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Ask HN: Please stop "This."

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Re: Ask HN: Please stop "This."

#71

Post by philwelch »

ColinWright wrote: post #16

I like to upvote things that I think add value to HackerNews. However, since upvotes are no longer displayed, it's impossible for my agreement or endorsement to have any visible manifestation unless I add a comment. I'd be tempted to use this emerging new idiom, except I think it looks and sounds stupid. However, pretty much all dialectic and idiomatic shifts look stupid to those entrenched in the existing "standards…

Have you ever considered the possibility that your or any other person's agreement with a given comment simply isn't valuable information?

Re: Ask HN: Please stop "This."

#72

Post by philwelch »

stevelosh wrote: post #21

Are you bothered if someone starts a post with "I completely agree with you."? If so, I think that's strange. Why would that bother you? They're giving you an idea of what their comment will be like up front to help you understand it more easily. If not, they why does it bother you when they say essentially the same thing with four fewer words? It's totally fine to be annoyed by a comment that doesn't add anything or…

> Are you bothered if someone starts a post with "I completely agree with you."?

If it clarifies that they aren't arguing with the parent post, it's valuable, but even then you could say, "To expand on your point about..." or something similar. Otherwise, there's no way that someone else's agreement with a comment provides any useful information to me.

Re: Ask HN: Please stop "This."

#73

Post by philwelch »

sp332 wrote: post #18
ralmeida wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I usually interpret it as "I couldn't agree more."

Right, you only use it when the person has completely captured your ideas or feelings on the subject, and you have nothing left to add.

Then add nothing. Your agreement isn't valuable information.

Re: Ask HN: Please stop "This."

#74

Post by niccl »

dfc wrote: post #70
fr0sty wrote: post #13

Are there actually a significant number of posts which consist of just a single "This"? Or are you making a statement against the use of that as an opening line before someone adds their two cents. If the former I might suggest it has something to with the fact that commenting is the only visible form of 'voting' on HN now that comment scores are hidden. If the latter, I am completely ambivalent. Its a popular turn o…

I had to read a couple comments in this thread before I even understood what "this" was/is. I think I would have recognized what the "this" phenomenon was if I had come across it in a number of hn posts. I can not recall ever seeing it in a thread and I read hn somewhat frequently. The only thing I can think of is that there is a certain subculture that uses "this" and that I do not read the stories that this subcult…

I saw a 'this' yesterday on HN (can't recall what it was about, unfortunately) and it had me totally puzzled. I had no idea what it was there for.

I may be curmudgeonly and dumb, but I can't see where 'This' has any real advantage over 'I agree'. So 'I agree' with the OP.

Re: Ask HN: Please stop "This."

#75

Post by lotharbot »

niccl wrote: post #74
dfc wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had to read a couple comments in this thread before I even understood what "this" was/is. I think I would have recognized what the "this" phenomenon was if I had come across it in a number of hn posts. I can not recall ever seeing it in a thread and I read hn somewhat frequently. The only thing I can think of is that there is a certain subculture that uses "this" and that I do not read the stories that this subcult…

I saw a 'this' yesterday on HN (can't recall what it was about, unfortunately) and it had me totally puzzled. I had no idea what it was there for. I may be curmudgeonly and dumb, but I can't see where 'This' has any real advantage over 'I agree'. So 'I agree' with the OP.

Most of the time, neither "this" nor "I agree" are of value on HN. If you have something unique to add to the conversation, say it, but don't waste space letting us know that you agree. As philwelch said elsewhere, your agreement isn't valuable information.

There are only a couple of exceptions I can think of:

- if someone says something about your business, personal life, or recognized area of expertise, your confirmation is of value. In that case, "I agree" is a perfectly fine standalone response.

- if you're responding in disagreement to one part of a post, it can be helpful to mention that you agree with other parts, in order to stop responses like "you ignored the rest of what I said". Clarifying the scope of your response can help keep discussion focused, and is therefore of value.

Re: Ask HN: Please stop "This."

#77

Post by ralmeida »

philwelch wrote: post #73
sp332 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, you only use it when the person has completely captured your ideas or feelings on the subject, and you have nothing left to add.

Then add nothing. Your agreement isn't valuable information.

That's the OP's point, yes, but parent comment asked for a definition.

Re: Ask HN: Please stop "This."

#78

Post by gm »

philwelch wrote: post #71
ColinWright wrote: post #16

I like to upvote things that I think add value to HackerNews. However, since upvotes are no longer displayed, it's impossible for my agreement or endorsement to have any visible manifestation unless I add a comment. I'd be tempted to use this emerging new idiom, except I think it looks and sounds stupid. However, pretty much all dialectic and idiomatic shifts look stupid to those entrenched in the existing "standards…

Have you ever considered the possibility that your or any other person's agreement with a given comment simply isn't valuable information?

I think it is. It tells us what HN readers agree with.

Re: Ask HN: Please stop "This."

#80

Post by devs1010 »

ColinWright wrote: post #16

I like to upvote things that I think add value to HackerNews. However, since upvotes are no longer displayed, it's impossible for my agreement or endorsement to have any visible manifestation unless I add a comment. I'd be tempted to use this emerging new idiom, except I think it looks and sounds stupid. However, pretty much all dialectic and idiomatic shifts look stupid to those entrenched in the existing "standards…

I don't know if "this" usage has spread to the general population as a whole but it seems like it at least started with sites frequented by programmers / hackers and I don't think its hard to see why something like "this" would become commonly used among this population as people who write code have a tendency toward trying to express things concisely when possible
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