In my case, both. HN users are not the typical web surfer. They will provide insightful criticism of your work/opinions without using personal attacks. This is the most powerful feature of HN. Trending here is like getting a thousand years of advice in a few hours.
true.. and it has also become the first place to get reviews for your Hack by a large group of Tech savy audience(one which is hard to get at least for the weekend hacks).