Harsh criticism is often the most useful criticism.
Why I now, unfortunately, hate Hacker News..
61–70 of 465 posts
Re: Why I now, unfortunately, hate Hacker News..
#62There's a lot of negative, boring people hiding behind their keyboards. Don't let them drain your enthusiasm. If they're not being constructive, their opinion isn't worth noting in the slightest. Chin up.
Re: Why I now, unfortunately, hate Hacker News..
#63Sigh. Personally, I don't have a problem with people being negative. 99% of startups fail, and I think it's worthwhile reminding people of that every now and then. Hacker News shouldn't live in some magical land where everyone is going to make the next billion dollar company. If you truly, genuinely, believe in your idea then you can take the negativity in your stride. There will be plenty of constructive feedback bu…
> And maybe it is a bad idea. ^This. Sometimes people feel very passionate about something and they get tunnel vision. They invest hours, weeks, years on something and to them it is going to be the next big thing that will get the girl, kill the baddies... and save the entire planet[1]. But guess what? Sometimes... sometimes ... it really is just shit. Sorry to tell you this but your idea sucks... or the execution su…
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Re: Why I now, unfortunately, hate Hacker News..
#64Just wanted to share my perspective as someone who is relatively new to HN, but has had some successful (if that's the right word) threads about my projects.
The first post I submitted was a most-mortem about my startup. IIRC, it make the top 5 briefly. The doors opened to me because of that were shocking. I had many job offers, phone conversations with a few well-known tech personalities, and tons of traffic.
At the time, I felt the comments on HN were extremely negative. But, many opportunities and contacts arose from that thread outside of HN.
Later, someone posted my new ebook landing page to HN. The ensuing traffic built up my email newsletter and is still one of the main sources for my sales. Again, the comments on HN were very negative, but I met lots of positive, supportive, excited folks when they signed up to my newsletter or followed me on twitter. All because they found me on HN.
From these experiences, here's what I've learned about HN. It might not be very surprising:
-There is a very negative and very vocal minority that comments actively.
-There are many more positive, helpful people lurking. (If you can find them.)
-If you post your project to HN, you better have thick skin.
-HN is not only a great source for news, it's a powerful resource for founders.
-Because of all the strange and hidden rules about up-voting, getting your project in front of people on HN is all about luck. It has nothing to do with you.
*edited for bullet point fail.
Re: Why I now, unfortunately, hate Hacker News..
#65Hi Steve, I don't know if you are going to read this, but I'm going to write it for the rest of the audience too. I think the trend of dismissing critics and commenting along the lines of "sour grapes" or "haters" very disturbing. Yes I go against your commentary. The great thing about internet and communities based on pseudonyms is that you get the first reaction that people have. Very few will take a few minutes to…
With all due respect, I think you missed the point of this post. The OP is not dismissing critics with claims of "sour grapes" and "hating". He is saying that the community is no longer a "safe place" where he feels OK to share work in its early stages.
In other words, he was not saying that negative criticism should be dismissed. He was saying that there is too much negativity for him to find the site enjoyable and that he thinks the change in attitude is for the worse.
That said, I also think that you're off the mark when you say the OP is not ready for having a personal project on display. The premise of OP's note is that he considered HN to be a more positive, supportive community than the larger Internet. There is nothing wrong with wanting to associate yourself with people who will build you up rather than tear you down. If Steve's been using HN for five years, he's probably well aware of how vicious people can be on the Internet. It sounds like he's sad that HN isn't a haven from this viciousness like it once was. And just because he's sad that this one community has deteriorated, that doesn't mean he's not capable of handling the slings and arrows of the wider Internet population.
Re: Why I now, unfortunately, hate Hacker News..
#66I was going to post the same thing. I felt physically sick reading some of the vile comments to the makr.io team. They took it with a smile, and I applaud them for it, but that stuff hurts.
I've noted a substantial drop in show HN posts, which I love, over the past weeks and an increase in bullshit media sensationalism :"twitter says : drop dead".
Reasons? I say a rise in celebrity users and those seeking to impress them and a lack of recent presence from Pg. He needs to whip that front page back to what it's all about - hackers and startups.
Re: Why I now, unfortunately, hate Hacker News..
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
> And maybe it is a bad idea. ^This. Sometimes people feel very passionate about something and they get tunnel vision. They invest hours, weeks, years on something and to them it is going to be the next big thing that will get the girl, kill the baddies... and save the entire planet[1]. But guess what? Sometimes... sometimes ... it really is just shit. Sorry to tell you this but your idea sucks... or the execution su…
If all you want to hear is how awesome it is, then go show it to your mum. I'm sure she'll tell you how special you are and that you can do no wrong. Sounds like a strawman to me. Who here has said anything about wanting nothing but positivity, or to be told how awesome they are? Even negativity can be combined with encouragement and support. And it doesn't really cost anymore to do that. A. "Your idea is pretty bad.…
Mindcrime hits the nail on the head. I don't want people telling me how awesome my project is - no where in my OP have I said that. My mum would be my toughest critic but she'd also be my fairest and explain to me what she liked but more importantly how something I'd done could be made better. That's what HN was to me - a place for amazing constructive feedback. Constructive feedback is something much different to criticism - which is where HN finds itself today imo.
Re: Why I now, unfortunately, hate Hacker News..
#68Hi Steve, I don't know if you are going to read this, but I'm going to write it for the rest of the audience too. I think the trend of dismissing critics and commenting along the lines of "sour grapes" or "haters" very disturbing. Yes I go against your commentary. The great thing about internet and communities based on pseudonyms is that you get the first reaction that people have. Very few will take a few minutes to…
It also seems to me people's online opinions will tend to extremes. If there is an average reaction, either like or dislike, that might not cross the "click the reply button and write a comment" threshold. So there could be quite a bit of positive reaction, some moderate opinion, but people just won't feel the need to comment on it. So due to this bias one would expect to see more sharply negative or strongly positive responses.
Also I guess HN was mostly about the startup ecosphere, and now that goal shifted. Now it is about technology, programming, social issues _and_ startups.
Announcing a new startup might get a positive reaction from people interested in startup but will get no or negative reaction from those not interested in startups.
I'll raise my hand and admit that I am not interested in startups at all at the moment. I try not to comment negatively or positively on them I just skip those topics.
Should I feel guilty for not being interested, and are characters like me perceived as destroying the HN culture?