On: Could we have an option to have a link to our prototype alongside our names? This would encourage continued contributions to YC Startup News.

[jward]

I don't know if this is a great idea. I'd rather spend time working on my code than scouring the web looking for stuff to post.

[amichail → jward]

It's a way to promote your startup so that you can get users and/or find cofounders.

And perhaps more angels/VCs would check out your startup as well.

[jward → amichail]

That part is good, yes. What I'm worried about is the time and effort it would take to get onto the leader board. There is already a profile linked to every username where people can list their startup urls, blogs, or contact info.

An adjustment to your idea that I'd feel more comfortable about would be having an url field next to your name in comments/submissions. So your comment would look like: 1 point by amichail (mystartup) 3 minutes ago

[amichail → jward]

Why not do both?