> There are real diminishing returns in terms of follow-up traffic and follow-up effects

I’m probably in the minority, but whenever I read a good blog or article on HN I scan for social media links and follow the author. It has been helpful to find their future work when it doesn’t catch the upvote wave on HN.

A lot of HN participants turn their nose up at other social media sites but I’ve found it very helpful for exactly this purpose. I unfollow people if they’re too chatty or they start engaging in culture war or other topics I don’t care about, which keeps my feed high quality.