HN Explorer

Ask HN: Is there a non-tech community like HN?

10 points by jhuckestein ↗ HN
When I send non-tech articles that surface on HN to my friends or mention in conversation that I had just recently read an article about some random topic, people always ask where I get all this information.

I usually send people that have an interest in technology straight to Hacker News. Unfortunately many of my friends won't care for most of what is posted here.

Is there any forum where other intelligent and curious people hang out and discuss articles that are similar to the non-tech ones that surface on HN? Could a single such a forum even exist with an audience that comes from a wide range of backgrounds?

In other news, the non-tech articles that surface on HN do give you a rather broad sampling of interesting things to read. I know that many people here would prefer to keep politics and "random" articles of the front page, but I'm personally very grateful for this education that I otherwise wouldn't get.

10 comments

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j2d3
reddit?
namenotrequired
I'm not the OP but this might be more helpful if you have any subreddits to recommend? Reddit is big :)
ericabiz
I like Reddit's /r/science (http://www.reddit.com/r/science). You'll find some of the same articles as Hacker News, plus some great discussion from smart people who aren't necessarily computer geeks.

For straight computer geekery, there's /r/technology (http://www.reddit.com/r/technology) -- but I like it less than Hacker News since the comments can be more immature. (There also seems to be a large population of gamers on that subreddit, and I'm not a gamer, so I have less in common with the people there than with many people here on HN.)

For marketing and some general startup business advice, I like http://www.inbound.org/ -- they are also starting to do AMAs ("Ask me anything") like Reddit does with well-known startup/marketing folks.

For intelligent interviews with successful entrepreneurs, you can't beat Mixergy (http://mixergy.com/). Disclaimer: I've done two interviews with Andrew. Here's one I did on finding the right business idea, which might be useful to your less-technical-but-still-entrepreneurial friends: http://mixergy.com/course-cheat-sheet-find-your-biz-idea/

I also like http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/ and http://www.reddit.com/r/askreddit when I'm just ready to zone out and enjoy some Internet strangeness after a long day running a startup.

egillie
Maybe check out MetaFilter
platz
I would love to hear if you find any good communities out.
martina56
if somebody join hands we could start a non-tech website, it's not a big deal. I am ready to invest my time and contribute little money.

I am in! who else could join?

rwmohican
Actually, sometimes I wish I knew some HN's like communities for finance careers or accountants. Any idea?
curuinor
metafilter.com

To elaborate on this answer, it's one of the coolest general communities on the Internet. It has a good, developed culture. Peruse the wiki for a bit...

http://mefiwiki.com/wiki/Main_Page