I'm 3.5 Months Old and I Made this Cool App!

Recently, on the front page of Hacker News, I’ve noticed a spate of articles of the format “I’m only x years old and I made this (mediocre) game/app/website!”. I get the rationale behind this, your age makes your achievement more noteworthy to some users, and it might provide that extra boost to get to the holy grail of HN, the front page. And, considering I noticed this trend from the front page, it seems to be working pretty well. I have seen submissions that, were they standing entirely on their own merit, would probably have never gotten more than a few upvotes (I don’t want to name any names). I don’t blame the community, either; I think anybody who wants to learn, share, and grow should be commended and encouraged, and I’m glad HN agrees with me. But if you really want to make a good product and be appreciated for it, this is not the way.

My main question is, why? If you are confident in your work, if you really gave it your all and made something you can be proud of, why mar the pride you should be feeling with manipulation? Because don’t tell me your age wasn’t supposed to get upvotes; we all know it was. I may sound harsh, but that’s manipultive. I can identify easily with the desperate need to be appreciated for your hard work, which is perfectly normal. But in pursuit of this, don’t loose sight of your goal: appreciation for your product. Not for your age, not for your precocious talent, but for your product. If you’re really good, your product will speak for itself; it will make it to the front page. It’s one of the things that makes HN great — There is no discrimination based on age, gender, or race. All it takes to get to the front page is a great submission (and a little luck). Ever seen a post saying “I’m a Norwegian woman, look what I made”? Your personal info is just as irrelevant. Please don’t destroy the balance of equality with it.

Not only does it skew the experience for others, it skews it for yourself as well. Trust me, if you submit a link with your age, the comment thread WILL dissolve into arguments about whether or not your age matters. Valuable feedback, one of the main benefits of posting, will be buried under paragraphs vitriol. Why waste such a good opportunity? If you’ve created something great, by all means share it. Even if you’re not sure how good it is, share it. In my experience, most Show HN posts get atleast a few comments. But please, leave off your age.