

Rank at HN: Stop saying "This." - jgrahamc

Please stop saying "This." in reply to things you agree with.  It's lame.<p>If you want to agree with a commentator then you can upvote, or reply with additional insightful commentary, but there's no need to even say you agree, let alone use the stupid "This."  It serves no purpose beyond a vacuous "Me too" type response.
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davidw
I reflexively downvote people who do that. It's an extremely jarring abuse of
the English language, and furthermore, serves absolutely no purpose, as
jgrahamc points out, on a site with the possibility to either simply upvote,
or comment in a more meaningful way.

As an alternative, try something creative like "I completely concur with the
spirit of this comment, and would like to add ...." or "The sentiments
expressed within the above comment could not be more clearly or intelligently
stated. Furthermore ...", or, say, "Quite right, ..." or... well, pretty much
anything that's not just the regurgitation of a boring meme.

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noja
This. It's a generational thing. It's short for "this guy's got it, this guy
has articulated what we are all/I am thinking". or sometimes "this is the
point that must be addressed".

I don't even use "This.", but your suggestion to write "I completely concur
with the spirit of.." had me falling asleep before I'd even got to the end of
the sentence.

Consider this: lots of people are using the word, why not adjust to them,
rather than have them adjust to you?

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davidw
> had me falling asleep before I'd even got to the end of the sentence.

Apologies, but I'm not interested in dumbed down conversations, and will
continue to employ, and advocate the use of English from beyond a 6th grade
level, as it makes for richer, more nuanced discussions.

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noja
Making a sentence longer for the sake of it doesn't increase the value of a
conversation.

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willpower101
^that^ ;)

Concision is the currency of well formed thoughts on the web.

Also, I agree that it's a generational thing. People who have a problem with
it are usually older. (Or maybe just too sensitive.)

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davidw
I give up. Off to watch reruns of "Ow my balls" and drink some Brawndo.

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albahk
Agreed with the parent and I would also like to add please consider not using
periods to Make. Your. Statement. Seem. Profound.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
> _Agreed with the parent_ //

You're being ironic right? He said not to write indicating mere assent. You
should _only_ have upvoted him.

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achompas
I think you were downvoted because parent made an additional, valid point. The
whole single-word-as-sentence cliche ("It. Just. Works.") is equally annoying
and stopped suggesting a quirky/unique author years ago.

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lisper
Word.

;-)

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Mankhool
This.

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Joeboy
I've never "this'ed", but I've felt the urge to do so occasionally since HN
started hiding votes.

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pbhjpbhj
It adds information that is not otherwise available.

'This', 'Yes' or something similar works for showing what an 'upvote' would
show on an other system.

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jgrahamc
We still have upvotes.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
Yes but as a sibling comment notes they're hidden from everyone except the
commenter. I can not tell if your comment is felt to be a worthy response by
the HN crowd unless people note their assent or dissent in some way, "yes",
"no".

I've harped on at this for a while. But I really want my HN back. It takes
more time and provides less utility now.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
You didn't used to get severely downvoted for opinions either.

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fooie
Was excited to come across this thread. Would like to read more about this.
Great stuff here. Must visit more often.

~~~
joakimlob
this

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lucisferre
+1

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funkah
Get over it

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wavephorm
More importantly it is poor grammar.

