

Ask HN: Is visiting sites like this worth it?  Does it provide a high ROI? - diminium

I've noticed I've been spending a lot of time on HN relative to other websites.  That time could have been spent on a lot of other things as well.<p>Did you learn enough from HN that made it worth all the time you spent on it?  Did it have (in business lingo) a  High Return on Investment for you?
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chc
It depends on what you read. If I had not been here to read all of patio11's
exhortations on A/B testing and sales, I'd be worse for that. I would have had
commercial sites running with a major exploit if I hadn't seen tptacek warning
about it. Not having that headache was very nice. But any time spent on
threads about TechCrunch, TorrentFreak, The Next Web and other such high-drama
zones is probably pure waste.

If you're spending a lot of time on here, unless you just find it inordinately
entertaining, you're probably getting a low ROI — because 90% of everything is
crap. If you very selectively click on stories and just read the recent
comments and submissions by patio11, edw519 and whoever else you find to be
insightful, you're probably getting a good ROI.

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iSloth
Really depends on your area/profession and how that relates to the content on
HN. My day job is a network admin so reading around here doesn't really help
that much. However I have a few side projects where the 'Show HN' feedback can
be invaluable... At the end of the day it's more interesting than reading a
newspaper for me, even if there is no value. People with startups I am sure
would/do get a very high ROI ;)

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jaxn
For me, HackerNews is Edu-tainment.

I learn some stuff, but I wouldn't classify it as productive time. However, I
have read some things here that have had a great impact on my life and/or
business.

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smartwater
I've been lurking HN for a while now. In moderation, it has helped in many
ways, although in ways not particularly measurable.

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jaxn
Off topic, but are you the founder of SmartWater?

