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10K top sites seems like an awfully large ban, so I would edit the list to allow interesting sites. Another tactic would to subscribe to feeds from particularl

by russell 18y ago

10K top sites seems like an awfully large ban, so I would edit the list to allow interesting sites. Another tactic would to subscribe to feeds from particularly interesting sites, maybe filtering them for content length. For example, take joelonsoftware. He has interesting things to say, but most of his posts are there to keep the site fresh and should not be aggregated. As for what I am looking for, I want information about techniques and developments in the software development and web entrepreneurial spaces. Popularity is probably a negative, because I have already seen it elsewhere. I value commentary. I read the comments on HN before I read the story to see if it is worth the investment of my time. I also do first comments as a kind of payback. An interesting twist on HN would be to require a comment on a submitted article rather than prohibiting it. That might be an effective junk filter.

DanielBMarkham 18y ago
Yep, you're right. Perhaps only 1K sites as a rule. I also like the idea of getting feeds and just manually sorting through them. I firmly believe that there's a mix between old-fashioned editing, user-editing, and user-submissions that hasn't been tried yet. Seems like everybody wants to do one or the other, when mixing them up might be the best solution. Perhaps an editor scours the top-hundred or so sites in a niche, along with user submissions. After the editor is finished, users can validate or not the entries based on feedback, like you said. At the end of the day, how many articles do you really need to provide the average reader? It can't be that many. If you can find four or five truly unique and high quality articles for a reader each day, I think you'll build a loyal following. So the goal is to have zillions of articles enter, but only a few appear to the reader. I don't think "herd mentality" or voting systems are the way to sort that data. There has to be a better way. Good stuff to think about.
- russell 18y ago
  You probably need to allow more than 4 or 5 per day to encourage your readers to submit stories. I would suggest putting featured stories at the top and other noteworthy submissions below or on anther page. People really like to see their names in lights. Some concession to that will encourage that. Of course the downside is more trash. HN survives by the diligence of its community. Manual moderation should work well too.

by russell 18y ago

DanielBMarkham 18y ago

Yep, you're right. Perhaps only 1K sites as a rule. I also like the idea of getting feeds and just manually sorting through them. I firmly believe that there's a mix between old-fashioned editing, user-editing, and user-submissions that hasn't been tried yet. Seems like everybody wants to do one or the other, when mixing them up might be the best solution. Perhaps an editor scours the top-hundred or so sites in a niche, along with user submissions. After the editor is finished, users can validate or not the entries based on feedback, like you said. At the end of the day, how many articles do you really need to provide the average reader? It can't be that many. If you can find four or five truly unique and high quality articles for a reader each day, I think you'll build a loyal following. So the goal is to have zillions of articles enter, but only a few appear to the reader. I don't think "herd mentality" or voting systems are the way to sort that data. There has to be a better way. Good stuff to think about.

russell 18y ago
You probably need to allow more than 4 or 5 per day to encourage your readers to submit stories. I would suggest putting featured stories at the top and other noteworthy submissions below or on anther page. People really like to see their names in lights. Some concession to that will encourage that. Of course the downside is more trash. HN survives by the diligence of its community. Manual moderation should work well too.