[guylhem]

I don't want to criticize, but if getting to the first page is that important to you, I don't know, but it doesn't seems very healthy. Revenues and products are more important than bragging rights.

Ok competition is good, hacking is good, but doing that just for HN sake seems like overengineering for something not important at all (I mean, not central to most business)

However, making a product out of it is something quite different - and it's a great thing you did!

[jwpeddle]

I think you underestimate how much attention HN can get you and overestimate the effort of doing what they did here. Seems like a great time investment to me.

[guylhem]

I tried similar things to play with the Mechanical Turk and Google Ads - especially since they give coupons like candy.

In the end, it is still glorified advertising, while IMHO the core purpose of a business is revenue!

Advertising is very important, but securing paying clients does not depends nor requires advertising.

IMHO again - advertising however is a tool for growing, but just one tool among many others

This whole thing must have taken say half a day total - to say whether it was a good or a bad thing for them, you must consider the opportunity cost

And IMHO again, diverting just one mind away from important problems (to fix side issues instead) is a bad idea.

Focus matter the most.