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Ask HN: Please restrict new accounts from posting

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Ask HN: Please restrict new accounts from posting

#431

Post by 1718627440 »

SoftTalker wrote: post #204
Uvix wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like restricting posts but not comments from a fresh account would thread that needle pretty well?

I'd suggest: new accounts are read-only for at least a week. Then they can comment (rate limited at first, gradually relaxed) and vote, and then after some additional amount of time and/or karma they can submit a post. Maybe some of these mechanisms are already in place? Bots can probably game this too but drive-by bots maybe won't be patient enough.

If most people are like my on that topic, then they use HN without an account, until they want to post or comment something, then they try to find out how to create an account. If they won't be able to post or comment then, then they will just not create or retain that account.

I was able to have discussions where one party has significantly unpopular opinions. Such discussions are unique to HN, please don't kill them.

Re: Ask HN: Please restrict new accounts from posting

#432

Post by dang »

Terretta wrote: post #387
dang wrote: post #347

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed. Here is a recent litmus test: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47051852 . How can we filter the lightweight stuff while still benefiting from posts like these? (a bit more about this at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47056384 , with a reply from the OP)

Interesting litmus test, as the post isn't just green, it's riddled with LLM copyediting. Doesn't read as if originally composed by an LLM, so there's that. Would seem to require some discernment to classify. Not all assistive use is slop.

I mean I guess you're right - I didn't notice it, because the community reaction to the project was so positive.

> Not all assistive use is slop.

That's right, and the key is to discern which posts/projects are interesting.

Re: Ask HN: Please restrict new accounts from posting

#433

Post by dang »

qingcharles wrote: post #395
mastazi wrote: post #336

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But sticking around doesn't solve the scenario mentioned by parent. 1. some interesting projects gets to HN main page 2. author of the project is not on HN so creates a green account and interacts even if that person would have the patience to stick around, by the time they would be able to respond, it would be too late for it to be relevant to the (now stale) discussion.

This is one of the best things about HN. The sheer number of times someone has posted a link and the author or someone significant to the project deep within some megacorp makes a green account and starts answering questions that you never thought would get answered. Some of the most golden replies come from greenies.

Yes, and we've always gone out of our way to protect those. It's perhaps the thing I hate the most about our software that sometimes it kills such posts.

Re: Ask HN: Please restrict new accounts from posting

#434

Post by Avicebron »

delichon wrote: post #150
Avicebron wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We can relentlessly bully anyone using phrases like "Red Queen's race" unironically. Measly human resistance against the vapid strip-miners of semantic value.

You mean that you don't believe that we are in co-evolution with AI? Because otherwise it is a Red Queen's race, and it is a useful frame for understanding. For example we can make it a race between symbiotes. If you are Sisyphus, the fact that the hill is infinite is useful when planning your day.

I don't believe you are competent enough to be making those assessments.

Re: Ask HN: Please restrict new accounts from posting

#436

Post by rkomorn »

coldtrait wrote: post #435

Can we also ban accounts that post racist stuff?

My experience with reporting stuff to mods is that people who post racist stuff do get banned but I also think there's a difference between holding opinions I consider based in racism or having racist outcomes (which I don't report), and posting actually racist stuff (which I do report).

Re: Ask HN: Please restrict new accounts from posting

#437

Post by phito »

anonzzzies wrote: post #419
qingcharles wrote: post #405

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Moderating Reddit subs can be a huge money maker. I know people making $100K/year from it. There are cabals, especially in the adult sections. Reddit has tried to address this recently by limiting the number of subs a person can moderate, but that just causes these big accounts to create more user accounts and split all their subs up that way.

I must be old and naive but you can make money with subreddits?

Corruption

Re: Ask HN: Please restrict new accounts from posting

#438

Post by hananova »

dang wrote: post #347
magicalhippo wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that we might lose some gold. Not too seldom have I seen the author or a significant party of a story chime in through a fresh green account, as they were alerted by the story being posted here one way or another. And usually when they do it's very interesting. As such I would find it detrimental if they had to jump through too many hoops so they don't bother or it takes too long so the thread dies bef…

Indeed. Here is a recent litmus test: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47051852 . How can we filter the lightweight stuff while still benefiting from posts like these? (a bit more about this at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47056384 , with a reply from the OP)

Maybe have a signup flow where you can skip the new account restriction by putting some file on a website of some currently trending link. And then the restriction is lifted temporarily for the thread linking to it?

Re: Ask HN: Please restrict new accounts from posting

#439

Post by cik »

dawnerd wrote: post #422
anonzzzies wrote: post #419

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I must be old and naive but you can make money with subreddits?

Plenty of subs blatantly allow certain brands to advertise while banning anyone else. Kind of amazed Reddit themselves haven’t put more effort into to stopping it since it kinda sidesteps their in house advertising.

At scale they will. For now, someone else puts the effort into growth marketing, eyeball capture. Reddit eventually changes the rules, seizing control, thereby acquiring users for less human cost (as opposed to missed revenue opportunity).

Re: Ask HN: Please restrict new accounts from posting

#440

Post by edanm »

lovich wrote: post #337
edanm wrote: post #298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree with this policy. Some people can really benefit from using LLMs to help them write. E.g. non-native speakers. LLM-assisted-writing doesn't have to be low effort, it can help people express themselves better in many cases. I'd argue that someone who spent their time doing multiple passes with an LLM to get their phrasing just write, has taken obviously more care than the majority of people on HN take befor…

> LLM-assisted-writing doesn't have to be low effort, it can help people express themselves better in many cases. Hard disagree. I have been learning another language and wouldn’t pretend to write posts after an LLM rewrote it because it is literally lower effort than learning the language correctly. Like definitionally, you are using a machine to offload effort. I don’t know how you could claim that is not “low effo…

I wasn't talking about someone learning the language and using this instead of learning it.

There are a lot of people who understand English fairly well, but are not actively learning the language, are not native speakers, and can use LLMs to catch grammar mistakes that they otherwise wouldn't notice. Or catch small nuances in what they are saying, small implications that could otherwise go unnoticed.

In general, I push back on people saying "I can't find a good/legitimate use for this technology, therefore there are no good/legitimate use for it".

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