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The online community must: 1. Have a clear purpose supported by strong moderation 2. Have no public-facing reputation features (eg, likes, friends, etc.)

Over time, all are doomed. Right now, HN is the best. For the most part, HN is filled with intelligent people that offer insightful comments and accept challenging positions.

However, there’s been a noticeable uptick of memes/puns/jokes that degrade the experience. Those who oppose of the jokes? Downvoted, barely visible.

This is how it starts but of course people think “oh lighten up, we’re just kidding around here!” Next thing you know, baby pictures are being posted on the front page.