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If discussions had to add significant value, the world would be a very quiet place. Noise can have social value. Half the comments on HN have little value on t
by onemorepassword 14y ago
If discussions had to add significant value, the world would be a very quiet place.
Noise can have social value. Half the comments on HN have little value on their own, but they create a sense of community, a sense of place and belonging. They're part of the identity of a platform. How many of us would care much about HN if it was just links and anonymous votes? There wouldn't be an "us" to begin with, and without an "us", who cares about HN?
- beeneto 14y agoI don't think it's worth talking on a blog post or in a technical forum just for social reasons (e.g. I don't think reddit's meme or pun threads would be valuable on hn for their social effect), but I agree with you because I don't think a comment has to add to The Sum Total of Human Knowledge™ for it to be valuable. It just needs to be an interesting thought that the readers aren't likely to have had on their own.