kmcgurty1's recent activity

  1. Comment on How much of an echo chamber is Reddit/the internet, really? in ~tech

    kmcgurty1
    Link Parent
    I see this a lot. What proof is there? There's no way of knowing because the major platforms do not provide information publicly. I think it's true to some extent, but wouldn't be surprised if...

    I see this a lot. What proof is there? There's no way of knowing because the major platforms do not provide information publicly. I think it's true to some extent, but wouldn't be surprised if it's overstated.

    2 votes

  2. Comment on The founder of Craigslist has given away half a billion dollars. He fears for an America where generosity is trolled. in ~tech

    kmcgurty1
    Link
    The rest of Craig's panel linked in the article is here: https://youtu.be/QMXWblaeShI?t=5841 I haven't been able to research who the woman in on his panel, but I really appreciate what she's...

    The rest of Craig's panel linked in the article is here: https://youtu.be/QMXWblaeShI?t=5841

    I haven't been able to research who the woman in on his panel, but I really appreciate what she's saying about AI and big tech companies. It feels like no one else is saying how much they've simply swallowed up the means of getting information. They want to control who and what gets seen, while also being in the ear of politicians to prop up the oligarchy they've built.

    I do wish Craig was able to speak more. I'm just now learning about his philanthropy, and would love to hear more about his thoughts.

    As a side note: I find it incredibly ironic whoever put this conference together decided to use AI generated content, in an intro about AI companies stealing content to train their models.

    9 votes

  3. Comment on What internet discussion sites remain? in ~tech

    kmcgurty1
    Link Parent
    I agree. In my mind, it would be cool if each comment could be upvoted for reasons like insightful, thought-provoking, conversational, etc. A thread could be sorted new by default, but you could...

    I agree.

    In my mind, it would be cool if each comment could be upvoted for reasons like insightful, thought-provoking, conversational, etc.

    A thread could be sorted new by default, but you could also sort by those reasons. To encourage voting, you could be asked to pick a vote when you reply to someone.

    I'm a little torn on displaying the votes. If it's more than a vague number, it could discourage thinking "more votes = more correct".

    I think you're correct about hiding downvoted comments. On reddit, it seems like it just hides opinions most people disagree with. Reasons for downvoting could help with this!

  4. Comment on Singer Oliver Tree dead at 32 following tragic helicopter crash in ~music

    kmcgurty1
    Link Parent
    I'm surprised colliding midair isn't... exceedingly rare?

    I'm surprised colliding midair isn't... exceedingly rare?

    1 vote

  5. Comment on What internet discussion sites remain? in ~tech

    kmcgurty1
    Link Parent
    That is fair! My goal is to be more "inspired by" instead of a clone. But we'll see what comes from it. I appreciate all the replies - it's been very helpful!

    That is fair! My goal is to be more "inspired by" instead of a clone. But we'll see what comes from it. I appreciate all the replies - it's been very helpful!

  6. Comment on Will you be left behind if you don't use LLMs to code? in ~comp

    kmcgurty1
    Link Parent
    I think it'd be helpful to also define what it means to use an LLM. For context, I really only program as a hobby. Personally, I refuse to install the coding assistants on my computer. It is so...

    I think it'd be helpful to also define what it means to use an LLM.

    For context, I really only program as a hobby. Personally, I refuse to install the coding assistants on my computer. It is so distracting even having the auto-complete appear in my editor. And I know if I have the assistant in my sidebar, the first thing I'll do to solve a problem is prompt the LLM.

    I also know people that exclusively vibe code, use open claw, have a bunch of agents, etc.

    To me, where they really shine is when it acts as a glorified search engine. Anything slightly obscure gets increasingly more difficult to find since this boom in AI. Realistically, it's gotten worse and worse as you're pushed to Discord for support.

    It's hard to recognize in the moment when I'm wasting my time speaking to the LLM. I often find myself spinning in circles trying to solve a problem the wrong way. It's tough to balance.

    2 votes

  7. Comment on If you are asking for human attention, demonstrate human effort in ~comp

    kmcgurty1
    Link Parent
    When I use a messaging app, I find myself sending only 1 or 2 sentences per message. Especially if I'm having a conversation with someone. I also tend to not bother capitalizing or using periods....

