3 ms·

> I think what you're saying is quite stupid. I'm assuming this is meant to be ironic and to try and prove something. But I challenge you to find a serious co

> I think what you're saying is quite stupid. I'm assuming this is meant to be ironic and to try and prove something. But I challenge you to find a serious comment on HN that is this over the top negative and backs it up with as little as you do. It really doesn't bother me to be told I'm wrong, if I'm saying something stupid I want to be told that in no uncertain terms so that I don't repeat the same mistake again. But most of all, I want to know why what I said was wrong. >The atmosphere on other online communities is more positive, which is a good thing. You can disagree without being negative. I don't disagree that HN comments are different from places like reddit, but you haven't really explained why it's "a good thing". I personally don't find a lot of value in being praised, because I don't learn anything and the danger is I might get a big ego. However, I do find enormous value in constructive criticism. When I have a young student without a ton of self-confidence, then I am generous with giving praise; but when a colleague who I respect comes to me with a bad idea, I treat them with respect by telling them why I think they are wrong.

RivieraKid 13y ago
Interacting with positive people is simply much more pleasant. At least for me. I recently heard about experiment suggesting that positive feedback is much more effective than negative one. I absolutely agree that if you think people are wrong, it doesn't make sense to lie to them and say that you think they're right. But the problem is when poeople focus on the negatives – ie, someone made a pretty cool product and half of HN is complaining about some small insignificant issue. Very often, critticism is not motivated by a genuine attempt to help the person. Instead, it's motivated by the pleasant feeling some people get from correcting other people and finding problems in their arguments (http://xkcd.com/386/ http://xkcd.com/386/). I like the atmosphere on Quora much more. It's more positive and the people are more diverse.

RivieraKid 13y ago

Interacting with positive people is simply much more pleasant. At least for me. I recently heard about experiment suggesting that positive feedback is much more effective than negative one. I absolutely agree that if you think people are wrong, it doesn't make sense to lie to them and say that you think they're right. But the problem is when poeople focus on the negatives – ie, someone made a pretty cool product and half of HN is complaining about some small insignificant issue. Very often, critticism is not motivated by a genuine attempt to help the person. Instead, it's motivated by the pleasant feeling some people get from correcting other people and finding problems in their arguments (http://xkcd.com/386/ http://xkcd.com/386/). I like the atmosphere on Quora much more. It's more positive and the people are more diverse.