Ask HN: Why do I need to use links' original titles?

6 pointsby sparktherapyvor 13 Jahren3 comments

Some general news headlines are not really written up to "hacker standards". For example, the current #1 post is this: "Google shares hit $1,000 after strong earnings (bbc.co.uk)" and many of the comments are about how the stock price itself doesn't matter.

Similarly, there's "Sleep Flushes Toxins from the Brain (bbc.co.uk)" which annoyed several readers as well.

Some other titles are quite obscure & vague. I remember seeing "Reveal.js", but finding the site to be unreachable, and totally being unable to figure out what it does. It feels like linkbait because I can't figure out what it is until I click on it.

In general, it'd be good to summarize articles in titles, instead of simply using their original titles. Does anyone agree?

4 comments

tjrvor 13 Jahren

I believe the problem this policy aims to solve is one of HN submitters inserting their own bias into self-written titles.

Whereas if the original title is used, then any bias in the title is confined to that of the article author / publisher.

pgvor 13 Jahren

Or making mistakes. A significant number of rewritten titles are false.

sparktherapyvor 13 Jahren

Thanks for your detailed post (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6572466).

[deleted]vor 13 Jahren