Ask HN: Is there an online community for Hackers (in the YC sense)? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Is there an online community for Hackers (in the YC sense)?

5 pointsvail1308 comments

First, my definition for "hack" is something like this:

A method or process that allows people to navigate a system more efficiently.

So, "hacker" would be a person who makes a habit of thinking about and implementing those hacks.

Is anyone aware of a community, specifically geared toward that kind of hacker, anywhere on the interwebz? The actual content of the hacking could be anything (tech, cars, bikes, writing papers, whatever).

If there isn't really, can anyone think of a cool name for one? If it doesn't exist, I think it would be cool to set up.

View on HN

The various Stack Exchanges?

So, the difference that I see between Stack Exchange sites and what I'm talking about is that each Stack Exchange site is based around one content area. Within that topic, you have people of all mastery levels interacting and problem-solving. Many of those questions/answers are simple, many are obscure and complex, and many are what I would be looking for.

I think the difference between any question & answer and what I would consider a "hack" is that it would be a somewhat common problem with a consistent way of solving it very easily that many people might not figure out.

I'm thinking of creating a community, very much like a Stack Exchange site, but NOT based on a certain topic (programming, cooking, etc.). Instead it would be based on the idea of sharing these "hacks" from any topic.

You're here.

Haha, yes, Hacker News does target those same people. I suppose I was wondering if any other forum or Q&A style sites were targeting the same market segment.

I think any community of sufficiently bright folks with a common interest will tend to fit your description. I've belonged to a few such forums over the years. However, I'm more into the 'overthrow the existing system' form of hacking. Not exactly the way to win friends and all that (which has led to me leaving some of those communities, not always, er, voluntarily).

Thank you for replying!

I agree that any community of smart people with a common interest will have some hackers, but I would think that the goal of that community is to master the common interest, and not "hacking" itself. For example, I assume that the goal of a community based on road bicycles would be to become extremely knowledgeable and handy with those road bikes, and not necessarily to become proficient in the versatile art of "hacking."

I think you bring up a great point though! Clearly identifying the common interest around which a community is built is a prerequisite to getting the smart, motivated people to work hard to make the community successful.

Thanks!

I have repeatedly seen such communities become places where folks ask totally unrelated questions because the community itself is such a good source of awesome ideas and info that they prefer to ask there, where it is "off topic", rather than asking some other board they belong to where it is "on topic" because the quality of answers is generally so superior. So I think that it depends in part on how it is moderated. I think it is really difficult to intentionally create a community with the kind of goal you describe. There are lots of challenges in terms of trying to find a common theme to bring like-minded individuals together without so narrowly defining it as to put a straight-jacket on the conversation. Quite a lot of the forums I have belonged to wrestle with such issues.

An example I can think of, which might not make sense to you, is that "gifted homeschooling" groups tend to be ripe, when handled right, for the kind of atmosphere you describe. But then you cannot discuss "just anything" -- some folks will be very sensitive about what topics get brought up and parents are inherently more conservative than other groups. I think this is true because "gifted homeschoolers" are frequently dealing with 2xE kids -- kids who have issues and just don't fit in -- yet the emphasis is on two positives rather than on the handicaps and other negatives. It's tough to package a community for dealing with serious issues without it becoming a place that reinforces the negative self-image that is typically bound up in such problems. I think the idea itself of "gifted homeschooling" forums is a neat hack that gets around that issue. So far, I feel I have failed to adequately replicate it in trying to reach out to others in a positive way for various serious problems. :-/

Hmm, good point. Moderation would be super important, which means that it needs a very actionable definition of what classifies as a "hack" and what does not. It might also need a little of structure in the way the information is presented to act as a proactive guard against off-topic posts. I definitely agree with what you're saying about not defining it too narrowly, but of course it needs to be defined.

Interesting example about gifted homeschooling. Serving the community and being mindful of their interests, for sure, can make or break a community.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com