Except HN is valuable. You've obviously created something people want here, even if you're not charging for it. Now, there's certainly a way to spend too much time here, but you creating this forum pays off in a way that responding to emails doesn't. At least, I assume it does.
There's an interesting duality where it's "useful" to spend your time creating a site like this, but less useful to spend your time reading a site like this. Although the same argument could probably be made for writing/reading a book.
There's an interesting duality where it's "useful" to spend your time creating a site like this, but less useful to spend your time reading a site like this. Although the same argument could probably be made for writing/reading a book.