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by madamelic 3056 days ago
>You could say "just keep posting until it gets traction", but anyone who's built and posted something on HN knows this is really stressful and easier said than done, because most people--no matter how much they believe in their own project--don't want to spam the site they like.

Wait, you won't get in trouble for sending duplicates? I was always under the impressions that mods were pretty strict about one-and-done. Goes to show me I guess.

Edit: Huh. Went back and read the rules, there seems to be nothing against it... It seems like what I thought was "one-and-done" was more "as a guideline, to be well-received, don't submit the same thing often"

2 comments

I read before (but a mod could confirm) that the automatic rules to prevent duplicate posts are purposefully loosely set. There is some rule to not post the exact same link, but a small, meaningless variation at the URL is allowed as a trick to posting duplicates.

It is a practical way to give second chances without giving too much room for spamming. The fact that you didn't even know it was allowed seems to prove that it works.

What is not ok is to delete your own former posts to pretend you are posting for the first time.

With this perception in mind, my own personal rule is if my first post does not get too much traction, I post a second time, 10~12 hours later (to get a different audience). Usually, I stop, sometimes when I am too optimistic I post a third time a couple of days later. And then I give up and stop posting.

You can clearly see this pattern in my submission history.

The rules have changed slightly with the rise of the moderation culture in the past few years. In earlier HN times, your interpretation was more correct and it seems dupe submissions would attach to the previous submission for a longer period than now. I have seen repeat submissions (within reason) encouraged nowadays in order to get cream to rise to the top.