Making a public stand isn't just about using shock-and-awe to create an educational moment. It's also about making headlines and showing solidarity.

Despite the fact that the majority of HN readers already know about SOPA, I think it's an excellent idea for these other reasons.

It might also be an opportunity to get some of us off our butts and use the time we spend reading HN each day to call our representatives in congress instead.

>Making a public stand isn't [...] [is] also about making headlines and showing solidarity.

So you think that HN being off for a few hours will make headlines in the worlds newspapers and on the main TV channels? Maybe as an "some tech websites were also offline [and nothing important was lost]" or maybe even (given the quality of some press) "other illegal hacking sites were down in protest against the bill".

I don't have a representative in congress but nonetheless expect congress is already pushing a similar law for my country.

I find the idea lacks any force as a demonstration.

No, I believe it will alter how the news media writes their story about the Reddit blackout. "Tech sites do blackout" vs "Wacky site shuts itself off for a day".

This is a very good point.

Reddit, HackerNews & SlashDot down = Tech sites blackout

Reddit down = Remember that website that we reported was full of pedophiles last month? ...

But where am I going to find the headlines?!

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?

Personally, I don't think the "eyes of history" will care much what whether or not HN went dark for the purpose of symbolic value. These statements of yours seem to apply better to group demonstrations of the more traditional variety.

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.

HN is a group of people (before anything else). If you underestimate yourself or your people, then you are doing a favor to the establishment that wants you and your people to stay invisible.

Think it from different points of view.

For example: if HN goes down, it could be a fact noticeable for a journalist's investigation. With luck, it could become a paragraph in a New York Times article about this subject.

You can more influential than you are thinking.

Now I want to change my vote ...

Agreed. I'm all for raising awareness, but many of the articles surfacing here over the past few weeks have been SOPA related and taking down the whole site to put up one message may actually reduce the amount of SOPA/PIPA-related information people are reading.

For reference, all SOPA related articles on HN: http://www.hnsearch.com/search#request/all&q=SOPA

Maybe instead of "going dark" that should be what the homepage redirects to for that day. That way it raises awareness and provides reading material.

I think it is safe to assume that everyone on HN is fully aware of SOPA by now.

Not about the other anti-Internet attempts. I hope that the Internet Freedom message is displayed broadly alongside support for the SOPA protest movement.

Agreed, shutting down a website that no one in congress reads, knows about, or would care about even if they knew seems pointless to me.

If you want to have real effect continue (or start) to write your congress-person, educate your friends, and pressure them into doing the same. Post on Facebook, twitter, etc.

Compared to these real actions, shutting down HN is useless pageantry.

I agree with you regarding the fact that no one in congress reads HN, however, I do believe that many people from very big companies (including Google, Facebook, Yahoo, etc) do spend time on HN.

Perhaps "going dark" can help encourage said companies to show support - in a similar way that the Reddit post has triggered this post.

It's not about HN users. It's so HN users can say to other people, see this forum of entrepreneurs is offline in protest.

We can't ask "normal non-tech people" sites to go dark if we're not willing to ourselves. Even if few HNers will learn anything new it still sets a good example.

And how better to convince Google, Facebook, twitter, etc. to join us on a blackout or at least a "blackout" than by _all_ of us being a part of it and spreading the word as best we can?