Comment by metadope
10 days ago
I am a noob. I remember, it was not too long ago, when I first read the guidelines, took a deep breath, and submitted my very first comment.
I was immediately downvoted.
Zero karma. Into the Darkness. It was 200 days before I tried again (I'm sensitive).
As helpful as the guidelines[0] are, they are just the beginning of a learning experience. I've decided that participating in the HN community is like playing Zork[1]. You have to step to the edges to discover the boundaries. You have to feel your way through; you need to absorb the feedback you receive and find your way, without falling into the pit.
Often moderation comes from the veterans here. Some of the moderation process does seem mysterious to me; I am still exploring; it takes time to understand and map out all these connected rooms.
There is sometimes an 'unfairness' but life is equally unfair to everybody.
I hope I am never shadowbanned.
Now, let me get back to my game.
> Throw the sack at the troll
[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zork
thank you for sharing. I believe the shadowban issue contributes to this reluctance. There are a few pillars, some policy, some cultural, that discourage more engaging dialog.
The rules are sound, and I'm not pushing back on those. But I think with better tools, more community members will be encouraged to participate and be authentic.
Of course, shadowbans are not the biggest issue ( groupthink and AI spam are bigger, among others). but it's an issue I know firsthand.
If you're authentic here, you *will* be flagged and downvoted.
Think of it as a martial arts dojo .. comment harshly and inadvertantly snark others and you might get sweep off your feet and take damage.
With time and atention you can be yor authentic self, ( sans swearing, personal attacks, implications that parallel commenters are deranged, etc ) and maintain your balance.
I've been throttled at least three times and have come back unscathed.
The trick is to hold your ground without "being a dick about it" (Australian idiom), don't get baited, and keep a broad high view of the general domain of discussion .. the ground is littered with minefields.
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