[FreakLegion]

As to your 1.: Let's assume you're being honest and it isn't sock puppetry. It's still basically astroturfing, and I, at least, don't want to see that here.

If entire communities are allowed to flock to Hacker News to upvote the latest post about their pet platform, the site will become nothing more than a cheap marketing tool.

So, PSA: Please don't strip-mine this community's goodwill for your own or your company's benefit.

As to your 2.: You're entirely correct.

[jarek]

"If entire communities are allowed to flock to Hacker News to upvote the latest post about their pet platform, the site will become nothing more than a cheap marketing tool."

Because there's been none of that happening for the past year...

[viraptor]

I guess you missed the month of erlang posts that were posted because community was asked to post and upvote them?... How is that different exactly?

[FreakLegion]

What an odd series of replies. Surely you all realize that:

1) Whether astroturfing does happen has no bearing on whether it should happen,

and

2) Examples of people astroturfing are an argument for having the rule, not an argument against it.

Right? Bueller?

[luser001]

What? You don't think articles are being systematically upvoted by groups of people? Sorry, I am a realist and it definitely seems like they're being upvoted.

HN is now the tech news site for insiders. It's not some obscure backwater.