I usually click the link first. But sometimes I'll read the comments first. And, on occasion, I've skipped the story altogether because the comments made it clear that the story was not worth the time to read.

I skim the comments. Then I read the article.

I always read the article before I comment. I try to read all the comments before I comment.

I usually decide whether or not to read the link by reading the discussion it generates first.

I always skim the comments first to make sure the link isn't just worthless click-bait. I don't like to reward manipulative and deceptive tactics.

It depends on the link. If it's far outside of any of the domains I specialize in but it could still affect me, I usually check the comments first just to note any specific objections people have.

For example, when that new space engine (the one that uses just electricity and no solid fuel) a lot of the objections were fundamentally "this violates our current understanding of the universe", which in my mind is not really an objection on its own, especially when there's empirical evidence that shows otherwise. So I was free to read the article and consider what the implications would be if it turns out to be a feasible propulsion system. If there had been some claim like "this guy was convicted of fraud in 2003" then I would be looking for some explanation of that in the article before even considering the possibility of spaceships.

I probably wrote that comment.

> especially when there's empirical evidence that shows otherwise.

It's very difficult to explain how hard is to do a good measurement to someone that has never been inside a physic lab. If you have 5V electrical signals up to 100KHz you can be quite confident in your measurements, everything else is more complicated.

It's easier to compare this with another experiment: the faster than light neutrinos.

It was a experiment run by a more serious group, with a lot of specialist and a lot of published papers in that subject. They got FTL neutrinos, and most of the comments here explained that it would break the physics laws and give a alternative explanation of the source of the error. I think I upvoted the wrong explanation :(.

They have a wrong measurement, and a few months later they realized that they have a problem with a fiber optic cable. (Protip: Always check the wires again.)

Nearly all of the time, the link is checked by me and only if I am interested in other people's opinions about this topic (what happens very often) I read the comments. In my opinion it is better this way since you should be educated about the topic people are discussing. Se the short answer: No. :)

I never click on the links. That's asking for trouble. The comments are the value of HN.

How is it asking for trouble?

I don't read the comments first as I always assumed that one was supposed to read the article first in order to understand the comments.

Sometimes - on the phone, it can be easier to click the comments link first.

Sometimes. The comments are usually more interesting. Same for reddit.

The more unlikely the title, the more I check the comments first.

usually,yes

Not always, but quite commonly I do.

It upsets me that "We're Hiring" notices don't permit comments. Sometimes I don't really have a comment, I just want to ask a simple question, for example it's not always easy to find out where the company is located.