I can't help but feel like the recent flurry of "HN is declining" is saying to anyone who isn't part of the "old" crown that they are directly responsible for making HN a worse site. I know I feel like since I've created an account, its been all doom and gloom. I don't comment unless I feel that what I have to say would add something to the discussion, but regardless of karma it seems like the sentiment is that new users are dragging the site down.
I might be the only one who feels this way, but I doubt it. New users aren't all bad, and I can't imagine that the purposed decline is all our fault, either. However, the sentiment might be helping fuel the rate at which "bad" users join. Someone who has surfed for awhile and is thinking about creating an account is going to feel turned off for many of the same reasons why you don't jump on a sinking ship[0], but the trolls, etc. won't care either way. Just a thought.
[0] - I'm not implying that HN is in anyway a sinking ship, I derive a great value from it.
I've been around since HN went public and I don't think new users are generally the problem. I also think the quality of articles is still quite high, and quality of discussion is usually pretty good.
My personal take is that I find there tends to be a subset of users at a particular time who dominate the site. I tend to feel there is an effect where the users with the least to gain from the site are the most valuable, and those seeking to build their reputation on the site can push out the interesting discussion.
Despite my misgivings, I'm starting to think the lack of comment scores could really help in the long run. I think comment scores give the site a feeling a mutual opinion and that mutual opinion starts to cluster too much.
I might be the only one who feels this way, but I doubt it. New users aren't all bad, and I can't imagine that the purposed decline is all our fault, either. However, the sentiment might be helping fuel the rate at which "bad" users join. Someone who has surfed for awhile and is thinking about creating an account is going to feel turned off for many of the same reasons why you don't jump on a sinking ship[0], but the trolls, etc. won't care either way. Just a thought.
[0] - I'm not implying that HN is in anyway a sinking ship, I derive a great value from it.