If you want to agree with a commentator then you can upvote, or reply with additional insightful commentary, but there's no need to even say you agree, let alone use the stupid "This." It serves no purpose beyond a vacuous "Me too" type response.
As an alternative, try something creative like "I completely concur with the spirit of this comment, and would like to add ...." or "The sentiments expressed within the above comment could not be more clearly or intelligently stated. Furthermore ...", or, say, "Quite right, ..." or... well, pretty much anything that's not just the regurgitation of a boring meme.
Best said wearing a fake monocle and top hat. Honestly, college kids trying to sound educated is almost as annoying as 'this'. Just speak plain English, please.
2) That is plain English.
He must have said this before he stripped comment scores off the site.
The only current way to indicate assent to anyone other than the commenter you're agreeing with is to make a short comment. "Yes" or "this" fits, is easily parsed and easily input. Until comment scores return I hope more people use this technique. It adds information that is not otherwise available.
Some information is just not that essential.
I beg to differ. The voting is actually one of the most important pieces of information. Certainly far more important than the time the comment was made or who made it. The assent [! you're so right] of the population here means [or at least has meant] a lot; as does their dissent.
Apparently informed comments that are misguided or mistaken used to be quickly downvoted. Comments that furthered the discussion added interesting information or new angles, confirmed hypotheses and such were upvoted. One could skim a comment thread and quickly ascertain the readerships view of a topic and see which comments merited a proper reading.
Now one has to chew the chaff and spit it out rather than being able to simply feed on the grain as before.
I agree that vote counts convey valuable information, but that information is not infinitely valuable, so we have to weigh the cost of conveying it. The cost of doing so through comments is way too high, so in the absence of visible counts, a comment's position on the page is the substitute we have.
I don't even use "This.", but your suggestion to write "I completely concur with the spirit of.." had me falling asleep before I'd even got to the end of the sentence.
Consider this: lots of people are using the word, why not adjust to them, rather than have them adjust to you?
Apologies, but I'm not interested in dumbed down conversations, and will continue to employ, and advocate the use of English from beyond a 6th grade level, as it makes for richer, more nuanced discussions.
Concision is the currency of well formed thoughts on the web.
Also, I agree that it's a generational thing. People who have a problem with it are usually older. (Or maybe just too sensitive.)
You're being ironic right? He said not to write indicating mere assent. You should _only_ have upvoted him.
;-)
'This', 'Yes' or something similar works for showing what an 'upvote' would show on an other system.
I've harped on at this for a while. But I really want my HN back. It takes more time and provides less utility now.