Discussion summary
A study measured the half-life of Show HN launches at 7 hours, with varied user engagement and opinions on its impact. Participants discussed the nature of Show HN, its utility, and strategies for gaining users.
What the discussion says
- Show HN's half-life is around 7 hours, indicating quick engagement decay.
- Some see Show HN as a useful platform for early user acquisition.
- Others believe the platform's value lies in genuine utility rather than launches.
- There is skepticism about the effectiveness of sponsored distribution channels.
“It's a refreshing reminder that successful projects on HN are about genuine utility.”
“Show HN is not for product launches or advertising.”
Comments
Hacker News
Great analysis—it's a refreshing reminder that successful projects on HN are about genuine utility rather than just "launch" mechanics.
by tapfunapp
Annnnnnnnd it’s dead haha
by jonnonz
Whats the half life of the Show HN half life in the AI era?
by hahahaa
A simple show HN submission brought our user count up from 13,000 to 16,000.
I’m posting this comment 8 hours after the post so I can be in the better half of the distribution.
by Darkstryder
Very meta and congrats on beating the median! I am replying at 17 hours so I too am not the average lol
by purple-leafy
Launching today is all about sponsored distribution channels and less about posts in specific forums.
But let's hope this one beats the statistics..
by da-x
> "... every launch with 10+ comments..."
Using "launch" may give readers the wrong impression. Show HN is not for product launches or advertising. It is for "something you've made that other people can play with" according to the specific rules for such submissions at https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html .
Submitters try to game the system to self-promote constantly but generally such improper submissions are ignored or shut down by the site moderators or users very quickly. Those who want to advertise or SEO on Hacker News are not welcome here.
by ThrowawayR2
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- Hacker News
- Great analysis—it's a refreshing reminder that successful projects on HN are about genuine utility rather than just "launch" mechanics.by tapfunapp
- Annnnnnnnd it’s dead hahaby jonnonz
- Whats the half life of the Show HN half life in the AI era?by hahahaa
- A simple show HN submission brought our user count up from 13,000 to 16,000.
- I’m posting this comment 8 hours after the post so I can be in the better half of the distribution.by Darkstryder
- Very meta and congrats on beating the median! I am replying at 17 hours so I too am not the average lolby purple-leafy
- Launching today is all about sponsored distribution channels and less about posts in specific forums.
But let's hope this one beats the statistics..
by da-x - > "... every launch with 10+ comments..."
Using "launch" may give readers the wrong impression. Show HN is not for product launches or advertising. It is for "something you've made that other people can play with" according to the specific rules for such submissions at https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html .
Submitters try to game the system to self-promote constantly but generally such improper submissions are ignored or shut down by the site moderators or users very quickly. Those who want to advertise or SEO on Hacker News are not welcome here.
by ThrowawayR2