There has to be a barrier, a kept gate. Back "then", simply access to the internet was enough of a filter to get a good signal-to-noise ratio.
Today it's something else, such as knowing discords through word of mouth, knowing groups on other platforms, etc. If you're not getting through this knowledge filter, you need to try harder or accept not being in there.
HN can remain public and high quality due to strong moderation and an "ugly", text-only, imageless, emojiless UI that scares away "noise"-people.
This comment was very well-written. And, it stirs up thoughts about what works and what doesn't. "What abouts" like that one battle royale game (that failed) that coupled advancement to being a good sport and respectful to others, and it kindof worked. Could that kind of "good sport" thing be engineered into public forums somehow.
But in the end, all my feeble "what if's" collapse, and I end up agreeing with you.
Today it's something else, such as knowing discords through word of mouth, knowing groups on other platforms, etc. If you're not getting through this knowledge filter, you need to try harder or accept not being in there.
HN can remain public and high quality due to strong moderation and an "ugly", text-only, imageless, emojiless UI that scares away "noise"-people.