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0 pointslhorie15y ago0 comments

Hmm, you mean, look at HN as a Digg/Reddit/Slashdot look-alike? The "aggregator site model" is pretty simple to describe, really: screw quality, get moar users, ads, profit. It clearly works as a business model, but whether that plays to the strengths of HN is a completely different matter.

0 comments

pringle15y ago

I guess what sets HN apart is the premium it places on quality rather than growth/traffic. And that it caters to a specific niche rather than a bunch of disparate, mainstream topics. So the question is if it could still do well given those differences.

lhorieOP15y ago

If your revenue comes from ads, then almost by definition, small community == small revenue.

Imho, leveraging pg's experience in start-ups and the community here seems like a better way of exploring monetization options.

Look at it this way: of the following ways of monetizing, one could argue that the more niche-specific, the more potential the model has:

- ads (target: just about everyone)

- sell a book/magazine about running a startup (target: people interested in start-ups)

- fund start-ups that came about partially thanks to HN (target: people doing start-ups)

Zev15y ago

And that it caters to a specific niche.. and ..but I meant this more in terms of taking YC.. go against one another.

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