Ask HN: Dormant Hacker News accounts suddenly springing to life years later?

2 pointsby blindmvor 5 Jahren3 comments

So I'm a long time lurker of HN and like to randomly inspect accounts/users to see the account's other comments and submissions. But one thing I noticed sometimes when I do that is I see the account (for example) was created FIVE YEARS AGO with two or three comments made five years ago, and a recent 2021 comment with long durations of time between each comment.

I imagine the accounts are lurker accounts where the person is signed in, refraining from commenting and then bringing some life into the account on a whim.

I'm not mentioning any accounts since I respect the privacy of those types of accounts, but with some digging you can spot them all over HN.

Also I've seen some accounts with no comments, with the account created 6/7 years ago and then suddenly a comment appears. Why do people do that? It's weird. Anyone else know this situation but haven't actually expressed it yet on HN?

3 comments

fundamentalvor 5 Jahren

Sometimes people just don't have anything meaningful to add to a conversation. The usage pattern you're describing does not seem at all unusual to me.

japhyrvor 5 Jahren

And to add to that, there is a clear benefit to being signed in even if you're not commenting. I imagine there are a significant number of people who vote on articles and comments while rarely commenting themselves. Also, the favorites feature is really nice to use even if you're not commenting.

I don't lurk for years at a time, but I'm pretty sure I have often gone months without commenting. I could easily see going a year or more, but still reading actively and staying logged in.

willmeyersvor 5 Jahren

I made my account back in 2014 around when I left high school. Didn't really comment on anything because I didn't know anything. Now (I think?) I know a little bit more and feel comfortable commenting on things. That's just my experience.