We are working to re-think discussion platform.<p>What are the improvements you would like in Hacker News or Reddit, etc?
What is your fav discussion platform? Why?
Don't use the Web, don't build a "platform", build a peer to peer system, support threading, use local storage of both postings and read status information, use a native interface for fast and efficient navigation.<p>Or in other words: Re-invent NNTP.<p>Yes, NNTP has its problems, too, and could possibly use some additional features, but it's silly when you look at how easily you could/can follow huge discussions using slrn, and how badly current online discussion technology stacks up against that. It's all shinier now, but the usability is absolute crap for the most part.
Reinvent Slashdot's meta-moderation. <a href="http://slashdot.org/faq/metamod.shtml" rel="nofollow">http://slashdot.org/faq/metamod.shtml</a><p>Don't treat users like their contributions are equal. Some users make better decisions than others. Reward them.<p>I think the Slashdot FAQ should be required reading before developing a comment system. There are a lot of lessons they learned ahead of the rest of the internet, problems others still have not solved. Something history, doomed to repeat.<p><a href="http://slashdot.org/faq/" rel="nofollow">http://slashdot.org/faq/</a>
You should take a look at discourse: <a href="https://github.com/discourse/discourse" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/discourse/discourse</a>.<p>They have rethought it and implemented it quite well.
What's wrong with <a href="http://retroshare.sourceforge.net/" rel="nofollow">http://retroshare.sourceforge.net/</a> ?<p>It's encrypted, distributed, open-source. It has chat, messaging, file sharing, forums, etc.<p>What more do you want? If anything, why not just write a plug-in for it or otherwise contribute?
My favorite discussion platform must involve food. Something special happens when people gather around food. And some type of structured moderation that becomes culture.
How important is meeting new people on a discussion platform?<p>How often do you like to follow/friend/private message interesting people you may find on a particular discussion?
My favorite discussion forum is WordPress, Tumbr.
Effective UI, easy to navigate buttons, Accessibility options, ease of app use on mobiles are the features I look at.
While going through this discussion, I realized HN does not have any form of notification system.<p>How important is notification for an effective discussion platform?
End to the passive-aggressive hellbans and service degradations (e.g. slowban, rankban) for obviously non-spamming users.<p>Re-show comment karma in order to restore trust, in the wake of awareness of rankbanning, since that will provide transparency in comment placement.<p>Hacker News still has a community advantage. (I'll take HN's irritating-- but at least book-smart-- libertarian naifs over the actual idiots of most forums any day). The moderation could use some work, though.