What is wrong with the return of Geektimes to Habr

I will not pull the intrigue, but now I have one karma: everything is so, everything is fine

Moreover, this is my first post in the “ What's wrong with ” series . However, there is still something to discuss. Return of Geektimes to Habr opens both a space for comments, and for hypotheses and assumptions. In general, we digested the news, celebrated - and now we can reflect.


I do not know in what language the word "Habrahabr", but in ancient Greek it would now be called " Atom "

Positioning

It was the main pain of shared resources: the theater begins with a hanger, and the explanation of what “Giktames” is with the words “well, it's like Habr, only ...”. For three and a half years I have not found the right images that could describe both resources without humiliating GT involuntarily: “Well, this is like Habr, only the people have fewer and more popy themes”. Visual identity, as is well known in hindsight, also did not help the cause. Now this problem is gone. Depending on the situation, it’s easier to explain what “Habr” is, it’s harder, but from what angle you don’t come to this question now - it’s just that.

Lecture hall

Obviously, the plan to get two (then three, then two again) different audiences, which would grow each separately, increasing the total coverage compared to the monoresource, failed. The guys thought that the hodgepodge does not allow the resource to grow, but in fact it was the separation that led to the cannibalization of each other’s audiences. Apparently, to squander racially clean posts that were not “spoiling” for someone the old “Habr” turned out to be easier than switching between two sites.

I do not know the exact figures, but according to the latest rumors that reached me, Habr had about 8 million uniks a month, and GT had 4 million. Is it a lot or a little? Although I didn’t see the “Habra” statistics prior to the release of “Hiktaims” from it, but according to indirect data and a feeling, since 2014, the general audience of the GT / Habra has stagnated, or even decreased (if someone from those with a sacred knowledge of the split period statistics he will share with me, I will gladly replace all of my estimations with exact data). Summing up the first results of the reverse takeover, again, not knowing the real intersection of resource audiences, also definitely will not work: but I think at least a million souls of GT dowries should have been compiled - in general, no matter how cool you are, the “Habra” audience should have grow up But the main thing - I can now prove why it will continue to grow.

So what went wrong? The reunion of a divided people resembles a couple after a break to re-evaluate their relationship: three and a half years later, it became clear that what was important was not the difference in tastes and interests, but the opportunity to discuss it together. In other words, the separation was caused by the notion that Habr is a thematic blog. And the reunion was due to the fact that in fact “Habr” turned out to be collective in every sense of the word. Habr proved that it is the site of readers, not writers. People did not go for content, like Jews did for Moses, but content always went to people. Plus, over the years of separate life, “Habr”, it seems, has trained itself in the separation of boundaries within a common space, having organized “Streams”. And now the big family lives together again, but the total living space is better zoned.

Although it is impossible not to notice that when “Habr” gave birth to “Hiktayms”, and then “Megamind” sprang from it - the oldest rule was broken: it works - do not touch. Attempting to improve what was already working, naturally led to the fact that everything was broken. But, fortunately, the broken managed to fix - and now “Habr” is not just as before. Now we understand better how it works, what it keeps on, what it is, and what it does not. And, I think, this new clarity, that “Habr” is a resource determined not by the content, but by the community — was worth this dangerous experiment. That "Habr" does not kill - makes him cake. And this is definitely not "made worse, but returned as it was."

English version

This is a very good, long overdue move. There are no analogues of “Habra” in the global network - that is, the niche is not yet occupied, and the global Russian community should help to gain the first audience among the “golden billion”. However, there are reasons to hold onto the optimism racers yet:

• “Unoccupied niche” does not mean “free niche”. It may well turn out that the format of a collective blog in the form in which “Habr” now exists and some resources still do not exist - it is a purely Runet endemic. In addition, “there” already has reddit - this is like “Habr”, only wider in topics, and lacking reflection on which is the first — chicken or egg content or community. Do not hesitate to be a directory of links, reddit, without turning anywhere, built such a community that the quantity turned into quality long ago - and the most unique content was generated by itself. Positioning "Habra" is more focused on self-reliance - we write ourselves, we discuss ourselves. But here lies the second pitfall.
• Habra lacks content. It sounds strange, of course - but the tape of several global IT resources puts the Habr on the shoulder blades. For its three and a half years, despite all the efforts, Hiktimes has not learned to cover even 10% of the global agenda, even in the field of technology. And the geeky story about movies , comics and other pop - staff as a result did not go at all. If we remove translated content and posts of purely local meaning - unique content that is potentially interesting to a global audience, we will have not so much. Wanguey that the drivers of Anglo-Habr will be, surprise, corporate blogs - many companies already, probably, are delighted with the prospect of reaching a global audience without getting up twice.

Bilingual

A pleasant trick, which, perhaps, will do what the editorial board on GT has failed: finally gives the Russian-speaking reader a complete picture of the world, not limited by the bottleneck of the translator's resource. However, for this, "Habra" will have to remove the restriction on non-unique content. But this will be lower.

Centralization

If I correctly understood the words about the “big return of all previously allocated projects back to Habr” in addition to the return of GT, habr.com should become a megaportal, in which besides the purely content part there will be a service part. Again, rather cool. Feels right.

