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Ask HN: Where do you go for civil discussion on the Internet?

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Re: Ask HN: Where do you go for civil discussion on the Internet?

#151

Post by swsieber »

eevilspock wrote: post #131
rm_-rf_slash wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it would be solved by requiring a comment with each downvote. The motivations for an upvote are obvious but a downvote should have to explain why, even if it something as simple as "citation needed" or "factually incorrect, here's why." I often get the sense that anonymous and unexplained downvotes carry a sense of "this post is so obviously wrong it defies the need for explanation," which means that nobody l…

That would result in too many redundant comments. Many people will down-vote for exactly the same reason. Though I do wish HN could distinguish between "I subjectively don't like or disagree with your point" and "Your logic is objectively flawed or rests on false data".

Devil's Advocate: HN could then create a special category of comment - the downvote comment. Upvoting a downvote comment would downvote the parent, thus grouping similar sentiment.

I agree with you though, on both points.

Re: Ask HN: Where do you go for civil discussion on the Internet?

#152

Post by devinhelton »

rm_-rf_slash wrote: post #120
eevilspock wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Silent downvotes right on schedule! I think civil and honest discussion would be better served without the anonymous down-votes. One can still retain privacy with a pseudonym. I find it ironic that Hacker News is not Hackable! The most important thing about HN, its ranking algorithm and reputation system (karma), is closed and not hackable in any way. I know HN wishes it could come up with a better algorithm, and eve…

I think it would be solved by requiring a comment with each downvote. The motivations for an upvote are obvious but a downvote should have to explain why, even if it something as simple as "citation needed" or "factually incorrect, here's why." I often get the sense that anonymous and unexplained downvotes carry a sense of "this post is so obviously wrong it defies the need for explanation," which means that nobody l…

I agree, but I think the comment should be a private message, seen by only the commenter (and perhaps the mods). I don't like seeing a comment thread cluttered up by debates about whether a comment deserves down votes.

Re: Ask HN: Where do you go for civil discussion on the Internet?

#153

Post by pjc50 »

eevilspock wrote: post #89
TeMPOraL wrote: post #8

I mostly stay here. The amount of political and economic discussion here is what I personally consider enough in my life; I don't think looking for more sources would improve SNR for me. I sometimes like to peruse Reddit for some well-defined topics - the trick is to find an appropriate subreddit for it. So, for instance, when I want to follow SpaceX news, I'll tune in to /r/spacex, because quite a lot of people ther…

The problem with HN for politics and economics is its decidedly Silicon Valley, libertarian and white male slant, often self-servingly pedantically amoral. The civility here is often arrived at by burying comments that challenge this self-serving slant. Or by an algorithm that systematically buries articles and users (whose accounts accrue ranking penalties) that generate any heated debate by challenging the slant. W…

.. and it's back on the front page after a spell in the doghouse?!

"Inequality in tech" is a subject that's guaranteed to get flagged into invisibility.

Re: Ask HN: Where do you go for civil discussion on the Internet?

#154

Post by krapp »

zepolen wrote: post #150
manish_gill wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry, it's just I'm trying to keep it among known people or people who are vetted by people we know and trust (that also includes IRL identity etc). Like I said, when I see momentum and people deriving tangible benefit from it, I'll take it public! :-)

The second you take it public, it will get destroyed. It's the classic "I don't want to be in a club that wants me" vs "I want to be in a club that doesn't want me"

AKA Eternal September. The quality of an online community is inversely correlated with its popularity.

Re: Ask HN: Where do you go for civil discussion on the Internet?

#155

Post by PascLeRasc »

eloy wrote: post #13

I'd say Reddit. There are some heavy moderated subreddits for insightful discussions, like reddit.com/r/truereddit. Because Reddit has a voting system like HN, quality content is being upvoted and shown as first. If you search you can probably find some more subreddits with less general content. And HN is of course a really great website for such discussions, with a lot of highly intelligent people that post quite le…

/r/changemyview is a great one for this.

Re: Ask HN: Where do you go for civil discussion on the Internet?

#156

Post by pjc50 »

losteverything wrote: post #68

If you are asking a place online that equates to in-person discussions, I would say there isn't any. As I told my kid when I showed him mosaic, the screen is not a human. Humans have kindness and compassion. The screen is to get things. To some it is a way to make a living. The screen can never be generous; that is learned at the home. Ann Landers and Dear Abby. Ever hear of them? Newspaper columnists who answered re…

There is however a human behind the screen, however distant or difficult to see.

> Why would I seek advice or opinion from a person I never met?

Asking your peers and parents may be used against you forever. People you won't meet unless you really want to won't, so you can be more honest there.

Re: Ask HN: Where do you go for civil discussion on the Internet?

#158

Post by [deleted] »

rubidium wrote: post #21

Let me answer a different question: where do you go for civil, insightful commentary? I recommend gathering a group of "morning cup of coffee" people with an intellectual bent. This works particularly well among more academic neighborhoods, but can be done elsewhere. Get 3-10 people you know (or get to know these people) that are generally aware of the world, from different walks of life/professions, and start meetin…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Where do you go for civil discussion on the Internet?

#159

Post by yodsanklai »

rubidium wrote: post #21

Let me answer a different question: where do you go for civil, insightful commentary? I recommend gathering a group of "morning cup of coffee" people with an intellectual bent. This works particularly well among more academic neighborhoods, but can be done elsewhere. Get 3-10 people you know (or get to know these people) that are generally aware of the world, from different walks of life/professions, and start meetin…

I don't think you can get the same collective intelligence in a small group (even composed of very bright people) as you can find here on HN.

Re: Ask HN: Where do you go for civil discussion on the Internet?

#160

Post by Karunamon »

whamlastxmas wrote: post #23

Something Awful, D&D forum. Maybe not insightful but at least civil. $10 accounts mean being a shithead has consequences.

No, no, no, a million times no. Annoy the wrong moderator and your account gets sitewide punished.

I got an account probation, after posting something a few years back about how a specific poster was being disingenuous (and this on the GBS board, which is pretty toxic anyways), and wound up unable to post for 8 hours. Haven't been back since.

That and I find "goon" humor really smarmy and tiresome :/

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