I really wish this kind of tabloid news didn't make it to the top of Hacker News.
We are a community of Hackers. We set out to change the world, create things, build value. Why then should we be interested in petty clashes of Silicon Valley drama queens? What difference does it make who hates whom and who sues whom? How does it influence my new startup?
Before upvoting something, consider: does reading this story make me a better hacker?
You know, this type of tabloid stuff has made me better.
Before watching Jason from a distance, I didn't realize how powerful this form of marketing was. I don't think I'd ever want to be known as the type of person I perceive Jason to be.
However, this realization has made me stronger. Jason has a soft rule saying "always fight up, don't talk to people below you". I also understand that a lot of the things Jason has accomplished are a result of this tabloid / bickering form of marketing and not his business acumen.
Today, for the most part, I ignore this type of stuff. This type of marketing is so powerful that it engages people online on a deep level. Much more effective then a million dollar ad buy, watching Jason and learning how to spot this game is incredibly valuable.
Essentially there are two rules here: don't post or upvote crap links, and don't be rude or dumb in comment threads.
A crap link is one that's only superficially interesting. Stories on HN don't have to be about hacking, because good hackers aren't only interested in hacking, but they do have to be deeply interesting.
People, if you really think this "article" is "deeply interesting", then by all means keep upvoting it... otherwise, maybe upvote something else that is more worthy of our attention.
Like it or not, these are the people you will encounter on your startups way to glory. TechCrunch and its brethren are going to give you some of your first notice in their quest for ad revenue. You probably should look at these articles as warnings / data points.
So, this story may no make me a better hacker, but it might actually save me some trouble in promoting a product.
I've got nothing to add to this - but did want to somehow express my complete agreement with this sentiment in a way that somehow goes beyond a mere upvote.
While I do share your disdain for drama news like this taking up valuable space on the homepage of HN, instead of us commenting on this story, why aren't we all merely flagging it and letting the tools in place run their course? I understand the need to have discussion on the matter of what HN should consider 'good news', but having it inside of an article that most of us could care less about and does not make our lives better gives false credence to a pissing contest between two individuals.
I fully understand the irony in me posting this, btw. :)
I did not upvote the story, and I posted my comment to try to convince others to ignore it as well. As I understand it, this is what HN comments are for: discussion, exchange of ideas and convincing.
I do hope that by discussing it here I will convince fellow hackers not to upvote similarly shallow stories in the future.
These are two of the most visible people in tech having a juvenile battle in public. In all truthfulness, Calacanis regularly serves as a warning to me about how not to handle oneself, and how just because your are successful doesn't mean your behavior is always going to be acceptable.
We are a community of Hackers. We set out to change the world, create things, build value. Why then should we be interested in petty clashes of Silicon Valley drama queens? What difference does it make who hates whom and who sues whom? How does it influence my new startup?
Before upvoting something, consider: does reading this story make me a better hacker?