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When we talk about going dark we are talking about US viewers only right? I have no power to change SOPA so there is no point protesting to me.
1) The more sites decide to shut down on the 18th, the easier it becomes for major websites like Google, Twitter, and Facebook to join. It also increases the chances that this is going to be covered by the mainstream media. 2) Perhaps a blackout will give some HNers the final push (and time) to make some phone calls to their representatives. 3) It can serve as a demonstration of what the web will be like if SOPA kick…
What's the probability that major websites join the movement? One one hand a 24-hour outage would result in loss of a couple of bucks, but on the other, they in fact participated in the IPv6 day, so I'm not sure.
No because anyone who already reads HN already knows SOPA. The only thing that will be effective is if sites that normal non-tech people visit go dark.
Frankly I think that HN is the wrong vehicle to bring attention to the matter strictly from a marketing/outreach perspective.
However, YC is a great channel to carry this message, and PG has already taken a very public stance on the issue.
Anyone from Cloudflare here?
No because anyone who already reads HN already knows SOPA. The only thing that will be effective is if sites that normal non-tech people visit go dark.
Going dark's is not only about being informative. Is more valuable than that. To the eyes of history, you have symbolic value in participating of a protest. People will talk about what you did or did not in historically important (game changer) times. So is all about how do you want them to talk about you in relation to this?
I agree that HN we ought to be willing to go dark, (insofar as HN is a leader of anything) but still vote no on the grounds that it will be a meaningless gesture. Leaders should be willing to sacrifice as they ask from others, that doesn't mean it's helpful in every situation.
ps. I may be biased. I've never been very big on symbolic value.
EDIT: Oh yeah, and that point about the reddit refugees. Yeah.
EDIT2: and then we can have haskell day on the 19th or something as well. sweet.
1) The more sites decide to shut down on the 18th, the easier it becomes for major websites like Google, Twitter, and Facebook to join. It also increases the chances that this is going to be covered by the mainstream media. 2) Perhaps a blackout will give some HNers the final push (and time) to make some phone calls to their representatives. 3) It can serve as a demonstration of what the web will be like if SOPA kick…
FWIW, I think if Google, Twitter, and/or Facebook joined, they'd just put up custom messages (maybe with a link?) to an anti-SOPA page. Of course, the question is, how do they define their political neutrality after this?
I wanted to vote no, because it seems so Pyrrhic, maybe a little gimmicky: "See, we shut down a site you don't use!" But if you're asking people to make a sacrifice you're not willing to make yourself, you're a bad leader, period. I'm not saying HN is the bastion of the tech world. But if we're upvoting the Reddit shutdown (at least I did), and we can't turn around and do it ourselves, well, we're not made of very to…