Marketing hacks to boost your startup

Re:Marketing hacks to boost your startup by jacques_chester on Tuesday December 11, 2012 @07:55AM (#4904320)

Tip number one: tips are no longer popular. Call them "hacks" instead.

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Re:Marketing hacks to boost your startup by gerhardi on Tuesday December 11, 2012 @08:03AM (#4904344)

"How I Hacked My Way Through Harvard With Top Grades:

Hack 1: Choose major that interests you

Hack 2: Read and memorize all the course literature ..."

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Re:Marketing hacks to boost your startup by carbocation on Tuesday December 11, 2012 @09:28AM (#4904609)

I agree with you. It is particularly crass that we see this trend occurring on Hacker News. I would encourage PG to add a temporary rule discouraging the misuse of the term hacker, and the mods to rewrite titles that likewise misuse the term.

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Re:Marketing hacks to boost your startup by jacques_chester on Tuesday December 11, 2012 @10:00AM (#4904728)

It's marketing.

Hear about a horse.

Flog horse to death.

Continue flogging.

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Re:Marketing hacks to boost your startup by davidw on Tuesday December 11, 2012 @08:10AM (#4904363)

Bonus points if they are "curated".

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Re:Marketing hacks to boost your startup by ssharp on Tuesday December 11, 2012 @08:51AM (#4904475)

It may be semantics but I definitely wouldn't call these "hacks". "Tips" or "Advice" seems much more appropriate, although with less curb-appeal to this crowd.

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Re:Marketing hacks to boost your startup by jasonkolb on Tuesday December 11, 2012 @09:41AM (#4904660)

I think it's because "hack" connotates cheating in some way, and people are always interested in finding ways to beat the system.

Can you think of another word that has the same effect?

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Re:Marketing hacks to boost your startup by talmand on Tuesday December 11, 2012 @10:51AM (#4904980)

Finding another word to suggest such a thing is difficult because the word "hack" or "hacker" did not originally suggest cheating or beating the system, but has had the meaning altered by people who didn't know the subject matter they were discussing.

It is people like this that have taken this word, changed its meaning to be something devious sounding, and then using it inappropriately (even with the new devious meaning) that is the source of the contention. It is for me at least.

The funny part to me is that in using the word "hack" in this way that suggests "beating the system" also suggests that his whole thought process is to offer suggestions that are inherently wrong. Hacking is cheating, so do these things to cheat. What a wonderful suggestion for long-term business growth.

If someone like this needs another word for what is being attempted then I think "cheating", "gaming", or even "spamming" fits quite nicely.

Finally, I cannot possibly take anyone that uses the term "growth hacking" seriously in a business context. It's like those job posts that use "ninja" or "rockstar"; just an attempt to appear hip or cool in a strange way.

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Re:Marketing hacks to boost your startup by knes on Tuesday December 11, 2012 @10:28AM (#4904842)

I couldn't agree more.

Linkbaiting is starting to piss me off soooo much.

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Re:Marketing hacks to boost your startup by hknozcan on Tuesday December 11, 2012 @08:54AM (#4904484)

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