    When I use a messaging app, I find myself sending only 1 or 2 sentences per message. Especially if I'm having a conversation with someone. I also tend to not bother capitalizing or using periods. But I'll still use punctuation like the apostrophe or commas.

    I'm with you - I generally try to be as clear as possible when I'm writing something. Generally, I mean exactly what I say. It's often hard to press submit because I don't want someone to misinterpret me.

    5 votes

  8. Comment on What internet discussion sites remain? in ~tech

    kmcgurty1
    Link Parent
    I never used slashdot, unfortunately. I started with reddit, maybe in 2013? However, I do intend on researching these various defunct platforms to get some ideas. You know, another thought I had...

    I never used slashdot, unfortunately. I started with reddit, maybe in 2013? However, I do intend on researching these various defunct platforms to get some ideas.

    You know, another thought I had is sorting comments by new by default. Like, when I open a big thread I'm not usually interested in the deep nested comments. They derail and end up talking about something unrelated to the article. Combined with specific voting reasons over a simple number, it could be interesting.

    It could also be interesting to have new comments nudge the post to the top of the front page. Basically what Tildes does.

    Out of curiosity, do you have any interest in a website like this? I've seen some other people give it a shot, but they're always dead, vibe coded, or look like ass.

  9. Comment on Singer Oliver Tree dead at 32 following tragic helicopter crash in ~music

    kmcgurty1
    Link
    Anyone more knowledgeable about helicopters/aviation know how this sort of thing happens? I know very little about aviation, but I've always known it to be heavily regulated. The helicopter that...

    Anyone more knowledgeable about helicopters/aviation know how this sort of thing happens? I know very little about aviation, but I've always known it to be heavily regulated. The helicopter that collided with them was a solo pilot - which seems weird to me. I thought you had to announce when and where you're flying to?

    3 votes

  11. Comment on What internet discussion sites remain? in ~tech

    kmcgurty1
    Link Parent
    I have some ideas floating around, none of which are a silver bullet. I also want to be careful about having too complex of a system - I think Lemmy suffers from this. It's hard to objectively say...

    I have some ideas floating around, none of which are a silver bullet. I also want to be careful about having too complex of a system - I think Lemmy suffers from this. It's hard to objectively say comment voting is a problem, I'm going to scour /r/theoryrofreddit to read more opinions about it. In fact, there's a post from today!

    No voting: it could be a hybrid style of forums and reddit indentation. Basically just a free-for-all of comments, but the indentation would make it easier to read.

    Voting requires a reason: If voting isn't agree/disagree, a list of a reasons could help encourage this concept. Another idea is each reason could be weighted differently when calculating the score.

    Sort longer comments to the top: I'm less sure about this, but the thought is longer comments = higher quality.

    As you say, the earlier you comment, the more likely it is to be upvoted. I'm not sure there's a way around that.

    It'd be cool if you're notified to replies that aren't directly to you. For example, if it's a nested reply under your comment. Perhaps you could also "follow" a comment and be notified if someone replies to it.

    Finally, profile karma should not exist!

    1 vote

  12. Comment on What internet discussion sites remain? in ~tech

    kmcgurty1
    Link Parent
    I've been thinking about why I want to create my own instead of forking, and I'm starting to think voting in the comments discourages healthy conversation. If someone has more points than you,...

    I've been thinking about why I want to create my own instead of forking, and I'm starting to think voting in the comments discourages healthy conversation. If someone has more points than you, you're inclined to think that person is more correct. While I'm sure it's true for less nuanced topics, I feel like it pushes users to think in black and white or right vs wrong.

    A lot of websites will simply remove the downvote button - but I'm not sure that's the answer either. When I read a comment that has less votes, I'm predisposed to disagreeing with them.

    Do you have any thoughts about comment voting?

    4 votes

  13. Comment on What internet discussion sites remain? in ~tech

    kmcgurty1
    Link Parent
    This is why I'm creating my own! I won't lay out my entire design document, but I have a suspicion you can influence your user base with the right kind of interface. A prime example is old.reddit...

    If you hate the site so much, why not leave it and never look back?

    This is why I'm creating my own! I won't lay out my entire design document, but I have a suspicion you can influence your user base with the right kind of interface.

