I'd say almost a third of HN comments are intentionally misleading or flat-out wrong. I've seen people include fake link citations to try and prove their point.
Sadly, there are a huge number of phonies on HN. I'll bet many of them have enough karma to downvote too.
Beta invitation and getting subscribers pre-launch is in many cases a flawed strategy. It is really, really hard for an unknown startup (amongst hundreds of other unknown startups) to stay 'top of mind' for more than a week or so.
For the beta and pre-launch startups I sign up for, I remember only half by the time I can register and use the service. I register for about 5% of those I still recognise. For the rest, I simply don't care any more.
Rethink the pre-launch and onboarding strategy. Just because others say you should doesn't mean it will work for you. THINK FOR YOURSELF.
I spent more time on the site than I anticipated. Why? Because some of the polls were interesting, and other polls (the questions) revealed news I hadn't heard of yet.
So yes, I would revisit again and again, provided the quality of news and questions was high.
My advice is to stay away from the lowbrow, lowest common denominator stuff. Be intelligent,informative and interesting.
My policy is to never judge and to simply give, no matter how "undeserving" I initially perceive the person to be. Provided that I'm in a position to give, of course.
The correctness of this policy was confirmed a few summers ago when I came across a man who feebly held a cardboard sign asking for money. He was slumped over on the steps of a bank. I had just given $20 to another beggar and had only $20 left to my name.
As I approached the man, resentment started building up inside of me. I was thinking 'if he wants money, he should at least hold up his sign properly'. He seemed apathetic and lazy. He seemed undeserving. That is, until I saw his face. He was crying and his expression was of a defeated man. I'll never forget that look. It broke my heart. I gladly gave him my last $20 bill and felt terrible that I had judged him so harshly.
I give those in need the benefit of the doubt and help when I can. It's the easier and kinder thing to do.
Sadly, there are a huge number of phonies on HN. I'll bet many of them have enough karma to downvote too.