At Disqus, we're looking for a front-end hero* . The candidate should be good at everything from visual and UI design to Javascript optimization. Email jobs@disqus.com.
Just for the record, if I were looking for a job, and you used hero (or ninja, or rockstar) in the title, I wouldn't take you guys seriously. This seems to be a common sentiment.
Hence the footnote. It's a little in-joke that it seems you didn't find funny. I encourage anyone who's turned off by that part of the job post to please apply anyways. My above post was made as an individual, not as a representative of the company, and cannot be taken as a representative sample of Disqus's mean level of seriousness.
Don't worry, there's no permanent damage, and Disqus does seem like an interesting company. :-)
I think I, and a lot of people, respond to ninja, etc., negatively not because They're Silly Words And This Is Serious Business, but just because they're tired and non-descriptive. I have about the same response to something like, "Senior Solutions Manager". It's not a logical reaction based on evaluating the company, more like just an automatic, "Ugh..."
"I think I, and a lot of people, respond to ninja, etc., negatively"
Unfortunately words like that have become a bit "buzzy" with HR and management (non-techie) types: "Oh, so all we have to do is say 'ninja' or 'rockstar' and we're instantly cool and really talented people will want to work here. Can I be a rockstar too, pls?"
While that might be true, my reaction comes from seeing it overused by techie folks that can't manage to state what they want, and the closest they've been able to figure out is a euphemism for a workaholic with more enthusiasm than expertise.
Isn't the term "hero" used in _The Mythical Man Month_ to refer to the one talented individual that ends up saving the project? Thus, a "hero" is indicative of immature development process.
I disagree. Words like 'hero', 'rockstar', 'ninja' convey a certain attitude. They also imply that the applicant (if qualified and hired) can take the technology in a new direction.
Basically, these words often mean a senior position, at a (relatively) small company, for low pay.
If you don't mind the pay-cut, you can probably leverage your work there and make a name for yourself.
first, disqus has shown very impressive growth in the past year for a company of their size (not to mention they've raised money from fred wilson et al).
second, judging a post by one word is a bit pretentious.
*hero is the new rockstar