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Ask HN: How might HN build a social network together?

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Re: Ask HN: How might HN build a social network together?

#101

Post by runlaszlorun »

ilyt wrote: post #64
baxtr wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great idea. To add: I think the site would also need a rock star moderator who diligently checks every comment and keeps the site clean. Also maybe it would be great to have a voting system where one could downvote as well! But only after a certain number of upvotes I think.

Let's also have zero notification whatsoever that someone answered to your comment so you have to keep engaged in constantly looking thru it manually

aha! good idea!

the web is… not free really… but more free than the wall gardens.

i think its biggest weakness is that notifications don’t really work there.

but that bug is now a feature. nice!

Re: Ask HN: How might HN build a social network together?

#102

Post by 4RealFreedom »

The problem with your idea around 'concentric social circles' is that it would require a lot of management - managing a thousand different circles could be a nightmare. A cap on members would force aggregators to potentially push messages to other circles. Just some things off the top of my head.

Re: Ask HN: How might HN build a social network together?

#104

Post by runlaszlorun »

bcjordan wrote: post #31
bil7 wrote: post #6

I think what would really be great is a social media site that doesn't offer direct image or video hosting. A bit like how reddit used to be. You just have link aggregation, voting, and comments. That's it. Maybe in a nice, clean, minimal UI as well. This would lend itself to tech folk I think. If only it existed.

Actually it could lend itself to a great business model as well — hackers both start startups, and often are looking for jobs at startups. You could use it for lead generation for startup founders to join your accelerator (once that concept exists), and an added benefit to founders would be access to hiring from the pool of hackers on the site. Win/win. Sounds like bit of a schlep though. Would need to draw an audien…

no thats a great one…

can i add that to my list of ideas?

Re: Ask HN: How might HN build a social network together?

#105

Post by runlaszlorun »

dennisnedry wrote: post #34
HatchedLake721 wrote: post #16

Building a social network “product” is easy, entry level engineers build Reddit and Twitter clones during bootcamps. I think the right question is “How could we build a network and keep people coming back?” That’s the hardest thing to do, even with millions behind your back. Ask Google Buzz, Orkut, iTunes Ping, Vine, Google Plus…

Vine was killed by Twitter. A foolish move given how popular TikTok is now.

I’m guessing the unit economics didn’t work. Different when a country like China decides its a strategic thing to do.

Re: Ask HN: How might HN build a social network together?

#106

Post by runlaszlorun »

dymk wrote: post #103
runlaszlorun wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

What does that even mean?

Apologies, I’m coming in a little hot this morning… :)

I’d put it this way… you and I have HN. What about the protesters in Iran? We’re closer to that scenario than you’re prob realizing.

Re: Ask HN: How might HN build a social network together?

#107

Post by runlaszlorun »

shanebellone wrote: post #89
runlaszlorun wrote: post #85

I’m sure at least 75% of you guys in here are stronger technically than me. And 99% of you have probably seen more success in their careers than I have. But I’ve been building little throwaway code experiments for the last three years and its totally doable. I haven’t seen a regular paycheck since March 2019 when I was fired from a Director of Engineering role from a firm so shitty and a job so toxic I actually do th…

I'm an Army Veteran too. Afghanistan though as Bosnia was before my time. I'll shoot you an email, it would be nice to discuss technology with (presumably) another self-taught developer with similar life experiences. I also think we're on the precipice of something previously unthinkable. I'm undecided whether that outcome is authoritarianism or the country's implosion. On a less grim note, I do believe nuclear fusio…

Cool! Please do. Would love to get veterans together first and foremost. Not to mention millions of angry, battle tested insurgency/counterinsurgency experts are prob not what the world wants pointed in the wrong direction… haha. Actually getting the worlds military veterans together would be one hell of an idea. “No, sorry guys, the veterans all got together over beer, a little weed for those who partake, a lot of bbq, and a blew a few things up just for kicks and we decided that the politicians are full of shit on this one. The war is canceled.” hahaha

Would love to hear your thoughts on nuclear fusion too.

Re: Ask HN: How might HN build a social network together?

#109

Post by fleddr »

shanebellone wrote: post #98
fleddr wrote: post #91

In any social media design you have to take well known power laws into account. You may consider HN currently to be a highly engaging site but you have to consider why that is: a huge amount of eye balls is watching a tiny set of content, a list of a few dozens links. Next, if as little as 1% joins in discussion, the result is threads with substance. Great outcome, but you're probably ignoring that 99% didn't engage.…

Most social networks make posting (or whatever specific terminology is being used) equivalent to talking at someone. The correct model would foster conversation and thus impact engagement. Small social groups discuss topics. Offering a topic for conversation implicitly earns a response. Rarely do groups of friends get together to declare simple and unrelated one-liners. An "ideal" social network might be more related…

I agree. A group of actual (traditional) friends is not the same thing as a bunch of online people that have something in common. For a group of real life friends, online conversations are often/best handled in a chat-like experience. Here in Europe it's mostly WhatsApp.

There's also differences in what you expect from content. When one of my real friends share that they took their family to a zoo and had a great day, that's mildly interesting. I know these people.

When an online stranger (or digital only "friend") shares this same thing, I couldn't care less. I'm happy for them, and it's part of normal conversation, but it's not a very interesting type of information to read in large quantities every single day. There has to be some higher shared purpose, the more specific the better.

Re: Ask HN: How might HN build a social network together?

#110

Post by runlaszlorun »

shanebellone wrote: post #17
scyzoryk_xyz wrote: post #14

Personally, I think something like mastodon is better for this purpose. You can post your HN related stuff hashtagged #hackernews and others might follow. That being said - IMHO if you want a social network or community, don’t call it a “communal product”. Products are for making money and whatnot.

Should social media be a profit-driven enterprise as a civilization-scale product?

Given how things turned out, I think the answer might be ‘no’…
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