    A prime example is old.reddit vs new (or even Tildes). I feel like you can ward off most users by having a "boring" interface. A lot of websites now (namely, AI generated) are so busy and fluffy. It's hard for me to parse information when there's distracting colors or animations.

    4 votes

  14. Comment on What internet discussion sites remain? in ~tech

    kmcgurty1
    Link Parent
    Which sub? I'm curious to read through it.

    Which sub? I'm curious to read through it.

  15. Comment on What internet discussion sites remain? in ~tech

    kmcgurty1
    Link Parent
    I also like the idea of alternatives, simply for the sake of choice. Both (and others) can exist separately and respectfully!

    I also like the idea of alternatives, simply for the sake of choice. Both (and others) can exist separately and respectfully!

  16. Comment on If you are asking for human attention, demonstrate human effort in ~comp

    kmcgurty1
    Link
    There's a guy I work closely with that runs things he sends me through an LLM. When he messages me privately, it has very poor grammar and no punctuation. The LLM assisted text is always verbose...

    There's a guy I work closely with that runs things he sends me through an LLM. When he messages me privately, it has very poor grammar and no punctuation. The LLM assisted text is always verbose and not easy to read. Very annoying!

    16 votes

  17. Comment on What internet discussion sites remain? in ~tech

    kmcgurty1
    Link Parent
    Even if there was a little banner next to your comment that said pending mod approval would be infinitely better than what they have now. It's just a mess. YouTube is really similar where it feels...

    Even if there was a little banner next to your comment that said pending mod approval would be infinitely better than what they have now. It's just a mess.

    YouTube is really similar where it feels like you're wasting your time commenting. It does the same thing with the whole "I can see it but you can't" nonsense.

    2 votes

  18. Comment on What internet discussion sites remain? in ~tech

    kmcgurty1
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    You bring up great points, thank you for the input! Something I didn't make clear: I want to re-create old reddit. As in, pre-digg 2005-2010 era. My idea of this is still evolving, but there won't...

    You bring up great points, thank you for the input!

    Something I didn't make clear: I want to re-create old reddit. As in, pre-digg 2005-2010 era. My idea of this is still evolving, but there won't be a concept of subreddits or self posts. It seems like one of the keys to success is slow growth. Tildes and lobste.rs get around this by being invite only. If you look back in history, a lot of alternatives were crippled by an influx of new users.

    They do not own it, and shouldn't be responsible for biasing its content beyond community expectations, or be at odds with its members, including well-intentioned new arrivals.

    I 100% agree with this. When I expressed my concerns about over-moderation, this is what I was referring to. Of course, you have to ban users. I think "don't an asshole" is a good approach.

    I think moderation is necessary in order to keep things civil and function-compliant. Can you explain your ideas on the subject?

    Honestly, I think most of it boils down to transparency. No one truly knows what is and isn't being censored. I believe a good way to handle this is publicly stating when a user is banned for a comment.

    In a similar vein, I consider shadow banning to be a disservice. Humans are naturally social, but when you don't know if your posts are visible, it feels like you're always talking into the void. It also means you're afraid to speak out for fear of being shadow banned.

    I think your other ideas/questions could be addressed by limited open sign ups. It would be a lot easier to combat spam if users aren't constantly signing up as you ban them. That being said, I definitely don't have all of the answers. I believe Old School Runescape has a good approach, where big changes are polled - 70% yes votes are required to pass.

    I would take a very similar approach to tildes, where everything is open source, funded by donations, and built in a way to minimize hosting costs.

    Some other questions I'm still trying to find answers for:

    • How can you foster a community of individuals open to different or original ideas? (Including myself!)
    • If tildes and lobster.rs exist, why create another version of them?
    • Why have the majority of "reddit successors" failed? For example: I would not consider Lemmy successful in their objective.

    I've wanted a personal blog for a while now, so perhaps I could explore those questions further there.

    1 vote

  19. Comment on Day in the life of a prisoner serving life in ~life

    kmcgurty1
    Link
    I definitely went into this video thinking it was about how horrible and ruthless it is to be a prisoner facing life. It's amazing how much I agree with the message in this video. Knowledge truly...

    I definitely went into this video thinking it was about how horrible and ruthless it is to be a prisoner facing life.

    It's amazing how much I agree with the message in this video. Knowledge truly is the key to the universe, and I wish more people would aspire to learn.

    2 votes