[fuzzfactor]

>hear what the HN community has to say about it.

This.

This is what you are not supposed to be able to get anywhere else.

It does seem like that could be a pretty good measure of desirabilty.

Not only whether or not the article in particular, or its subject may be so popular that it's all over the mainstream news. Depends on what it is. When the commentary is not what you get from the mainstream that's one thing you want, but when it starts out or degenerates into something thoughtless or no different you don't need a whole lot of that.

I still see no reason for me to flag anything or downvote anybody, there's plenty of that without me adding to the downside.