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> posting feedback in the threads about what's good and bad for HN comments. Am I the only one who thinks that posting more meta-discussion directly in comment
by Thrymr 13y ago
> posting feedback in the threads about what's good and bad for HN comments.
Am I the only one who thinks that posting more meta-discussion directly in comments reduces the overall quality rather than increases it?
Maybe a downvote should come with a chance to add an explanation that can be seen on a user's page or on a "meta" page, but not dilute the discussion itself.
- dang 13y agoMeta-comments do reduce quality—no question. They're almost always off-topic, and they have an insidious fascination that can easily take a thread into the weeds. All other things being equal, they're bad. These feedback comments are a special case, though. First, it's an experiment that we've always intended to be temporary. Second, there's reason to believe that what they destroy in local quality they more than make up for in systemic improvement. Third, I've noticed that—except when I've made a mistake—they almost always get no (or very few) replies.