[udp]

You get downvoted when your comments are low quality and/or don't add to the discussion. Every comment you write with "why did you downvote me???" is both low quality and doesn't add to the discussion.

Relax, it's only HN. Go build something instead.

[Achshar]

so i cannot add a comment as long as i don't have anything useful and accurate to say..? hmm can you honestly say that you agree with the notion that 'write constructive and accurate comments or don't write anything at all'?

My first ever comment in this thread was a legit question only that it's answer was already hidden in the parent article. I guess that didn't "add to discussion" then.

In short newbies cannot learn about the 'ways' of HN without being looked down upon (which is always so great for the morale). interesting. I hope my comment 'adds to the discussion' of the condition of 'ways' of HN :)

PS thanks for replying! i was kind of confused :D

[PotatoEngineer]

Right: if you can't say something useful and accurate, please don't post. (There's still a LOT to say, so don't let that stop you from posting at all!) If you post in good faith and are inaccurate, then it's good form to either edit your post to acknowledge the error, or delete your post.

Getting downvoted is one way that newbies learn about HN; most of the time, the downvote comes with a discussion.

(One last note: sarcasm is really hard to detect in writing; we miss the tone of voice and all the nonverbal cues. It's polite to mark a sarcastic response with something that shows you're being sarcastic. Don't count on just the content of your post to show sarcasm.)