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by dang 531 days ago
That is a misunderstanding. Community opinion isn't just expressed in upvotes. It's expressed in upvotes and flags. Countless stories make the front page, only to be flagged off it by other users. This happens many times a day.

I didn't downvote you, and indeed no one on HN (including me) can downvote a direct reply to them.
1 comments
spockswrench 531 days ago
This you? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42640271

You're telling me there were 40+ flags on this? GTFO.

I was seriously using this site for fun, but this is just straight bullshit so now you've turned this user into someone who was enthusiastic to someone who knows this place is garbage. Streisand effect on steroids.

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dang 531 days ago
I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're asking here.
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spockswrench 531 days ago
I'm saying that I liked this site until I noticed that my submission (the only one I've ever made) got 40+ points and never made it to the front-page. Then I noticed that my upvotes don't work. Then I saw you lie about how my post made it to the front-page and started getting flags (it never made it there). So why would I be anything other than hostile?
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dang 531 days ago
Ah, you're correct that your submission never made the front page (I just checked). Sorry for getting that wrong! I was describing a common pattern and wrongly assumed that this was a case of it.

It doesn't change the important point, though, which is that your submission was downranked because the flags won over the upvotes. It just means that the flags happened while the story was on /newest rather than the frontpage. Actually that is is an even stronger community response.

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spockswrench 531 days ago
If it had 40+ points why wouldn't it make it to the front page? Do you see why this would be annoying to say the least to someone? I also don't believe you that it got tons of flags while on /new. You've already lied to me about my post making the front page and that my upvotes aren't censored.
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dang 531 days ago
> If it had 40+ points why wouldn't it make it to the front page?

For the reason I already explained: rank is computed from upvotes and flags, not just upvotes. The flag input proved stronger than the upvote input.

I don't lie to users, partly because it would make me feel bad, and partly because it would be dumb. I'm not going to do anything to risk the good will of the community, which is the only value that HN really has.

It's true that I make mistakes, but that's different from lying, obviously. I can't not make mistakes but I can and do correct them when I find out about them.

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