New users, old timers: Please read Hacker News Guidelines. (again)
> Be civil. Don't say things you wouldn't say in a face to face conversation.
I often don't realize how my words negatively affect others, until someone says something that affects me. Its not that I don't KNOW it, its just that I am not always consciously aware of it. So I think it helps to get a reminder once in a while.
I sometimes go back to reading some of my old online conversations from 12-14 years ago. I always cringe at my writing, English not being my first language. Its still far from perfect, but its a lot better. One of the things that pushed me to better my writing was being berated and made fun of on online forums. But it also led me to a paranoid period where I was genuinely scared of writing any comments or joining a conversation. I would spend 30-60 minutes writing something and then not post it simply because how people might react. I always presume the worst, based on my experience.
Don't get me wrong, HN is a thousand times better than many of the other places online. But it could be better and certainly doesn't hurt to be reminded.