4 ms·

>HN is not a forum for making you money. That is not its purpose. So? People advertise their startups and even hire employees here all the time.

by n09n 13y ago

saraid216 13y ago
It's actually very specifically a vector for YC-incubated startups to recruit talent. That is one of the main reasons HN exists. Most of everything else is purposed for contributing to that specific goal. Near as I'm aware, davidw's Amazon affiliate links are not part of a YC-incubated startup.
DanBC 13y ago
Those are transparent. People are expected to declare their interests. HN hides long urls, thus it's possible for the referral part to be hidden, meaning people might not be aware of the referral link. Asking people to declare a referral link doesn't seem to be that onerous.
- davidw 13y ago
  Sometimes I mention that they are referral links. Today I was in a hurry, and it's pretty evident that it is a referral link, as it does not appear shortened. Basically, why should anyone care what it is unless the person posting them is overdoing it?
  - DanBC 13y ago
    I don't get the impression that anyone is accusing you of something as bad as kicking puppies or punching nuns. It's just a bit nicer if you explicitly declare referral links every time you use them. I'm surprised that someone who has been online for as long as you have is not aware of the antipathy there is towards referral links. Some people really don't like them.
    - davidw 13y ago
      > I'm surprised that someone who has been online for as long as you have is not aware of the antipathy there is towards referral links. Some people really don't like them. Online, some people really don't like a lot of things! Pretty much anything out there has its detractors. I know they don't like referral links, but I think in the context of a community like this one where it's easy to check on the activity of others, it's a silly attitude, and I won't hesitate to say so.

>HN is not a forum for making you money. That is not its purpose. So? People advertise their startups and even hire employees here all the time.

by n09n 13y ago

>HN is not a forum for making you money. That is not its purpose. So? People advertise their startups and even hire employees here all the time.

saraid216 13y ago

It's actually very specifically a vector for YC-incubated startups to recruit talent. That is one of the main reasons HN exists. Most of everything else is purposed for contributing to that specific goal. Near as I'm aware, davidw's Amazon affiliate links are not part of a YC-incubated startup.

DanBC 13y ago

Those are transparent. People are expected to declare their interests. HN hides long urls, thus it's possible for the referral part to be hidden, meaning people might not be aware of the referral link. Asking people to declare a referral link doesn't seem to be that onerous.

davidw 13y ago
Sometimes I mention that they are referral links. Today I was in a hurry, and it's pretty evident that it is a referral link, as it does not appear shortened. Basically, why should anyone care what it is unless the person posting them is overdoing it?
- DanBC 13y ago
  I don't get the impression that anyone is accusing you of something as bad as kicking puppies or punching nuns. It's just a bit nicer if you explicitly declare referral links every time you use them. I'm surprised that someone who has been online for as long as you have is not aware of the antipathy there is towards referral links. Some people really don't like them.
  - davidw 13y ago
    > I'm surprised that someone who has been online for as long as you have is not aware of the antipathy there is towards referral links. Some people really don't like them. Online, some people really don't like a lot of things! Pretty much anything out there has its detractors. I know they don't like referral links, but I think in the context of a community like this one where it's easy to check on the activity of others, it's a silly attitude, and I won't hesitate to say so.