Earlier quoted context omitted.
One thing we could do pretty easily is use IP geolocation to highlight "meetup in $place" posts for readers who are accessing HN from $place. I'm not sure if this would be extremely welcome or extremely off-putting. I mean, I'm sure it would be both, for different users, but I'm not sure what the percentages would be.
Top-level posts, or comments? It'll also be good if locations/cities couldn't be monopolised by a single large meetup. I attended a few HNLondon meetups back in 2012, but came away with nothing. Smaller meetups might work better for actually getting to know people.
'Speed friending' events
101–107 of 107 posts
Re: 'Speed friending' events
#102Over the past few years on HN I've periodically seen a nice exchange between people saying "if anyone is in Austin and wants to get a beer, let me know." There's normally a response or two. I wonder how many of these people actually meet up? And is HN good (or not) for this purpose? Seems like readers/commenters here could easily have a lot in common, so why couldn't HN be used as a platform for 'speed friending.' Bu…
I've often thought about having a 'meet' tab in the top bar, alongside 'ask' and 'show' and 'jobs', where people could post meetups. HN has connected a lot of people over the years, both with each other and with significant opportunities. It would be nice to foster more real-world connections. Edit: not a new idea - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1310849
Re: 'Speed friending' events
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've often thought about having a 'meet' tab in the top bar, alongside 'ask' and 'show' and 'jobs', where people could post meetups. HN has connected a lot of people over the years, both with each other and with significant opportunities. It would be nice to foster more real-world connections. Edit: not a new idea - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1310849
I live in the South Bay and I'm considering hosting a meetup either at my house/backyard or at a nearby park. Is there a way or preferred format for me to gauge interest or announce it? Making a top level post just for that feels a bit silly but that's the best idea I have.
Re: 'Speed friending' events
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
Brisbane, sadly (for this purpose), but if you're ever up here...
I mean, I live here. So why not! Though I imagine considering Brisbane's circles we're likely already friends haha.
Re: 'Speed friending' events
#105What is it about us and society that has moved us in a continually more isolating direction instead of getting better at forming connections. Aren't we more connected now by many orders of magnitude than all previous generations? Are we not able to handle these quick/cheap interactions and do they cause harm instead of satisfaction? Have we replaced meaningful, non-work human interaction with apps that seem to do the…
Lately, I've become convinced that it's simply because so much of our lives is controlled by corporations and their priorities. Whenever I look around and try to figure out why everything looks so bleak; e.g. why does every building look the same, why is everyone's behavior so homogenous and boring, why is there so little creativity, etc.? It's because a very small number of organizations have a huge amount of influe…
Re: 'Speed friending' events
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
As a dumb phone user I have noticed this paradox. Smartphones allow you to do things on your own. That completely rules out random encounters or discussions. If you have a question instead of asking someone and start a conversation you can just Google it. No need to ask your way to locals, you have Google map.
This is interesting. I recently heard a similar example that pointed out that say for a simple query like "who won that game between so and so a few years ago", you could easily look it up online and get an answer in a few seconds. But you would be missing the back and forth of follow up questions and such that would arise if you asked a person. And that could be a whole conversation in itself. In that sense, the que…
Re: 'Speed friending' events
#107What is it about us and society that has moved us in a continually more isolating direction instead of getting better at forming connections. Aren't we more connected now by many orders of magnitude than all previous generations? Are we not able to handle these quick/cheap interactions and do they cause harm instead of satisfaction? Have we replaced meaningful, non-work human interaction with apps that seem to do the…
There’s too much easy entertainment. People who were bored often had other people as their primary form of entertainment, now it’s much easier to turn on the tv or go to something on the internet. This has been happening for a hundred years, and younger generations increasingly lose the habits of their elders. Also architecture of our houses and cities does not favor that kind of social interaction. People sacrifice…