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Ask HN: Is there a way to follow people on Hacker News?

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11–20 of 32 posts

Re: Ask HN: Is there a way to follow people on Hacker News?

#11
post #5

I would also like to have longer lived threads, and that users actually discussed, read each others comments, and reply We need notifications for replies ! So far, posts get posted, end up on the main page, get 300 comments at once from different users, then fall into oblivion. All of that within a few hours

You can get notifications of replies to your own comments with this service: https://www.hnreplies.com/

Re: Ask HN: Is there a way to follow people on Hacker News?

#12
post #5

I would also like to have longer lived threads, and that users actually discussed, read each others comments, and reply We need notifications for replies ! So far, posts get posted, end up on the main page, get 300 comments at once from different users, then fall into oblivion. All of that within a few hours

Agree. It’s hard to have a conversation here, but I don’t know exactly why. I suggested once that if usernames were just bolder it would make a difference. Avatars seem like fluff, but I think they really do make it easier to spot a familiar “face”. Oh, also… I do check “threads” sometimes if I want to keep up with a conversation.

To me, the nested format of comments is the issue. In a flat format like a forum, people are forced to stay on a main line of conversation, with occasional tangents using quotes or new threads. In the HN style, everyone peels away into their own little side discussions, which themselves generate side discussions. It's almost like socialization at a party, and it's encouraged by the heirarchical structure. A detailed one-on-one conversation rapidly runs off to the right side, which discourages it.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a way to follow people on Hacker News?

#13
post #11
post #5

I would also like to have longer lived threads, and that users actually discussed, read each others comments, and reply We need notifications for replies ! So far, posts get posted, end up on the main page, get 300 comments at once from different users, then fall into oblivion. All of that within a few hours

You can get notifications of replies to your own comments with this service: https://www.hnreplies.com/

Or if you prefer RSS : https://hnrss.github.io/#reply-feeds

Also good for following particular threads : https://hnrss.github.io/#thread-feeds

Re: Ask HN: Is there a way to follow people on Hacker News?

#14
post #5

I would also like to have longer lived threads, and that users actually discussed, read each others comments, and reply We need notifications for replies ! So far, posts get posted, end up on the main page, get 300 comments at once from different users, then fall into oblivion. All of that within a few hours

Agree. It’s hard to have a conversation here, but I don’t know exactly why. I suggested once that if usernames were just bolder it would make a difference. Avatars seem like fluff, but I think they really do make it easier to spot a familiar “face”. Oh, also… I do check “threads” sometimes if I want to keep up with a conversation.

The difficulty in having conversations reduces the tendency for people to get caught up in the cycle of reactive response. Were to introduce response notification, the engagement metrics would rise, but so would the number of fights. Given that HN isn't incentivized to increase engagement to sell ads, posing such an impediment isn't clearly tied to a dollar valued opportunity cost and therefore easier to swallow.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a way to follow people on Hacker News?

#15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree. It’s hard to have a conversation here, but I don’t know exactly why. I suggested once that if usernames were just bolder it would make a difference. Avatars seem like fluff, but I think they really do make it easier to spot a familiar “face”. Oh, also… I do check “threads” sometimes if I want to keep up with a conversation.

To me, the nested format of comments is the issue. In a flat format like a forum, people are forced to stay on a main line of conversation, with occasional tangents using quotes or new threads. In the HN style, everyone peels away into their own little side discussions, which themselves generate side discussions. It's almost like socialization at a party, and it's encouraged by the heirarchical structure. A detailed…

Hacker News has a weird cultural dissonance where it's designed to encourage tangential conversations as you mention, but also has numerous features designed to discourage engagement and casual style for the sake of maintaining quality and avoiding the Eternal September effect. It wants to be a water cooler or a pub where people discuss interesting things, but no one polices the conversations in a pub or around a water cooler for topicality, novelty or substance.

It really should use a flat format to that end, but it's written in a lisp, so not having it render a tree view is probably sacrilege.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a way to follow people on Hacker News?

#16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree. It’s hard to have a conversation here, but I don’t know exactly why. I suggested once that if usernames were just bolder it would make a difference. Avatars seem like fluff, but I think they really do make it easier to spot a familiar “face”. Oh, also… I do check “threads” sometimes if I want to keep up with a conversation.

The difficulty in having conversations reduces the tendency for people to get caught up in the cycle of reactive response. Were to introduce response notification, the engagement metrics would rise, but so would the number of fights. Given that HN isn't incentivized to increase engagement to sell ads, posing such an impediment isn't clearly tied to a dollar valued opportunity cost and therefore easier to swallow.

>The difficulty in having conversations reduces the tendency for people to get caught up in the cycle of reactive response.

The increasingly frequent multi-thousand comment long garbage fire political threads disagree with you.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a way to follow people on Hacker News?

#17
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difficulty in having conversations reduces the tendency for people to get caught up in the cycle of reactive response. Were to introduce response notification, the engagement metrics would rise, but so would the number of fights. Given that HN isn't incentivized to increase engagement to sell ads, posing such an impediment isn't clearly tied to a dollar valued opportunity cost and therefore easier to swallow.

>The difficulty in having conversations reduces the tendency for people to get caught up in the cycle of reactive response. The increasingly frequent multi-thousand comment long garbage fire political threads disagree with you.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Is there a way to follow people on Hacker News?

#18
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difficulty in having conversations reduces the tendency for people to get caught up in the cycle of reactive response. Were to introduce response notification, the engagement metrics would rise, but so would the number of fights. Given that HN isn't incentivized to increase engagement to sell ads, posing such an impediment isn't clearly tied to a dollar valued opportunity cost and therefore easier to swallow.

>The difficulty in having conversations reduces the tendency for people to get caught up in the cycle of reactive response. The increasingly frequent multi-thousand comment long garbage fire political threads disagree with you.

Right, I'm comparing the design effects of different social media platforms, while you're looking at HN over time. We're not really talking about the same things.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a way to follow people on Hacker News?

#19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree. It’s hard to have a conversation here, but I don’t know exactly why. I suggested once that if usernames were just bolder it would make a difference. Avatars seem like fluff, but I think they really do make it easier to spot a familiar “face”. Oh, also… I do check “threads” sometimes if I want to keep up with a conversation.

The difficulty in having conversations reduces the tendency for people to get caught up in the cycle of reactive response. Were to introduce response notification, the engagement metrics would rise, but so would the number of fights. Given that HN isn't incentivized to increase engagement to sell ads, posing such an impediment isn't clearly tied to a dollar valued opportunity cost and therefore easier to swallow.

I’ve had conversations cut off by the site when there’s too much back-and-forth between me and one other person. Is that still in force?

Re: Ask HN: Is there a way to follow people on Hacker News?

#20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difficulty in having conversations reduces the tendency for people to get caught up in the cycle of reactive response. Were to introduce response notification, the engagement metrics would rise, but so would the number of fights. Given that HN isn't incentivized to increase engagement to sell ads, posing such an impediment isn't clearly tied to a dollar valued opportunity cost and therefore easier to swallow.

I’ve had conversations cut off by the site when there’s too much back-and-forth between me and one other person. Is that still in force?

Yes. Happened to me the other day.
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