I find the comments on HN to often be much better quality than the actual link. As a result, I've been clicking on the comments first, and then decide whether to read the full article. A somewhat strange reading habit - just wondering if others do this too?
Ask YC: Do any of you find yourself reading comments before the actual link?
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Re: Ask YC: Do any of you find yourself reading comments before the actual link?
#2Yes, frequently.
I kinda wish there was an "open in frames" option, putting both the comments and the page in one tab. I go to reddit/hn/etc and open many links in new tabs, then the "next" page in a tab. Then I just work through till I get to the end and process the next page.
Re: Ask YC: Do any of you find yourself reading comments before the actual link?
#3The comments differentiate good links from bad. I rarely read a post without checking the comments first.
(Though I do read the links before voting, of course.)
Re: Ask YC: Do any of you find yourself reading comments before the actual link?
#4Sometimes. If the headline sounds preposterous, I sometimes check the comments to see if it has been locally debunked before clicking on the link to the article.
Re: Ask YC: Do any of you find yourself reading comments before the actual link?
#5That pretty much describes what I do, yes.
Re: Ask YC: Do any of you find yourself reading comments before the actual link?
#6Almost always. While the links are great, the discussions are what make Hacker News.
Re: Ask YC: Do any of you find yourself reading comments before the actual link?
#7Yes, most times. Sometimes I feel that reading the comments first skews my opinion of the article but mostly it's useful to filter out the less interesting links.
Re: Ask YC: Do any of you find yourself reading comments before the actual link?
#8I usually don't even read the links. There is no sense to read a big article...when you can get most of the story from comments...in addition to a meaningful discussion
Re: Ask YC: Do any of you find yourself reading comments before the actual link?
#9The RSS feed directs me directly to the link.
Re: Ask YC: Do any of you find yourself reading comments before the actual link?
#10All the time. I even tell myself to read the story first so I have a base on what is being discussed but I always end up in the comments first.