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It is funny that people on Hackernews are (acting as if they were) against algorithmic feeds. This very site is one of the trailblazers that found out how much

by raincole 10mo ago

It is funny that people on Hackernews are (acting as if they were) against algorithmic feeds. This very site is one of the trailblazers that found out how much people prefer algorithmic feeds to chronological ones.

intothemild 10mo ago
I think you'll find that people who are against algo-feeds are against that being the only choice.
- raincole 10mo ago
  Personally speaking I think the issue is personalized algorithmic feeds. I want the algorithm to analyze spammers' behavior and filter them out for everyone. Not analyzing my behaviors to filter content for me.
  - intothemild 10mo ago
    Yes! exactly
  - boldcode69 10mo ago
    [dead]
tayo42 10mo ago
On its own an algorithmic feed is fine. Automatically give people what they want to see. Like TV without flipping channels. It just turned into something out of control with unintended side effects and immoral goals.
andrepd 10mo ago
In what sense is HN an algorithmic feed? It is neither personalised nor does it have a significant discretionary boost beyond "age" and "upvotes". It's qualitatively a different thing.
- akersten 10mo ago
  Sort by weighted upvotes vs time decay is an algorithm. You can review the psedocode here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1781013 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1781013 Note that there is also "censorship" (!) - `gag_factor` - even in this free thought paradise. The lesson is that no matter your scale, suppressing certain content is necessary to prevent low quality posts and spam from turning your site into a swamp. Correct, it is not personalized. So we need a different word than 'algorithmic'. People keep saying that word when they want to "ban" a certain kind of math. But they should at least be particular about what they don't like (sort your friends' posts chronologically is also a personalized algorithm, after all..)
  - andrepd 10mo ago
    The comments in that link claimed that gag = joke, not gag as in gag order :p

intothemild 10mo ago

I think you'll find that people who are against algo-feeds are against that being the only choice.

raincole 10mo ago
Personally speaking I think the issue is personalized algorithmic feeds. I want the algorithm to analyze spammers' behavior and filter them out for everyone. Not analyzing my behaviors to filter content for me.
- intothemild 10mo ago
  Yes! exactly
- boldcode69 10mo ago
  [dead]

tayo42 10mo ago

On its own an algorithmic feed is fine. Automatically give people what they want to see. Like TV without flipping channels. It just turned into something out of control with unintended side effects and immoral goals.

andrepd 10mo ago

In what sense is HN an algorithmic feed? It is neither personalised nor does it have a significant discretionary boost beyond "age" and "upvotes". It's qualitatively a different thing.

akersten 10mo ago
Sort by weighted upvotes vs time decay is an algorithm. You can review the psedocode here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1781013 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1781013 Note that there is also "censorship" (!) - `gag_factor` - even in this free thought paradise. The lesson is that no matter your scale, suppressing certain content is necessary to prevent low quality posts and spam from turning your site into a swamp. Correct, it is not personalized. So we need a different word than 'algorithmic'. People keep saying that word when they want to "ban" a certain kind of math. But they should at least be particular about what they don't like (sort your friends' posts chronologically is also a personalized algorithm, after all..)
- andrepd 10mo ago
  The comments in that link claimed that gag = joke, not gag as in gag order :p