>One problem I see with sites like Twitter, is that there isn't _enough_ discourse. Anyone can make a statement, go viral, and there isn't a true "conversation" around it.
I think understand your point, but I disagree with it to an extent. The platform has to put a value on contributing extended discourse, and incentivize users to contribute more than hot-takes. I think what you're suggesting is that you want to create even more discourse to further devalue commentary to the point where it doesn't go viral?
>Additionally there should be basic features such as muting/blocking people you don't want to see, and am openminded to hear other ideas people have.
Agreed, part of the problem I have with twitter and reddit, is that my mute and block lists end up filtering legitimate, valuable content. Secondly, I want to be aware of what folks on the other side of the aisle are talking about, but I don't want to give platform to folks who routinely act as intentional bad actors who peddle in disinformation and conspiracies (Dan Bongino immediately comes to mind). Twitter and Reddit both fail in some regards:
* Reddit doesn't allow me to hide subreddits from the front page, so even if I don't actively subscribe to something, there is a chance I'll see content from it. the_donald being a great example of that in 2016. Yes, if I just stay on my home, these subreddits won't show up, but there is a finite amount of content in my own feed before I wander off into the engagement-land of /r/all, or /r/popular.
* Reddit doesn't allow me to block users unless I report them for something, such as spam. Though, I admit the block works effectively once completed.
* Twitter allows me to Mute users, but their engagement algorithm will still show these Muted users in my timeline as hidden tweets. Of course I'm curious if someone I follow RT's something as mysterious as a hidden tweet, so of course I click it. A muted user, in my opinion, is someone I am personally shadowbanning. I want no trace.
* Twitter doesn't allow me to mute keywords in bulk. Sure, maybe I could script this out, but I do not enjoy that twitter intentionally makes it difficult for me to filter out content that I don't. Additionally, the same problem happens in the previous point. For example, I mute references to Donald Trump and Joe Biden to keep my twitter feed somewhat reasonable, but more often than note, those "mysterious" hidden tweets seem to pop up.
>I will say that HN is a shining example of how to keep a certain level of civility on a discussion site, but as it's been mentioned before, scaling that to a much larger size may be very difficult.
Agreed. It's the only social-site I don't mind backing up with my own real-life identity as I find this to be highly valuable content. Content moderation has a lot to do with it, as I believe it sets the standards and generally attracts an audience that is civil (Though reddit was also like this in its early days, but that may just be rose-tinted glasses), but given a large enough audience, a platform becomes perceived as right more than privilege, and moderation becomes a battle against people thinking they're being censored, rather than moderated.