Two of my discussions on Product Hunt were removed. And honestly? I’m glad they were.
I support structured, high-value discussions—nobody wants forums filled with spam and self-promotion. But here’s the issue: understanding what qualifies as “valuable.”
Product Hunt’s updated guidelines push for original, engaging, and non-replicable content. Makes sense. But when posts disappear without clear reasoning, it creates confusion.
Where’s the line between sharing insights and self-promotion?
What defines a post as “high-value” in this new system?
Why not offer feedback instead of outright removals?
Stronger moderation is great if paired with transparency. Instead of guessing what works, clearer guidelines and examples could help everyone create better discussions.
At the end of the day, I’d rather post once with impact than ten times into the void.
What do you think?
Curious — how do you get to know if your posts are removed?
My posts have never been removed hence I am curious.
@rohanrecommends in my case they simply didn't make it to the forum I posted in. I can access them thru my profile but they're featured in the chat/forum
@taniabell I am not sure if I understand.
You're mentioning the case when a post is not approved, they don't show up on the forum, but only on your profile, yes?
@rohanrecommends that's correct. there are thee examples:
and this one got to the forum and received some pretty good engagement:
https://www.producthunt.com/p/general/what-s-most-important-for-success-in-tech
@taniabell Discussions that are not featured in the forum are not visible publicly on your profile. Only you can see them. However, we can visit if you share the direct link with us, like the one you shared here.
@abhishek_ux @taniabell Yes, the system should alert instantly, else there is no point of waiting indefinitely.
I am not sure how it is handled I think it is done manually and it is inefficient. Instead, there should be a simple realtime AI API that will check compliance criteria like format language intent etc and alert instantly before it is even posted
I have tried to post a few discussions before, and each time it took several hours for them to go through, but by then they were already buried under newer posts. I’m not entirely sure it’s because of moderation. I think it would be better for users if there were some prompts or notifications to explain the situation.
@evakk According to me, its a stone-age style of moderation and often turns useless. Ideally, as per standard moderation practices across internet, a post should go live first, then do the near-time or offline validation, else its a waste of time to follow-up again and again as they take indefinite time. Technically, I can fix this issue in 10 minutes, 5 minutes to get an AI API to check compliance guidelines, and another 5 minutes to call this API on UI itself.
Hey Abhishek, I totally get where you're coming from! I agree with you, having valuable discussions is what truly matters. Honestly, if the platform helps remove the fluff, it can lead to more meaningful contributions overall. If the guidelines are clearer, it could really encourage high-quality content from everyone. Posting once with real impact is definitely the way to go!
I appreciate your commitment to maintaining high quality discussion on Product Hunt. Clearer guidelines and feedback on removed posts would indeed help users align with community standards. Transparency in moderation fosters a more engaging and productive environment for all.
Interesting perspective! Something context moderation helps maintain quality discussions. What did you learn from the experience?🤔