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    PG: The biggest source of stress for me at YC was running HN

    (twitter.com)
    482 points ilamont | 17 comments | 11 Jul 20 21:53 UTC | HN request time: 1.676s | source | bottom
    1. mw6621 ◴[11 Jul 20 22:32 UTC] No.23806714[source]▶
    I agree with his ultimate conclusion -- don't start a forum.

    It is no fun being an internet referee.

    replies(5): >>23806844 #>>23807014 #>>23807076 #>>23809386 #>>23827239 #
    2. enitihas ◴[11 Jul 20 22:49 UTC] No.23806844[source]▶
    It is fun if you are seeking status or power, and thus it ends up attracting similarly inclined people.
    replies(1): >>23806907 #
    3. dvtrn ◴[11 Jul 20 22:58 UTC] No.23806907[source]▶
    It was amusing to me watching this comment turn grey when first stumbling upon it, I wonder if some apparently think entithas is just lying about it or if they’ve truly never come across a moderator or group of moderators who were just a power-tripping JERKS in their internet lives, and so thoroughly disbelieve there are people out there who just want power over a measly phpbb message board or subreddit that they just downvoted this and ran away.

    I envy everyone who has yet to come across it, yours is truly a blessed internet experience. Those kinds of rulers just sap the joy out of communities and lead to splinter after splinter.

    replies(1): >>23807535 #
    4. pmoriarty ◴[11 Jul 20 23:12 UTC] No.23807014[source]▶
    Does PG actually modertate HN?

    I thought he had mods like dang to take care of it for him.

    I'd be more interested to hear what dang thinks of HN than what PG thinks.

    replies(3): >>23807058 #>>23807089 #>>23807090 #
    5. Wowfunhappy ◴[11 Jul 20 23:17 UTC] No.23807058[source]▶
    He did early on; not anymore.
    6. brandall10 ◴[11 Jul 20 23:19 UTC] No.23807076[source]▶
    Regardless of the value it brings to society, I believe Hacker News brings much value to YCombinator and the startups associated with it. Or at least it did up until recent years. I’ve never been part of a YC class, but I was kept abreast of many companies and changes to the program throughout the years largely because of it.
    7. rapnie ◴[11 Jul 20 23:22 UTC] No.23807089[source]▶
    You could read "The Lonely Work of Moderating Hacker News". It is a great article.

    https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-silicon-valley/th...

    Discussion at the time:

    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20643052

    replies(1): >>23807381 #
    8. gus_massa ◴[11 Jul 20 23:22 UTC] No.23807090[source]▶
    He was the moderator until March 2014. https://blog.ycombinator.com/meet-the-people-taking-over-hac...
    9. slavik81 ◴[12 Jul 20 00:09 UTC] No.23807381{3}[source]▶
    It's rather silly, but until I read this article, I'd always assumed dang was Asian.
    replies(1): >>23807502 #
    10. StavrosK ◴[12 Jul 20 00:30 UTC] No.23807502{4}[source]▶
    The Chinese Da Ng?
    replies(2): >>23807868 #>>23807968 #
    11. wtracy ◴[12 Jul 20 00:34 UTC] No.23807535{3}[source]▶
    I imagine it was downvoted because it came across as a jab at the HN moderators.

    Looking at the bigger picture, yeah, I have to agree. I have seen a virtual coup d'etat on a subreddit dedicated to fast food. (One moderator got kicked out. He responded by creating his own subreddit. He actually got 90% of the posters to come with him, leaving behind an empty husk of a subreddit.)

    replies(1): >>23807806 #
    12. dvtrn ◴[12 Jul 20 01:21 UTC] No.23807806{4}[source]▶
    I imagine it was downvoted because it came across as a jab at the HN moderators.

    Interesting. The comment seemed quite broad and generalized for one to come to that specific assumption, just because HN happens to be the where the discussion is being held, but appreciate the insight. Maybe I’m projecting a bit, since it’s not a conclusion I would have arrived at, but that’s for me to own and work on.

    13. frosted-flakes ◴[12 Jul 20 01:31 UTC] No.23807868{5}[source]▶
    Isn't Ng a Vietnamese name?
    replies(1): >>23807896 #
    14. StavrosK ◴[12 Jul 20 01:35 UTC] No.23807896{6}[source]▶
    I thought so too, but Wikipedia said Chinese, so I went with it.
    15. slavik81 ◴[12 Jul 20 01:48 UTC] No.23807968{5}[source]▶
    I'd picked up from context that it was his real name, and had assumed it was his surname. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dang_(surname)
    16. 082349872349872 ◴[12 Jul 20 06:44 UTC] No.23809386[source]▶
    It is no fun being a sports referee either. One has to pay constant attention and remain detached, all the while hearing from both sides what lousy calls one has made. (A legal judge's opinion, on which I model referee'ing: "be just, and if you can't be just, be arbitrary")

    (or, more frequently, failed to make. in the old days one could ask "have you ever gone fishing? Well, did you catch all the fish?" What would be a modern equivalent?)

    17. 6510 ◴[14 Jul 20 00:22 UTC] No.23827239[source]▶
    > It is no fun being an internet referee.

    Put so simple makes it a fascinating puzzle that I will need to ponder for years to come. Why is it the case, what can be done, who is up for it, what will they turn into, what happens with the subjects if done right/wrong?