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Ask HN: I want to start a News Website

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Re: Ask HN: I want to start a News Website

#21

Post by zackfern »

gojomo wrote: post #20
zackfern wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like the sound of that. I have done PHP / MySQL, and learned Django before jumping ship to Ruby on Rails. I'm now exclusively Rails, but also have toyed with C# in the past. As for projects, I have many ideas in my arsenal but as of now only one is being actively developed; however it isn't giving me the kind of passion I had when I came up with the idea about a year ago.

That's a good enough base for lots of web-based projects; it seems to me like your general "how do I..." question may not have been about how to build your idea with web software, but something else. How to attract early users/contributors, maybe? Or collaborators? Or other attention/support? (Or maybe you are wondering about the mechanics of setting everything like the domain/hosting/server up, in which case you may…

Yes, my "how do I..." question was retaining to all of what you said. Support, attention, users, contributers.

I know how to do the site, front and back. I know how to host. I know where to host. I was simply looking for feedback on those questions as well as some general feedback on the idea.

And I will do. I'm a long time lurker, and this is my first post.

Re: Ask HN: I want to start a News Website

#22

Post by zackfern »

bluemoon wrote: post #16

I dont mean to put you on a defensive but, what makes me want to go to YOUR site. Where will the content come from, users? aggregated? How will the content be shared? Social networking? reddit style?

I personally HATE social networking in my news. That is, for example, you going to the Huffington Post and seeing Facebook Connect buttons, as well as Twitter / Google / Yahoo! login buttons.

However I do think that the idea of use aggregation leaking in to the site, Reddit Style, could be a good resource. However that probably wouldn't be a main feature of the site, but likely a sub-section of the site completely separated from the actual content.

Re: Ask HN: I want to start a News Website

#23

Post by robosox »

carbocation wrote: post #8
zackfern wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because I have ideas I feel could shake the news industry up, even if it's just for a small niche of people. I don't really want to be a "me too" site.

Your choice of tools (including blog vs custom code, PHP vs Rails, etc) doesn't determine whether or not you'll create a "me too" site. One could shake up the industry with something that leverages blog software. Another could write an amazing piece of news-displaying technology and not make a dent.

+1. As a developer it's easy to take the old "not invented here" attitude, but you don't even know if people will be interested in your idea. Get it out there as quickly as possible with off-the-shelf software first. If it's something people want/need, your users will flock to it for the content. They truly don't care about the tech going on behind the scenes, especially as you're beta testing it.

Re: Ask HN: I want to start a News Website

#24

Post by Dnewz »

Work on an example page or design that conveys the essence of what you are trying to create. This core design prototype will help you focus on what distnguishes your project and can be used to get some early feedback. I strongly support youdigging into this project and forgetting about your age. You'll learn more from this than you can imagine regardless of its success.

Re: Ask HN: I want to start a News Website

#25

Post by ahemphill »

zackfern wrote: post #4
freejoe76 wrote: post #3

Can you write? Are you going to scrape other people's information? What kind of information are you interested in publishing?

I think I can write, but I certainly don't know if I can in the form of reporting. The kind of information I'm interested in publishing is non-biased facts. I doubt a news site could function purely on this, but if I could design one I would put a lot of emphasis on bullet points.

I've been in journalism for about six years now and have worked on some fairly prolific sites; in that time, I've learned that objectivity is a myth. Don't trick yourself into thinking otherwise.

That said, I'd love to offer advice/guidance on a more specific level if you'd like to chat.

Re: Ask HN: I want to start a News Website

#26

Post by gojomo »

zackfern wrote: post #21
gojomo wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a good enough base for lots of web-based projects; it seems to me like your general "how do I..." question may not have been about how to build your idea with web software, but something else. How to attract early users/contributors, maybe? Or collaborators? Or other attention/support? (Or maybe you are wondering about the mechanics of setting everything like the domain/hosting/server up, in which case you may…

Yes, my "how do I..." question was retaining to all of what you said. Support, attention, users, contributers. I know how to do the site, front and back. I know how to host. I know where to host. I was simply looking for feedback on those questions as well as some general feedback on the idea. And I will do. I'm a long time lurker, and this is my first post.

If you're in the Bay Area, a tech-blog-sponsored confab/brainstorming session on journalism in the web era is tomorrow:

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100526/0142359581.shtml

Might be relevant to your concept, which I'd also be interested in discussing further if only there were contact info in your profile.

Re: Ask HN: I want to start a News Website

#27

Post by zackfern »

gojomo wrote: post #26
zackfern wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, my "how do I..." question was retaining to all of what you said. Support, attention, users, contributers. I know how to do the site, front and back. I know how to host. I know where to host. I was simply looking for feedback on those questions as well as some general feedback on the idea. And I will do. I'm a long time lurker, and this is my first post.

If you're in the Bay Area, a tech-blog-sponsored confab/brainstorming session on journalism in the web era is tomorrow: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100526/0142359581.shtml Might be relevant to your concept, which I'd also be interested in discussing further if only there were contact info in your profile.

I unfortunately don't live in the Bay Area. I live in Sacramento, and have had the pleasure of going to the Googleplex, but unfortunately couldn't make it there.

Thanks for the link, though.

Re: Ask HN: I want to start a News Website

#28

Post by zackfern »

ahemphill wrote: post #25
zackfern wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think I can write, but I certainly don't know if I can in the form of reporting. The kind of information I'm interested in publishing is non-biased facts. I doubt a news site could function purely on this, but if I could design one I would put a lot of emphasis on bullet points.

I've been in journalism for about six years now and have worked on some fairly prolific sites; in that time, I've learned that objectivity is a myth. Don't trick yourself into thinking otherwise. That said, I'd love to offer advice/guidance on a more specific level if you'd like to chat.

What aren't I tricking myself into thinking?.. That I would like to make the news as non-biased as possible, that I'd like to use bullet points, or that I'd like to use facts?

Re: Ask HN: I want to start a News Website

#29

Post by albertsun »

While Hacker News is focused on hacking/coding, that will almost certainly be the easiest part of what you're trying to do.

What will make the difference in whether or not you shake up the news industry is the type of content you create and how you create it, not the software that runs the site.

My advice to you is to get the easiest possible writing platform (that means WordPress) running, and then spend your time writing and putting out those "short, sweet facts." Try and find other people to do this as well.

Then get as many people as you can to read the site and see what they think of it.

Re: Ask HN: I want to start a News Website

#30

Post by ahemphill »

zackfern wrote: post #28
ahemphill wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been in journalism for about six years now and have worked on some fairly prolific sites; in that time, I've learned that objectivity is a myth. Don't trick yourself into thinking otherwise. That said, I'd love to offer advice/guidance on a more specific level if you'd like to chat.

What aren't I tricking myself into thinking?.. That I would like to make the news as non-biased as possible, that I'd like to use bullet points, or that I'd like to use facts?

Bias is inherent in every step of the news gathering and reporting process. It better to recognize (and perhaps even highlight) this than to expend energy and resources on pursuing that which is ultimately unattainable. Doing so will go farther in creating credibility and trust than operating under the guise of presenting "just the facts."
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