The Inflation of "Why I ..." Articles | Hacker News Reader

The Inflation of "Why I ..." Articles

7 pointsjermaink2 comments

I'll try to make it short. I really start to dislike the recent 'Why I' article styles (just like I dislike the repitition of the word 'I' in this entry - excuse me for not giving a good example.)

Even though I'm an less active user in terms of comments, I frequently browse HN and always enjoy the articles that showcase ideas and solutions.

While I think it's just ok to post other thoughts and opinions also, I recently got the impression that some people replaced their dear diary with HN, esp. the 'Why I ...' styled articles. A lot of these posts waste almost 50% of the content rather with phrases on how important the author is (or thinks to be) than making a clear point or giving any inspiration.

Please, less 'Why I write Why I' articles on HN for a better stream experience. Thank you ;)

Glad to see someone else with the same view. I've been meaning to write a post about this but you beat me to it :)

Frankly, I don't care about 'Why I left company X' or 'Why I decided to apply to YC' or 'Why I only code on Tuesday and Thursday nights.'

These kinds of posts seem to apply an 'It worked for me so it will work for everyone' mentality, but these kinda of posts don't seem to have much useful content if you ask me.

I haven't been around much of late, so I am not sure what you really mean, but I am someone who has previously suggested that it is better for someone to explain why they did X rather than speak in terms of "why you should do X". I think if it is done well, it is a more informative and useful position to take. It helps the audience decide if this would help them or not and leaves it to the individual to determine if this is their cup of tea. If the author states they are ADHD or six foot tall or gay or whatever and talks about how that made this particular solution a better answer for them, I can decide for myself if I have enough in common with them to consider giving it a try.

One thing I have concluded: If you put yourself out there, someone won't like it. And will likely be very vocal about it. AKA you can't please all of the people all of the time.

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