

Ask HN: Is there an online community for Hackers (in the YC sense)? - vail130

First, my definition for "hack" is something like this:<p>A method or process that allows people to navigate a system more efficiently.<p>So, "hacker" would be a person who makes a habit of thinking about and implementing those hacks.<p>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).<p>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.
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Apocryphon
The various Stack Exchanges?

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vail130
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.

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ig1
You're here.

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vail130
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.

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Mz
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).

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vail130
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!

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Mz
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.
:-/

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vail130
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.

