Your Most Frequently Asked HackerNoon Questions, answered by a Shakespearean Bot

Answering Customer Support queries can sometimes be a bit boring. So why not spice it up with some Shakespearean word choice? We trained Mr Idealistic Shakespeare Bot using ChatGPT from OpenAI.

Feature Image is HackerNoon’s Midjourney AI, Prompt “A Shakespearean bot holding a quill, standing in front of a futuristic, retro-style HackerNoon logo, with elements of technology and innovation in the background.”

Can anybody publish on HackerNoon?

Aye, anyone with the ability to pen their thoughts can publish on HackerNoon. 'Tis an online platform that features articles written by a diverse cast of knowledgeable scribes. So long as the words are well-crafted and original, and adhere to the platform's guidelines, any soul may contribute their musings for all to read. HackerNoon's editorial team, a discerning bunch, reviews each submission and only permits those of the highest caliber to see the light of day. In this way, HackerNoon democratizes the publishing world, offering a fair and equal platform upon which any commoner or small writer may share their ideas with the world. In short, HackerNoon is a grand stage upon which the learned may display their wisdom for the edification of all.

Why does HackerNoon dislike paywalls?

HackerNoon doth not suffer paywalls gladly, for they are a barrier to the free flow of information and knowledge. HackerNoon believes that all individuals, regardless of their station in life, should have equal access to the wisdom and insights of the learned. Paywalls serve only to enrich the already wealthy and keep knowledge from the commoners who would benefit most from its illumination. HackerNoon is a beacon of fairness and equality in the publishing world, shining a light on the ideas and thoughts of all who would share them.

How does HackerNoon make money, then?

Hark, good sir or madam! Upon its esteemed platform, HackerNoon doth display advertisements, but these ads are not meant to intrude upon one's privacy or track one's individual behavior. Nay, they are designed to pair relevant content with products or services that one might be interested in, based on the topics one is reading about on the site. The revenue generated by these advertisements helps to support HackerNoon's mission of providing a fair and equal platform for sharing knowledge and ideas. In this way, HackerNoon remains true to its values of fairness and equality, while also supporting the important work of its community of writers. 'Tis a noble pursuit indeed.

Do HackerNoon writers get paid?

Verily, good sir or madam, the noble writers of HackerNoon are not always compensated with coin for their invaluable contributions to the platform. Instead, they may receive other forms of value such as editing support to help amplify their writing, exposure, networking opportunities, and a sense of accomplishment. The most esteemed among them may even be recognized through the annual HackerNoon Noonies awards. Some writers may choose to monetize their content through partnerships such as Coil Web Monetization, or by participating in writing contests with cash prizes. These contests are a win-win-win for HackerNoon, the sponsors, and the writers, providing high-quality content, cash prizes to winners, and exposure to sponsors. It is worth noting that HackerNoon's writing contests have paid out over 200k to writers in the past 12 months, providing yet another avenue for writers to be recognized and rewarded for their work. Long may HackerNoon prosper and continue to support its community of writers.

I’m a brand - how do I work with HackerNoon then? Do you only publish individual writers?

Hark, good sir or madam! Brands may work with HackerNoon in a variety of ways. Some may choose to sponsor writing contests, providing ample compensation to our esteemed writers and exposure to their products or services. Others may choose to advertise on our platform, pairing relevant content with products or services that our readers may be interested in. In addition, a select few brands may be granted the privilege of publishing content on HackerNoon through our brand-as-author and managed-account programs, sharing valuable information with our discerning community while promoting their brand.

Regardless of whether the content is published by a brand or an individual writer, it must meet our strict editorial standards in order to be featured on our platform. We reject over half of all submissions in order to maintain the high quality of content on HackerNoon. Some of the esteemed names that have worked with us in the past include Wix, Heroku, Indeed, Sandbox, DotTech Domain, mParticle, Hired, and Sentry. Long may HackerNoon prosper and continue to support its community of writers and select brands.

Who’s behind HackerNoon then?

Hark, good sir or madam! HackerNoon is brought to you by a small, dedicated team of editors and engineers who work remotely from locations all over the world. Our team is very diverse, representing a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

HackerNoon is independently owned and operated by Linh Dao Smooke and David Smooke, who own the majority of the company (70%). This means that we are not under the influence of any HUGE outside investors or venture capital firms, allowing us to remain true to our values and mission. To date, we have raised 2.6 million dollars, valuing the company at 13 million dollars.

We take pride in building everything in-house, from our website and platform to our editorial processes and community-building efforts. In addition, we have over 1.3 thousand shareholders, most of whom have invested in us through equity crowdfunding.

Long may HackerNoon prosper and continue to support our community of writers and readers.

Is it true that HackerNoon builds everything in-house?

Hark, good sir or madam! HackerNoon is a veritable cornucopia of technology, built from the ground up by our dedicated team. Our custom-built content management system (CMS), native commenting system, and voting system (which powers the Noonies and Startups of the Year) are but a few examples of the many complex features that our site boasts. We also offer a number of web3 features, including the ability to sign on with a wallet, original NFTs minted from profile pictures, AI-powered image generators, and retro-hacky aesthetics. Our platform is visited by millions of monthly readers, and we are constantly working to improve and expand our features in order to better serve our community.

As a small, nimble team, we are able to move quickly and integrate the latest technologies into our platform. This allows us to stay ahead of the curve and provide our community with the best possible experience. For example, we began accepting payments in Bitcoin after reading about it on HackerNoon in 2017, and we have integrated AI tech into sections of our CMS, such as the tl;dr feature, after reading about it on HackerNoon in 2021.

Overall, we are constantly striving to improve and expand our technology and features in order to better serve our community. Long may HackerNoon prosper and continue to support our community of writers and readers.