Ask HN: Quality of content on HN

Posted by arrowgunz on Sunday March 13, 2011 @03:53AM
from the ask-hn dept.

Off late I've noticed that there seems to be a decline in the quality of content that is being submitted to HN. Most of the content doesn't seem to be anything like "Hacker" news. Is there anyway that HN can moderate the content in a better way. If the content is interesting and doesn't belong to HN, there is always Reddit/Digg/StumbleUpon for that. As a huge fan of HN, I feel bad. I don't want to point out the content but I seriously feel bad about it. This is just my expression. Hope HN receives it in a positive way.

Edit: I don't submit content. I only am a regular reader of HN and love HN.

( 14 comments | 15 points | on HN )

Re:Ask HN: Quality of content on HN by noonespecial on Sunday March 13, 2011 @04:03AM (#2318646)

Sure there is. Check out the "new" page. When you see something there you think should be on Hacker News, upvote it. If 3 other people agree with you it will find its way to the front page. If lots more people agree, it will stick around a while.

If lots of us do a little bit each day to promote what we think belongs, it will wash out the popular culture stories that make the front page with only a few votes.

I've felt the same way recently and instead of just passively soaking in what ends up on the front page, I've started taking a trip through "new" every once in a while to see if I can do my part.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Quality of content on HN by akkartik on Sunday March 13, 2011 @05:35AM (#2318809)

That's one of the reasons I built http://hackerstream.com (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2301871) - it reminds me to vote on the new queue. Hopefully it helps others engage with that forgotten page as well.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Quality of content on HN by arrowgunz on Sunday March 13, 2011 @05:14AM (#2318771)

Agreed. Although it is a bit bothersome, I think I will do that from now on.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Quality of content on HN by waterlesscloud on Sunday March 13, 2011 @05:38AM (#2318815)

Quality don't maintain itself.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Quality of content on HN by staunch on Sunday March 13, 2011 @04:50AM (#2318718)

"If your account is less than a year old, please don't submit comments saying that HN is turning into Reddit. (It's a common semi-noob illusion.)" http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Quality of content on HN by arrowgunz on Sunday March 13, 2011 @05:03AM (#2318744)

I totally agree with you. Frankly, it is not an illusion.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Quality of content on HN by hollerith on Sunday March 13, 2011 @05:33AM (#2318808)

Once people realize that an online community is a good place to learn and to teach, they are tempted to use it to learn and to teach things that are outside the original or explicit purpose of the site.

That is what happened 20 or more years ago on comp.arch for example and to a lesser extent on other newsgroups about a narrow technical subject like comp.lang.lisp.

In other words, one of the reasons why off-topic things are discussed on HN is that the human desire to learn and to teach is very strong -- especially among people who have come to know and admire one another.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Quality of content on HN by henrikschroder on Sunday March 13, 2011 @04:48AM (#2318713)

Flag articles you don't think are appropriate. Upvote articles you think are.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Quality of content on HN by dtby on Sunday March 13, 2011 @05:00AM (#2318738)

This presumes you haven't had your ability to flag revoked by the powers that be.

I would argue that mine got revoked for taking an actual interest in the quality and scope of submitted content. So, take that into consideration when trying to help.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Quality of content on HN by anigbrowl on Sunday March 13, 2011 @05:28AM (#2318802)

Based on what? I flag with abandon, and none of TPTB have seen fit to put a crimp in my vexillocratic activities. Those monthly checks I send to pg are a small price to pay for such power.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Quality of content on HN by dtby on Sunday March 13, 2011 @06:57AM (#2318936)

Based on, and including no more than my original message: "my experience."

I flagged with abandon many months ago including not believing that YC-funded "startups" had a special place in the world.

Don't get me wrong... if people want to participate here,, I think it might be one of the best places for tech people on the internet. Just don't think that your HN account gives you carte banche to participate in the discussion.

I'm completely disinterested in the SV startup scene so HN still works for me as Yet Another News Aggregator, but it's not what I expected... so that's all.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Quality of content on HN by torso on Sunday March 13, 2011 @11:03AM (#2319308)

Instead of just voting up or down, maybe there should be a sideways vote: off-topic. That would allow shallow and non-hacker related, but yet popular, posts to be moved to a separate page. Should help clean the front page of such news, but in a way it might also legitimise it.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Quality of content on HN by minalecs on Sunday March 13, 2011 @06:46AM (#2318922)

I think focus of articles have changed, not so much as quality. I remember when HN ran erlang articles for a few days, which was effective for some time, but sadly brought more attention and audience outside of who the erlang articles were intended for.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Quality of content on HN by teyc on Sunday March 13, 2011 @08:38AM (#2319051)

I noticed there is little difference between reddit and HN today. Could we have a way of voting for an item to be discussed at Reddit instead? We can then return the content to be more focussed on the so called "hacker" ethos.

[ Parent | on HN ]