I think you get what you put in. I've had plenty of interesting, challenging conversations here. On Twitter too, although it's more work and ultimately I decided it wasn't worth it.
I agree that HN would not survive an incursion by the general public. Fortunately we're protected by being a bunch of boring nerds. Who would bother?
The boring, minimalist UI is probably our strongest moat.
Twitter's tiny character limit makes any sort of real discussion impossible. There's no room for nuance or detailed explanations of a position when you can only fit two or three sentences.
I found it's actually pretty possible with a willing partner. You dice up an argument into bite-sized chunks, and if the other person cooperates, they read the whole thing and reply with their own thread.
The character limit actually has a neat side effect: you can reply at the precise point of the argument you want to, and start a thread from there.
The main problem on Twitter is finding the right people to talk to, and the lack of moderation. Things get heated easily and there's no way to turn it back down. You end up in a small posse of people who share your views and values enough not to treat you like shit when you express yourself.
I agree that HN would not survive an incursion by the general public. Fortunately we're protected by being a bunch of boring nerds. Who would bother?
The boring, minimalist UI is probably our strongest moat.