Another startup that managed it, around the same time, was Cloudflare (not a YC startup).
We spent a huge amount of time on the Cloudflare blog making sure that it was precisely not a marketing outlet but technical. I think that's why it took off here. And we were/are very honest about when we had/have problems* and use simple, clear language. I personally spent/spend hours per day editing/writing for the blog.
"One of the smartest decisions we made at @Cloudflare was recognizing that the primary purpose of our blog was attracting employees, not attracting customers."
Yes, and I've spent a lot of time on HN over the years answering questions about Cloudflare. So, I think the story of our success on HN is a combination of content and commitment to the community (and a slap on the wrist from @dang for being overly aggressive posting blog.cloudflare.com links).
That you can write well outside of blogs is evident from your posts. You obviously put in a lot of time sweating how to write before you joined Cloudflare, and that makes your blog posts a joy to read.
The Geek Atlas is one of my favorite books by anybody, BTW.
Well, in case if this matters at all. I truly enjoy how you ‘eastdakota and ‘Kentonv engage with this forum - whether things are going well or not, I’ve come to expect a level of honest, direct and transparent dialog from you all. Oh and you are a really good author - truly enjoyed your book.
We spent a huge amount of time on the Cloudflare blog making sure that it was precisely not a marketing outlet but technical. I think that's why it took off here. And we were/are very honest about when we had/have problems* and use simple, clear language. I personally spent/spend hours per day editing/writing for the blog.
*https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30069658