"though I've seen a drastic decline in the quality of posts in the short time I've been here" Far more likely that it is just the novelty wearing off. A variat

"though I've seen a drastic decline in the quality of posts in the short time I've been here" Far more likely that it is just the novelty wearing off. A variation of this opinion is actually so common that it is in the rules [0]. A general rule for a "happy stay" at HN is to read and comment on the things that interest you. Partly out of self interest, but also out of respect for those who might like a given story and don't want it filled with vague complaints. People complain all the time about the quality of stories, but as indicated by the low scores on the new page (at least for anything without a popular keyword) they aren't doing anything about it other than complaining. By that ruining the comments for everyone else. [0] "If your account is less than a year old, please don't submit comments saying that HN is turning into Reddit. (It's a common semi-noob illusion.)"