It follows that

1. Rejecting the separation of content, you need to reanimate the community. This means the return of democracy. That is, the elements of democracy. Democracy, of course, toy-and, all the same, in which we were forbidden to play. It is necessary to return the inner voice to the people, it is necessary to return the right to create new hubs (Did we have the same? Or is this a false memory for me?) - even under supervision and on probation. Moreover, perhaps it is time to come up with new things. Karma is definitely an element of gamification. But only its first level - and why dwell on it? Now is the time to experiment with the expansion of the possibilities of self-government community - and the liberation of the creativity of the masses.
2. It is necessary to return and raise the rank of UFO. I do not think that the power personalized in the person of the owner of the resource is an image that will go well for a global audience. For example, I did not notice that the founders of the same “Reddit” had a habit of addressing their people from a high balcony for whatever reason. The cult of the personality of Zuckerberg left him at all sideways - in recent years, he has only been making apologies. And he is not alone - Elon Musk also turns into a boy for virtual whipping. Here we must understand one important point: Zuckerberg still reigns supreme in his empire, and does what he wants with Facebook. Even many hours of justification before the Congress is a ritual act, theatricality of which is understood by the congressmen themselves. But the period of admiration for the singular visionary geniuses is passing — and those who had the imprudence to try on the motto of the sun king Louis XIV, “The state is me!”, Now found themselves in the uncomfortable position of Louis XVI on the scaffold. Most likely, this is only an antiphase - and the swing will still swing back. But those who initially chose the comfort of the impersonal leading style of the “unknown fathers” are now enjoying peace: here Twitter turned 140 characters into 280, and it is not clear who to hate for it. And rolled. And the UFO is ideally suited to delegate to him the function of a voice from the sky, without pushing on Zuckerberg's rake - all the more so since the quota for exporting the image of a “strong leader” from Russia has already been chosen. Another option is to make the role of voice transitional so that the following announcements, regardless of their importance, are done in turn by different members of the TM team. Particularly relevant will be women's voices, which the team "Habra" is not offended. And you can also invite guest authors from the side for post-announcements, or encourage these distinguished users of Habr itself.
3. It will be necessary to return posts links. I will give, for a start, one more proof that the community rules here, and not the content: Habr is included in a narrow circle of sites where comments are always read, because comments often turn out to be more interesting than post . This means that the struggle for the total uniqueness of the content is not so necessary, and you can spend less on the editorial office - the main thing is that the reason for the conversation should be good. In addition, now a significant part of samopisny content is based on English-language sources, or simply translations. In Anglo-Habré, this scheme will not work. Reright, I hope, is understandable - not an option. Kopipast - all the more. Post links will allow a little blood to get the full picture of the day, and already the community will bring up the most interesting by its activity. This does not prevent the appearance of unique content from English-speaking authors - it does not interfere with “Reddit”, as it did not interfere with “Habra” itself earlier, on the contrary - the authors will only be attracted by the opportunity to offer the community their topic of conversation, their thoughts and experience. And this will greatly simplify the task of selecting news for Russian-speaking authors: the picture of the day will already be formed in the English-language top.
4. It is necessary to encourage translations into English. Now, taking into account the rating of the user, the estimate of the post-transfer halves. But translations in the opposite direction, on the contrary, should give × 2, and with active posting of translations - both × 3 and × 4 to the rating of the English version, to encourage users not only to write in English immediately, but also to translate their best posts, and in general posts from the golden fund Habr .
5. It is necessary to emphasize the possibilities for self-promo authors. This will be more insignificant advice than planned: initially I wanted to write that in a burzhnet a good tone is to indicate Twitter or at least the mail of the author immediately in the signature on the article. The fact is that in my head it was well postponed, when and because of whom the PR of my social networks was banned. But what happened after a small but important liberalization, I overlooked. It is really important and great that the author can now share on “Habré” not only his social networks, but even the website in the signature on the article. However, there is still something to improve - the presentation of these links can obviously be made clearer - the authors will be pleased.
6. It is necessary to glue versions of posts in different languages. Also small Wishlist - but after all the truth will be cooler if the translation of the post is glued to the original and switch in one click, as now in Facebook?
7. It will be necessary to make the collective literacy functional. In general, the idea of ​​bringing the Russian horde — and not from Olgino — into the world information space opens up a sea of ​​perspectives. And language practice is not the last one. More confident users of language and neyty can help to correct mistakes for those who have “Landan from the capital of Great Britain”, said with different intonations, has no less value than I am Groot - receiving instead karma, badges and other nishtyaki tightening.

These are just a few of the possible projections into the future, based on the experience of the separation and reunification of the Habranorod and the announced development plans. I hope they do not go too far with the vision of TM. However, even if it’s too much: for me, the closure of the project “Hicktime” seemed to have canceled the apocalypse, and now the news can again be not only bad.

The previous 3.5 years of habra fragmentation already seem something strange and unnatural, and the completed gathering of land means not only the return of “Habr”, but also the return of normality. As in good books, the hero returns from a long journey to the beginning of his journey, but by another person - matured and matured. After the trials that he overcame, you are no longer afraid for him, and with him you are waiting for new adventures.

This is an embarrassing feeling when "Habr" first cake on his twelfth birthday

PS Now my moderately optimistic requiem for the 2014 Habrahabr division can be re-read already with the feeling of a closed gestalt.

PPS And exactly 10 years (and a month) to my first habrapost “ Will IT people rule the world? ”- it's funny to reread how I decided to come up with trumps, when I still haven't had LJ on my lips.