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> Pretend like it doesn't even exist, because it shouldn't. Why not? I get a ton of useful content from reddit, and find that the discussions in the comments a
by dmunoz 13y ago
> Pretend like it doesn't even exist, because it shouldn't.
Why not? I get a ton of useful content from reddit, and find that the discussions in the comments are often enlightening.
The biggest problem with reddit is that you have to spend some time up front customizing your subreddit subscriptions. Once you've done that, the (custom) front page still has issues, and there is still bad discussion in the comments, but I can bail out of those easily by collapsing them out of view and moving on the the next comment.
Lots of people seem to want to state "I don't use reddit" lately like there is really nothing of value there. However, quite often in the comments section there are experts on the topic that provide some additional information that you likely wouldn't get by reading the same information elsewhere.
Edit: Many others have commented as I was typing this, and some responses seem to indicate that even staying in so-called quality subreddits isn't enough. I would just like to point out that in certain circles, people feel the exact same way about HN, and we're all here anyway.
I can't be the only one who just ignores others opinions about places and takes the good where I can get it.
- rfnslyr 13y agoThat's not the point. > Why not? I get a ton of useful content from reddit, and find that the discussions in the comments are often enlightening. How are you going to determine whether a comment is bullshit or not, especially on something super niche like some very specific question in r/Askhistorians? You can't for the most part. I do agree you can find good content, but by design Reddit is flawed. The upvote system combined with anonymity is enough reason to be skeptical about everything you read. How could I possibly be in a position to judge the truth of a post on a topic that I know nothing about? That's the problem.
- Kluny 13y ago> How are you going to determine whether a comment is bullshit or not, especially on something super niche like some very specific question in r/Askhistorians? Boy, that sounds awfully familiar... like a very recent Bestof comment, originally posted in AskHistorians, about why reddit comments aren't useful sources for anything. Sounds like you're still reading the comments, despite your low opinion.
- dmunoz 13y agoWhat's not the point? I think you seriously underestimate the quality of participants on reddit. As an example, across just two subreddits I can bump up against Andrei Alexandrescu, Martin Odersky, Walter Bright, the STL maintainer at Microsoft, and many other great programmers who are working on the languages and libraries that I might use. Also, often videos from a conference talk will be posted by the author, who will then respond to questions in the comments. Where else do I get this sort of interaction? If there is somewhere else, I'm certainly missing out on it. Just the other day, a pointer to Knuth's Annual Christmas Tree Lecture [0] was shared. I wouldn't have found it as soon otherwise. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW3vgJYYIok https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW3vgJYYIok
- rfnslyr 13y agoNobody is going to pop into r/programming thinking they're a know it all and then somehow getting to the top by just making bullshit up about very complicated and technical topics. They will get shut down very quickly. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6938377 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6938377
- olavk 13y agoAskhistorians have the policy that you have to be able to provide sources if requested.
- bluecalm 13y agoI don't follow r/Askhistorians but is it really the case that factually incorrect comments are heavily upvoted with no dissenting one in sight ? I am not suggesting it's rare but I would like to see some examples as in subreddits I follow it's rarely the case (at least on things I am able judge myself).
- jlarocco 13y agoI don't know about /r/Askhistorians, but I saw it happen all the time in other subreddits, when I still visited reddit. The best is pointing out that something is wrong and getting voted down for it.
- rfnslyr 13y agoAll the time, especially on any topic that is technical or requires actual knowledge. It's either the comment is misinformed, upvoted by other people who are also misinformed, or it is just scraping the bottom of the barrel for that topic.