
Ask HN: Do you think HN should notify us when someone replies to our thread? - anandnair
And an unseen counter on the orange menu bar? So that we don&#x27;t have to dig through all our posts to see if there are new replies.<p>What do you think?<p>(When I first started using HN, I thought the count next to my name in the orange bar was unread count. Lol. Later I realized that it was Karma)
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duxup
I really like that HN doesn't tell you about replies outright.

That means only people who care enough to check the comments get into long
threads.

Other sites I feel like the notices just feed long threads of low effort
arguing and mud slinging.

It also means that when people reply to me here beyond one reply, they put
some effort into finding out if I responded again.... that's a nice feeling.

~~~
anandnair
You have a point. But I'd like to think a bit differently. It's all about
convenience, right? If HN had an unseen counter, I think that would be the
most used component here.

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mercer
> It's all about convenience, right?

I think quite a few people (myself included) would disagree with that. I think
optimizing for convenience is exactly what we _shouldn 't_ do in many cases.

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snowwrestler
No. I don't even have my mail program notify me of new email anymore, unless
it's from one of three crucial senders.

Notifications are bad for you--especially for pointless trivial stuff like HN
comment threads.

Consider the difficulty of checking on old HN threads a feature, which aids in
Letting Things Go.

Just my own opinion, of course.

~~~
anandnair
I agree. 'Push' Notifications can be annoying if not relevant. But what do you
think about an unread counter in HN? I can just click that to see if I missed
some replies. Reddit has this.

~~~
finaliteration
I think the “unread” counter still creates that somewhat intrusive and
addicting feeling. If I post on HN I don’t really sit here refreshing to see
if anyone replied. I just kind of come back at the end of my day and see what
happened. It also takes a few more clicks to get to comments, threads, etc.,
especially for older posts and comments so it adds a barrier to that instant
dopamine rush.

When I previously used Reddit it felt like I would just sit there refreshing
all day waiting until that envelope turned orange...

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perilunar
Use the 'threads' link in the header.

You can also get email notifications here:
[http://www.hnreplies.com](http://www.hnreplies.com)

~~~
singularity2001
never noticed that shortcut!

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dougmwne
Please no. Notifications are just there to increase the addictive factor for
social media. HN doesn't need to increase MAU or time on site. There's no need
for rapid response or a response at all usually. If you feel the need to navel
gaze you can easily view the replies through your profile page. This is the
last site on the internet that's not trying to hack my brain.

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marojejian
Yes! please! At worst it's an option.

Without this all conversations also die as soon as they are off the front
page. I read HN through RSS at my leisure, so I come in late. It's generally
already too late for me to participate, since no one know I have replied to
them or made a comment.

These are amazing conversations! let's give them a chance / choice. to live on
more in time

I use [http://www.hnreplies.com](http://www.hnreplies.com) \- but only just
was lucky enough to find out about it.

PS - the the people who think inconvenience is a feature. Consider - this way
only the first comments actually get conversations, because no one can read /
check farther down.

UX through hurdles is generally a very bad approach.

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newscracker
I don’t check for replies often. So I don’t miss not being notified of any
either. As others have pointed out, it could make one’s time management,
distraction management and stress levels worse.

I’d actually request for a better UI to navigate threaded comments instead. I
personally can’t handle multiple levels of replies on HN like many others seem
to be doing here. The interface is terrible to figure out who’s replying to
what when one reads several comments, comment replies and scrolls down. Add to
that the almost microscopic buttons and links to vote and collapse. These are
good features to keep me from going deeper into the rabbit hole.

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RobertRoberts
I don't want a technical system designed to drag my attention to a website.
(so no push notifications, to be clear)

That being said, it would be nice to see "new comments since last login" on my
profile page... or something similar.

Edit: There may be a psychological reason not to do this though, because there
are certain posts I don't want to think about anymore, and it's nice not
knowing anything about them.

So if maybe there is a filter "only show comments on posts made in the past 2
days" or something, then I wouldn't get dragged into old discussions I am
happy to leave well enough alone.

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zebraflask
I already have to turn off most notifications from various apps and sites as
it is. I'll pass on that idea.

It's meant to be a minimalist kind of site and it does that well. I'd leave it
as it is.

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jaclaz
Maybe (as a matter of fact _surely_ ) a notifier is "too much".

But if an user (voluntarily/actively) can go to a page and in it there is info
on:

1) replies on own thread

2) replies to own comments

3) total number of replies on threads user posted a comment to

It would IMHO not be anymore a nuisance/interruption (like notifications are)
but rather a resource.

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wild_preference
No.

The last thing this forum needs is more back-and-forth bickering. Sometimes
gotta let other people into the conversation and take the stage.

Forgetting to check to see if someone responded to you is a critical part of
HN. I just don’t think every response needs a retort from OP.

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rsyring
Hmm...Yes. But every time a reply is made? No! Only when there are new unreads
since the last time I read the replies.

And make sure this can be turned off in settings.

~~~
anandnair
Yes. Exactly.

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maxxxxx
I like the idea of an unseen counter for messages that are direct replies to
my comments.

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wglb
No.

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whatsstolat
Sounds like a SaaS someone can create as an add on.

~~~
anandnair
Yup. We're creating one :)

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apple4ever
Yes absolutely

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phillipseamore
+1

