I'd say the real value is in understanding that there are fellow hackers out there who you would like to meet, and actually sending them a message saying "Hey, how's it going? I noticed you work at Job A", or "I noticed you're interested in X"...
There's not really much value in friending directly, but if you make the effort to get to know new people, as I will, I think it's a good idea. There's always value in meeting somebody new.
Which is funny, because my startup actually revolves around two of the seven cardinal virtues. I think he hits the nail on the head because he's talking about how anonymity has allowed people to embrace more and more of personalities they would not have been able to otherwise in meatspace.
But as your real identity and your social graph ties closer with your online persona, I think we're going to see a shift in a different direction. I'll let you know how it goes.
It's efficient. It's concise. It's easy for you to understand and modify. It's easy for others to understand and modify. Over the long term, it proves to have a low defect rate. It's declarative, and lends itself to automatic optimization.
Hey everybody, I just wanted to let you know I've created #HNBeginners for those who are just starting out and or those who would like to contribute and help other people out who are just getting started. Please drop by if you can!
Hey biz2hack, I'm not seeing your email in your profile. I'm in for joining you guys. I last programmed about 4 years ago, and 4 weeks ago I picked it up again. My email is in my profile, and please keep me in the loop.
Ricuarte, sorry about that. We're also going to start an IRC Channel where we can all get together and ask each other questions. My e-mail should be in my profile now.
Thank you all so much! I will definitely keep you updated of my progress, and if there is anyone who would like to e-mail me to get in contact with me, my e-mail is in my profile. Thanks again!
1. Customer Development 2. Product Discovery 3. ??? 4. Profit!
Right?