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Ask HN: Why doesn't HN alert users in some manner to new replies?

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Re: Ask HN: Why doesn't HN alert users in some manner to new replies?

#101

Post by mindcrime »

warrenm wrote: post #85
mindcrime wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I reply to a post or comment that's over several days old there's almost no chance the author will ever see it. That is a Good Thing.

No, it's not If you ask a question, and I happen to see it a couple days later and can answer it, why would you not want to see said answer?

An edge case like that isn't really the point. I mean, what percentage of "responses to old comments" fall into that bucket? My guess is that it's a very small percentage. Weighed against the "propagating / encouraging low-value flame wars" possibility, I absolutely consider the lack of such notifications to a Good Thing.

Especially considering somebody who's particularly motivated to find delayed answers to specific questions can always bookmark the particular comment and check it manually, or just occasionally scroll-back through the "threads" page or whatever. If they're not motivated enough to do that, then maybe the discussion wasn't that important to begin with.

Re: Ask HN: Why doesn't HN alert users in some manner to new replies?

#103

Post by squeaky-clean »

warrenm wrote: post #85
mindcrime wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I reply to a post or comment that's over several days old there's almost no chance the author will ever see it. That is a Good Thing.

No, it's not If you ask a question, and I happen to see it a couple days later and can answer it, why would you not want to see said answer?

Because conversations have lifespans. If I want to see said answer I can visit my profile and check. But I don't want the website constantly pestering me "someone responded to that thing you said a week ago!"

If I'm still curious of the answer a few days later I can check my profile a few days later

Re: Ask HN: Why doesn't HN alert users in some manner to new replies?

#104

Post by squeaky-clean »

klez wrote: post #79
nottorp wrote: post #71

Because HN is a non profit thing that doesn't make money on "engagement". Seriously, you don't have enough interruptions? If you really want to see if your comments have been replied to, you can see that in the list of your comments.

I don't think they're asking for notifications. Even just an icon next to my profile name to indicate someone has responded to a comment would be something. And make it opt-in since a lot of people here seem to be happy with the status quo.

This is still a notification, even if it's not using the browser notifications or mobile push notifications.

Re: Ask HN: Why doesn't HN alert users in some manner to new replies?

#105

Post by ss108 »

loceng wrote: post #90
ss108 wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah. Like, I "owe" people a response here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30310575#30310784 I am trying to put some degree of effort into the answer, but it feels like they might not even see my responses to their comments.

Only one of them has contact info in their profile - so at least it'd get to them? https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=tomcam They thought it'd make a good blog post too, so you can repurpose it for that?

Yeah, I just don't have a blog LOL

But I have been thinking about making one, maybe this can kick it off. Would have to be anonymous until I successfully make it back into tech.

Re: Ask HN: Why doesn't HN alert users in some manner to new replies?

#106

Post by barbazoo »

pvg wrote: post #97

This has been addressed by dang before, one representative pastequote from a recent (ish) comment: Yes, I think we'll continue to avoid the notification system, not just because of flamewars but also because (relatedly) it's not so compatible with curiosity. Push notifications seem to jack up the nervous system in a way that's good for engagement but not necessarily for users—we all experience this elsewhere on the i…

I very much appreciate this!

Re: Ask HN: Why doesn't HN alert users in some manner to new replies?

#107

Post by squeaky-clean »

mrtranscendence wrote: post #98
frosted-flakes wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My mistake. I don't know what caused me to conflate them to begin with.

They're both named Dan. Every Dan is a mere simulacrum of the original Meta Dan. Your confusion is thus understandable.

Dan G! The G is important, all gamma-class Dan's are basically the same base model with some aesthetic differences

Re: Ask HN: Why doesn't HN alert users in some manner to new replies?

#108

Post by tayo42 »

mindcrime wrote: post #50
account42 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They could do delayed notifications. Not having them at all sucks because you are pretty much guaranteed not to see replies to older comments.

you are pretty much guaranteed not to see replieds to older comments. I consider this a feature, not a bug. IMO, it's good to let older conversations just kinda "run out of steam" as attention moves elsewhere. In my experience, extended discussions here tend to be unproductive flame-war level discussion. I don't see any value in making it easier to sustain that.

Im not sure i agree with that. old forums used to have interesting threads that would go on for a while and in depth. One thing I dont like about this, idk what this is called, new generation of message board?, is that past 3 or 4 comments deep everything dies and past like 12 hours commenting dies. it actually feels a lot more shallow

Re: Ask HN: Why doesn't HN alert users in some manner to new replies?

#109

Post by rootusrootus »

ravenstine wrote: post #7

If I see my karma go up, that usually tells me that someone may have replied to something I said. Otherwise, I'm glad there's no alert for new replies. Conversation should be intentional. If I'm gonna be reading what someone said in response to me, I better already have enough motivation to check back and see if someone replied. When I don't check back, it's probably because I've got something more important to focus…

I have thought for some time that votes should come in two flavors. X if you make a comment, X/10 if you don't. Drive-by voting is of little value, and for abusive posts that need downvoting we have flagging to accomplish quick removal. Giving more weight to people who write a reply would encourage more conversation.

Of course, then there is a question of whether it would encourage more thoughtful comments or not, and I cannot answer that.

Re: Ask HN: Why doesn't HN alert users in some manner to new replies?

#110

Post by BeefWellington »

pvg wrote: post #97

This has been addressed by dang before, one representative pastequote from a recent (ish) comment: Yes, I think we'll continue to avoid the notification system, not just because of flamewars but also because (relatedly) it's not so compatible with curiosity. Push notifications seem to jack up the nervous system in a way that's good for engagement but not necessarily for users—we all experience this elsewhere on the i…

A take I agree with. I'm glad I'm not bombarded by dozens of blinking status indicators every time I load up HN to see what's interesting today.
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