments, filling the front page with repetitive recapitulations of the same tired arguments. It's not what HN is for.
- asdff 2y ago
  Is it not for discussing topics of interest to the community?
  - tptacek 2y ago
    It's for discussing on-topic topics of interest to the community, where on-topic specifically excludes "most stories about politics", which is a very easy to bar to clear when the stories you're flagging are literally duplicative of stories with hundreds or thousands of comments on them already.
    - neverokay 2y ago
      Because they are long-running discussions, it’s not repetitive. When we allow Rust or JS threads to keep popping up, it’s because we evolve with the topic over time and continuously discuss it. What the HN shadow mod team is doing is killing the possibility of a long-running, evolving discourse on important topics.
      - pvg 2y ago
        Rust and JS threads are on topic for the site, most current events stuff is not. is killing the possibility of a long-running, evolving discourse on important topics. These topics have been the most discussed topics on HN the last couple of months by a massive margin. The quality of 'discourse' has been abysmal so we know empirically the 'evolution' theory/hope is misplaced.
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
        Tadpole9181 2y ago
        [flagged]
        MegaButts 2y ago
        > These topics have been the most discussed topics on HN the last couple of months by a massive margin. Have any of these topics managed to not be censored via flagging? From my perspective, I have very much wanted to talk about these things on HN and despite checking multiple times a day I have never been able to engage in an ongoing discussion (by which I mean the post wasn't removed from the front page due to flagging, effectively limiting the visibility it would otherwise get from organic upvotes). You're entitled to dislike these topics and to flag them. And I'm entitled to think you're actively making HN worse with your gatekeeping. The problem with flagging is it gives more weight to a smaller group. I don't know the weighing exactly, but I'd guess flagging is 10-100x more effective than regular voting. So in theory just 1-10% of people have the ability to censor topics they don't like. Kinda seems like the antithesis of what's "interesting" to me. And yes, I absolutely 100% would prefer contentious "go fuck yourself" arguments on politics than not being allowed to discuss it in good faith at all.
        tptacek 2y ago
        The "smaller group" here is anyone with over 500 karma. You're going to have to find some other place to have "contentious go-fuck-yourself arguments" --- about literally anything --- because they are anathema to curious conversation, which is the overriding goal of this site. That goal isn't changing just because we're all activated about politics right now, just like it wasn't in 2017.
    - Teever 2y ago
      Dude there was a post about George Foreman's obituary the other day... Like c'mon. I'm pretty sure that your pretentiousness just invited a shitstorm of people who are going to flag your posts from now on.
      - CyberDildonics 2y ago
        Yeah everyone gets self righteous about being on topic when it's something they don't like, meanwhile hacker news is filled with cheap self promotion and pop culture news that people use as a writing prompt to have a competition for who can claim it impacted them the most.
        tptacek 2y ago
        Feels like the flaggers aren't the ones being self-righteous here. We're just flagging and getting on with our day. One of them took the time to explain what they were doing for you, and, well, (looks around).
        CyberDildonics 2y ago
        just flagging and getting on with our day You have about, well, 30 comments in this thread. One of them took the time to explain what they were doing for you They took their precious time and explained it just for me? I thought you said "We're just flagging and getting on with our day." You might want to (looks around) and count up your, well, comments. Seems like you're trying to claim both not caring at all and benevolent enlightenment, which is, well, a little self righteous.
        tptacek 2y ago
        I do care! I'm just not feeling especially self-righteous about it. I can reliably report how the site works, without composing Rage Against The Machine lyrics in the process.
        2y ago
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]

by asdff 2y ago

tptacek 2y ago

I'm going to keep flagging all of them, because these stories are all activating and attract tons of upvotes and comments, filling the front page with repetitive recapitulations of the same tired arguments. It's not what HN is for.

asdff 2y ago
Is it not for discussing topics of interest to the community?
- tptacek 2y ago
  It's for discussing on-topic topics of interest to the community, where on-topic specifically excludes "most stories about politics", which is a very easy to bar to clear when the stories you're flagging are literally duplicative of stories with hundreds or thousands of comments on them already.
  - neverokay 2y ago
    Because they are long-running discussions, it’s not repetitive. When we allow Rust or JS threads to keep popping up, it’s because we evolve with the topic over time and continuously discuss it. What the HN shadow mod team is doing is killing the possibility of a long-running, evolving discourse on important topics.
    - pvg 2y ago
      Rust and JS threads are on topic for the site, most current events stuff is not. is killing the possibility of a long-running, evolving discourse on important topics. These topics have been the most discussed topics on HN the last couple of months by a massive margin. The quality of 'discourse' has been abysmal so we know empirically the 'evolution' theory/hope is misplaced.
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
      - Tadpole9181 2y ago
        [flagged]
      - MegaButts 2y ago
        > These topics have been the most discussed topics on HN the last couple of months by a massive margin. Have any of these topics managed to not be censored via flagging? From my perspective, I have very much wanted to talk about these things on HN and despite checking multiple times a day I have never been able to engage in an ongoing discussion (by which I mean the post wasn't removed from the front page due to flagging, effectively limiting the visibility it would otherwise get from organic upvotes). You're entitled to dislike these topics and to flag them. And I'm entitled to think you're actively making HN worse with your gatekeeping. The problem with flagging is it gives more weight to a smaller group. I don't know the weighing exactly, but I'd guess flagging is 10-100x more effective than regular voting. So in theory just 1-10% of people have the ability to censor topics they don't like. Kinda seems like the antithesis of what's "interesting" to me. And yes, I absolutely 100% would prefer contentious "go fuck yourself" arguments on politics than not being allowed to discuss it in good faith at all.
        tptacek 2y ago
        The "smaller group" here is anyone with over 500 karma. You're going to have to find some other place to have "contentious go-fuck-yourself arguments" --- about literally anything --- because they are anathema to curious conversation, which is the overriding goal of this site. That goal isn't changing just because we're all activated about politics right now, just like it wasn't in 2017.
  - Teever 2y ago
    Dude there was a post about George Foreman's obituary the other day... Like c'mon. I'm pretty sure that your pretentiousness just invited a shitstorm of people who are going to flag your posts from now on.
    - CyberDildonics 2y ago
      Yeah everyone gets self righteous about being on topic when it's something they don't like, meanwhile hacker news is filled with cheap self promotion and pop culture news that people use as a writing prompt to have a competition for who can claim it impacted them the most.
      - tptacek 2y ago
        Feels like the flaggers aren't the ones being self-righteous here. We're just flagging and getting on with our day. One of them took the time to explain what they were doing for you, and, well, (looks around).
        CyberDildonics 2y ago
        just flagging and getting on with our day You have about, well, 30 comments in this thread. One of them took the time to explain what they were doing for you They took their precious time and explained it just for me? I thought you said "We're just flagging and getting on with our day." You might want to (looks around) and count up your, well, comments. Seems like you're trying to claim both not caring at all and benevolent enlightenment, which is, well, a little self righteous.
        tptacek 2y ago
        I do care! I'm just not feeling especially self-righteous about it. I can reliably report how the site works, without composing Rage Against The Machine lyrics in the process.
        2y ago
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]