What is this thing called Hacker News?

I’ve been sharing what I’m working on with marketers and entrepreneurs I meet in person. But I noticed I’m often getting confused looks. Why? Because they’ve never heard of Hacker News before*!

As an avid user (read - addict) of the website, that really struck me. I naively assumed that most people who fit those personas would consider it as a distribution channel. Clearly not. So let me try and make a small dent in this world by explaining what this thing called Hacker News is.

The TLDR - it’s an online forum for people involved in tech and startups.

You’re more than welcome to share whatever you’ve created. Whether it’s a blog post…

Hacker News blog post

…a software product…

Show HN post

…or even a service.

Ask HN post

Wondering how it differs from Reddit? The answer is in the quality of the posts and comments.

It’s heavily moderated by the people who run it - Y Combinator, the world’s first (and most famous) startup accelerator. The community helps, too. No flaw in product or thought goes unnoticed.

admin comment

While you do need to have a thick skin to share stuff on the platform, it can unlock some opportunities for your business. I’ll explain why in my next post.


*In case you’re wondering, I live in Milton Keynes, UK; the most boring place in the world according to some.


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