I'm probably going to regret responding to this, but here goes...
Many of us are also very invested in this site, and are interested in keeping it close to its roots. That's why there's been a lot of alarm regarding the content on the site. I'm sure that some of it will blow over. Some of it will cause changes.
I don't really think that people are trying to get PG to automagically fix the problem for us. I think that we're trying to have an open discussion about solving the Eternal September problem with social sites. This is a recurring problem that occurs on pretty much any site that has a user-contributed component and gets popular.
And, regarding earning karma points: If you take a look at the people frequently involved in the discussion on fluff, trolls and quality slides, I think that you'll find that many of the people that are concerned about this are actually quite active on the leader board. I think it's because we're on the leader board, that we're so invested in keeping Hacker News on the straight and narrow. We've invested a lot of time and effort into the site, and are willing to continue that investment.
"...a lot of alarm regarding the content on the site."
The fact that people are finding "fluff" to be "alarming" is what is concerning me more because this is the attitude that leads to mob mentality very quickly. Everybody is free to think and act as they please. So if this means combatting "fluff", then by all means do that.
On the other hand, I will always be speaking out for diversity. I'm sure we can all agree that great ideas don't grow out of homogeneity and that it requires a mix of information from different sources.
Fear mentalities are much more dangerous than "fluff" because they can seep into other aspects of your life...
Btw, can anybody explain to me why I'm being downmodded so much? I really don't care about the karma itself (except for real-life Karma of course!), but I would like for somebody to explain to me what is wrong with my arguments regarding this emerging "War On Fluff" (sorry, I couldn't resist!!). I will also add that I hope when I ask for feedback on my startup/concept in the coming weeks people are just as sincere about giving me some feedback!
Its because you imply (intentionally or no) that everyone who believes that some form of content control should be implemented has intentions similar to the DOD, CIA, KGB, etc.
In retrospect, ultimate control of the site belongs to pg and if fluff does start flooding the site, he could just reincarnate the site elsewhere with a different policy backend. However, there's no harm in trying to do it right the first time. :)
The reference to that list of covert organizations was to imply the fact that there is a lot of snooping going around into people's activities in real life and that I like the fact that I can hang out with some people online without the need to worry about what other people think my intentions are. Or more directly: I don't like to have to worry about my participation on News.YC being accepted/rejected on criteria other than being voted up or down.
You disagree with me on something? Fine, down vote me or respond, but don't start trying to make predictions on what I might do next. There is nothing friendly about trying to anticipate what my next move might be so that you can identify something "alarming" about what I'm doing. I think the aptly termed "fluff" is harmless, and I've been arguing all along that it contributes to diversity, which is key for idea generation/exchange. Homogenize the community, and it begins to lose value.
I MIGHT submit a series of articles that others think are "fluff", but does this mean that now I go on some sort of "fluff watch list" and need to be monitored, or perhaps "dealt with" because my articles/views/ideas are not in line with the majority members?
Apologies to everybody if I am still coming across as implying some sort of conspiratorial tone (in which case you may down mod me or explain to me where I err in my argument), but I still stand by my conviction that monitoring others to "weed out" certain "alarming trends" is far worse than the pain suffered by "fluff".
I will add that fluff != spam. What others judge to be "fluff" is just that - a judgement call. I'm simply speaking out against judgmental attitudes en masse (or if you prefer the shortened terminology - mobs).
Many of us are also very invested in this site, and are interested in keeping it close to its roots. That's why there's been a lot of alarm regarding the content on the site. I'm sure that some of it will blow over. Some of it will cause changes.
I don't really think that people are trying to get PG to automagically fix the problem for us. I think that we're trying to have an open discussion about solving the Eternal September problem with social sites. This is a recurring problem that occurs on pretty much any site that has a user-contributed component and gets popular.
And, regarding earning karma points: If you take a look at the people frequently involved in the discussion on fluff, trolls and quality slides, I think that you'll find that many of the people that are concerned about this are actually quite active on the leader board. I think it's because we're on the leader board, that we're so invested in keeping Hacker News on the straight and narrow. We've invested a lot of time and effort into the site, and are willing to continue that investment.