> Thanks for resolving my internal dialog about returning to Lobsters.
I still load it from time to time, but the value of going there seems to diminish year over year. Every story that gets traction on Lobsters is already posted to HN now.
Many of the commenters I valued on Lobsters have given up on the site and left.
I catch myself starting to comment there and then deleting it because I’m worried about going too much against the acceptable narrative for each topic on the site, no matter how gently worded and hedged I make the comment.
>I catch myself starting to comment there and then deleting it because I’m worried about going too much against the acceptable narrative for each topic on the site, no matter how gently worded and hedged I make the comment.
but it's exactly the same here. hell, even reddit is less bad - even a thousand other people can't silence you there. how many terminally online powerusers does it take to get a comment [dead] and/or [flagged], three? five? and there are dozens of them in every controversial thread, where the approved opinions are expressed with as much low quality vitriol and snark as they please, while the wrong opinions get shut down no matter how civil and/or factual they might be, silently downvoted or flagged out of existence. I could find a hundred examples from my numerous throwaways, but without being as vague as this, I know I'll just get flagged.
now I often find myself doing the same thing you do - not bothering - and I hate what that means.
It’s not the same here at all. I get downvoted into negatives some times but there are enough people who appreciate differing opinions that as long as my comments are well intentioned and contain accurate information they usually go positive again.
On Lobsters, if you say the wrong thing, even as a well-written and researched comment, you could get slapped with a banner at the top of every page inviting you to delete your account.
> I could find a hundred examples from my numerous throwaways,
I’m sorry, but if you have collected a hundred examples and had to generate that many throwaway accounts I have a hard time believing the comments were actually civil or well researched. I can believe that from time to time an angry comment section will downvote a good comment until it’s dead, but if one person is collecting a hundred examples across countless accounts then I think there are deeper problems with the commenting style that need to be evaluated.
>if one person is collecting a hundred examples across countless accounts then I think there are deeper problems with the commenting style that need to be evaluated.
no, no, I didn't mean they were all mine - like I said, I don't bother making high effort comments when I know for sure they'll get [flagged][dead]. what I meant was that I could find such comments in any controversial thread I ever saw, which I could locate from my throwaways' histories.
>as my comments are well intentioned and contain accurate information they usually go positive again.
flagged comments don't, and there are no consequences for using the flag button to express disagreement.
I still load it from time to time, but the value of going there seems to diminish year over year. Every story that gets traction on Lobsters is already posted to HN now.
Many of the commenters I valued on Lobsters have given up on the site and left.
I catch myself starting to comment there and then deleting it because I’m worried about going too much against the acceptable narrative for each topic on the site, no matter how gently worded and hedged I make the comment.