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Welcome to HS Hackers: Good Posts vs. Crap Posts

(Based on "Welcome to Hacker News")

HS Hackers is a bit different from other Facebook groups, so we'd appreciate it if you'd take a minute to read this.

HSH is an experiment. As a rule, a community site that becomes popular will decline in quality. Our hypothesis is that this is not inevitable—that by making a conscious effort to resist decline, we can keep it from happening.

We don't know whether this hypothesis is correct, but it has held up for a surprisingly long time already.

Essentially there are two rules here: don't post crap, and don't be rude in comments. Both kinds will be deleted swiftly, and you if you continue to post them, you might be banned from the group.

A crap post is one that wasn’t intended to genuinely add value to the community. Posts on HSH don’t have to be about hacking, because good hackers aren’t only interested in hacking, but they do have to be something HS Hackers would enjoy or find interesting. See the examples below for numerous examples of each kind of post, and explanations for their classification.

The most important principle on HSH, though, is to make thoughtful comments. Thoughtful in both senses: both civil and substantial.

Does your comment teach us anything? There are two ways to do that: by pointing out some consideration that hadn't previously been mentioned, and by giving more information about the topic, perhaps from personal experience. Whereas comments like "LOL!" or worse still, "That's retarded!" teach us nothing.

Empty comments can be ok if they're positive. There's nothing wrong with submitting a comment saying just "Thanks." What we especially discourage are comments that are empty and negative—comments that are mere name-calling.

Examples of crap posts:

  • “Anyone interested in helping me with a new startup, IM me!”
    • There are not nearly enough details. You shouldn’t keep these secret. (See: http://www.paulgraham.com/ideas.html)
    • What startup? What is your idea? What is the position? What is the location? What is the technology? What qualities are you looking for? Why should someone help you? What do you get out of it? Who’s involved?
  • Why won’t my code work?
    • This is not a tech support forum.
    • Your question is too vague. If you have a specific, technical question about why some specific code isn’t working how you’d expect, first try debugging yourself, then Googling, then debugging again, then Googling again, and THEN consider asking on HSH. Not before.
    • We’re not here to help you cheat on your APCS homework, or do your freelance work for you.
  • How do I use GitHub Pages?
    • This is not a tech support forum.
  • Can anyone help me with some JavaScript errors I’m getting? Thanks!
    • This is not a tech support forum.
  • Has anyone used the Twitter API before? IM me!
    • Google it.
  • Does someone have a free Namecheap coupon?
  • Yo, who watched House of Cards last night?
    • Even though many HS Hackers may watch that show, this group is not the place to discuss it.
  • How do I become a coder?
    • TODO: Add specific resources for answering this question
  • Can you help me hack someone’s account?
    • Absolutely not. We’re not those kinds of hackers.
  • * Memes can be acceptable content in comments, but don’t make a post about them, unless it’s accompanying an otherwise Good Post.
  • Where can I download the latest episode of Silicon Valley for free?
    • Copyright infringement is unwanted in this group. Besides, a quick Google search would be much easier.
  • Soooo umm…anyone taking AP Latin?
    • Post in your school’s group, not here.
  • What should I use for hosting?
    • Here is a basic guide on what solution should fix your problem. Static sites (HTML/CSS/Javascript for Animations) - If your site is static, then you should use Github Pages. Here is a guide on how to set that up: https://pages.github.com/ This option is free. Dynamic Sites: People typically use Heroku for quick setup for dynamic sites.
  • What should I use for domain registration?
    • For domain registration, Namecheap is a nice deal. Many people have coupons for free domains. Instead of posting a plea for a coupon, just ask HS Hacker member Joshua Singer; he'd be happy to get you one so that you don't spam the different groups.

Examples of good posts (actual examples):

NOTE: Just because a post is good, doesn’t mean a thread is good. If a thread devolves into a flamewar, it might be deleted.

  • Who’s going to PennApps? or Anyone going to the Thiel Summit in SF?
    • Finding a team/fellow HS Hackers going to hacker-related events is awesome!
  • For the node.js guys out there, Grunt or Gulp?
    • Intelligent, constructive discussion about technology and tools is awesome, as long as it is just that — not a flamewar.
  • Congrats to my friend Ryan for a great interview on Android Authority! Definitely a source of inspiration for all high schoolers looking into Computer Science!
    • Awesome! Sharing press articles about you or fellow HS Hackers is definitely okay.
  • Show HS Hackers: DIY Google Glass. I don't see too many hardware hacks out there, so thought it would be a great idea to expand a bit in that domain. Although I don't have too much experience with electronics, I managed to create a working prototype under 30 dollars (haha I'm too poor to buy one). This is only a proof of concept as well as a learning experience for myself and it turned out pretty okay so far. Hopefully I can find a better display and develop a decent interface around it in the near future...
    • Showing off projects/apps/tools you’ve made is AWESOME.
  • What do you use for a to-do list/organizer? or What text editor do you use?
    • These are okay, because talking about tools is important. But don’t post a new one every week. The answers will likely be the same anyway.
  • Hey everyone, register for HackBCA! [A hackathon]
    • Letting people know about hackathons is definitely awesome.
  • Hey guys! On 5/14/14 Alex, Paul, Aakash and myself will be releasing the private beta of HackerBracket, a community for sharing hacks through video presentations. Video encoding + our hosting becomes pretty expensive at a base price of $50/month. I would really appreciate it if you support us by pre-ordering an early pro account for $10/year. Get it here: https://gumroad.com/l/hackerbracket
    • This was asked nicely, prices were disclosed up front, and it was made by community members. No harm here.
  • So my friends (Harvard drop outs) built Fiveprep. It's a tool to help you study APUSH (pretty much quizup for apush). I know the test is coming up in less than a week so I hope you all get 5s! http://fiveprep.com/
    • This is is a technological tool for high schoolers. Awesome.
  • Is Learn C the hard way a good resource for learning C?
    • Specific question, can cause good discussion.
  • Does anyone know how I can get an AP computer science class at my high school?
    • Nuff said. (Also, talk to Zach Latta.)
  • Hmm, I just received a DMCA takedown request for content in one of my GitHub repos. Anyone have experience dealing with these before?
  • http://m.networkworld.com/community/blog/band-releases-album-linux-kernel-module
  • Thanks so much to all you guys who helped me with the launch of 4 Snaps and who downloaded my game today on the first day! The app is now #1 in the US Top Word Games chart and 105 Overall charts! Thanks so much guys!!!!