Ask HN: What are some communities like HN?

I really love Hacker News and the content I have discovered on here, but the content is mainly focused around technology and programming. As a programmer, I don’t mind this, but are there other independent sites like HN that focus mainly around politics? Architecture? Music?

jeffreyrogers · 2 years ago

People are answering this wrong and focused too much on the site needing to have the same functionality as HN. The spirit of the question is where do other professionals (musicians, doctors, real estate developers, lawyers, etc.) congregate online. I don't know the answer for most of those but here are two examples

- SDN for aspiring doctors and med students https://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/

- Wall Street Oasis for people in finance https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum

Not really the same spirit, but Marginal Revolution (https://marginalrevolution.com/) also has its own community around it and is one of the most influential blogs in the world. Also has an active comment section with an interesting cast of characters.

iancmceachern · 2 years ago

They are not necessarily "like HN" but I thought it might be helpful to list communities I participate in, other than HN, which I believe have been a net positive in my life.

The Vlog Brothers - they have a whole community, videos, newsletters, books, podcasts, on and on. They talk about good positive things, make good positive change in the universe.

Corridor Crew - similar, they have videos, content, etc. Group of friends that started a CGI effects house and analyze such. They wholesome for me.

Camping with Steve - a youtube Channel where this guy camps, enjoys the simple things. He's a good guy.

I've also found community in local small business groups.

rickoooooo · 2 years ago

I have to second corridor crew. I found then several years ago and now I never miss a video. Gave me new appreciation for film making and vfx.

jl6 · 2 years ago

HN is two things: 1) a link aggregator with a tech focus (but not exclusively tech). 2) a large, open community moderated to a high standard of civility.

There are alternatives to #1, such as subject-specific subreddits, but they often to fail at being #2 once they reach a certain size.

The only other site I’ve seen manage to sustain #2 (“civility at scale”) is… Wikipedia.

O1111OOO · 2 years ago

> 2) a large, open community moderated to a high standard of civility.

I tried quite a few sites when the reddit issues surfaced a few months ago.

tildes.net easily passes the civility test. Great place for respectful discussion, with the userbase protecting this aspect of the site (much like HN users).

techn00 · 2 years ago

The almost same question from 7 hours ago, here you go https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37611708

bsimpson · 2 years ago

Luiz André Barroso died last weekend. News broke last night, and fell off the front page by the time the US woke up. I'm guessing a lot of people who would have wanted to didn't see it.

We all like new stuff, but it's a shame how much timing matters on these sites.

whycome · 2 years ago

HN at like 5-8am EDT can be kinda great. A lot of random but interesting stuff gets to the front page for brief times.

jrberendt · 2 years ago

Wow, I did not see this! Thanks!

ChrisArchitect · 2 years ago

A quick search first to read any of the numerous Ask HN:'s of similar topics would help.

or you need to follow an aggregator of top posts from the day on twitter or social whatever like betterHN etc so you see that this was already 100 upvotes in when you posted.

layer8 · 2 years ago

Not exactly what you’re asking for, but here are a couple of traditional forums:

Pro audio: https://gearspace.com/

PC hardware: https://hardforum.com/

Audio hardware: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/

Everything Apple: https://forums.macrumors.com/

Home cinema: https://www.avsforum.com/

Blu-ray discs and movies: https://forum.blu-ray.com/

Babypopdipstick · 2 years ago

Mac rumors is quite possibly the worst place on the internet for BOTH apple fans and haters. What a weirdly toxic and ill informed community.

layer8 · 2 years ago

What alternative do you suggest?

buitreVirtual · 2 years ago

Pouët (https://pouet.net) from the demoscene. Yes, it's programming, but at the intersection with art and retro culture.

nico · 2 years ago

Looks very interesting. Is there a mobile-friendly version?

forgotmypw17 · 2 years ago

It's linked at the bottom of the page:

https://m.pouet.net/

buitreVirtual · 2 years ago

Not quite, it seems...

lambdasquirrel · 2 years ago

All of the photography forums I've visited have made me nearly regret getting into it as a hobby, so I'd love to hear of some.

codpiece · 2 years ago

Large format photography forum is genial and welcoming. Most others are spec fights.

https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/index.php

spacemadness · 2 years ago

Unfortunately for photography, smartphones and apps like Instagram happened. Now everyone is a photographer for good and ill. Low entry point hobbies can be rough to deal with in online communities.

takoid · 2 years ago

What is the forum with lots of business and financial professionals that recently got a bunch of attention? I think it is a four-letter acronym that starts with an E. I’ve tried searching for it but can’t find it. It seemed like an interesting place when I checked it out.

xNeil · 2 years ago

EJMR? (https://www.econjobrumors.com)

dmonitor · 2 years ago

The first thread I click, and I see that it's basically just 4chan without image embeds.

https://www.econjobrumors.com/topic/leftist-sociologist-is-o...

takoid · 2 years ago

That's it. Thank you!

mlacks · 2 years ago

one I know of is https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/

Mostly people asking how to break into the various parts of the financial industry