What kinds of posts do you like to see?
To slake my curiosity, I'll ask the forum: What do you like to see in the forum? What kinds of posts would make a new forum member stand out to you in a good way? What have you seen before in the forums that is interesting to you? What would be a post that's interesting to you that you haven't seen the likes of before?
Try and stay positive with your answers. I'll think about the question(s) and answer them myself, later in the thread.
Try and stay positive with your answers. I'll think about the question(s) and answer them myself, later in the thread.
Comments
Personally (at the moment at least) I prefer posts which aren't long since my short term memory has just gone through the floor recently, but umm...damnit-I'll get back to this, I swear.
ETA: Quick! Put mt on the spot!
ETAA: Reminded by dantes (I think). I like posts that aren't considered flaming, the world's heating up enough, we don't need peoples posts making it worse. Things that are funny, and interesting work too. (I also look for the posts that may or may not prove someone's reality) So it's all good. In fact, I don't think there are many posts within the forum (except for the long ones and things I just don't understand) that I particularly dislike.
Also, I love how there are discussions about all kinds of subjects, with people making intelligent posts that actually say something. Everyone here can teach others about stuff they're knowledgeable about, and can learn from others about other stuff. I've already learned tons by reading everything here... It's just all so interesting! I love this place! And I'm really going to put my best effort into it.
A couple of buzz words i think i would like would be: Thought provoking, discussable, constructive, humerous, etc
Though to achieve this you just need cool people like we have here, it can't be planned or faked i think.
Even though I participate in them, I think posts like the "Political Statements" ones aren't too great, especially since we've got a multi-continental group of people here. I worry that posts like that serve to exclude some people, especially when most people in the post are all agreeing on the same thing. Better to keep things JoCo-related, I think.
I think the game ones and the random post ones are time wasters (which I'm sure is why others like them). There are probably two or three posts going on right now that are nearly content-free (like the word association one) and it's a waste of time to have to click into them to make them not show as "new", even though I'm not going to read them. Some topics (though not many) seem to devolve into a semi-chat session rather than an actual discussion of any particular topic, and that's probably not best either.
I am particularly guilty of some long posts, but I accept that it comes with the territory that people may want to skip them.
Maybe the most interesting topics here can be related back to JoCo in the following way: If a market research company wanted to help him find the essence of his current and potential fan base, this is where they'd be looking. Geek narcissism be damned, it's fun discovering ourselves and each other here, while singing the occasional JoCo hymn.
ETA - @Spiff: Dunno, even though US politics, like any politics whatsoever, make me glaze over, I respect that the degree and nature of participation there just reflects the demographic. If we were all to be "culturally neutral" (not that such a thing is possible) we'd be pretty boring. As long as we all can play by the rule of laughing at ourselves and allowing others to do so, I don't think those subjects should be off-limits.
Apart from that, it depends on the moment. Sometimes I like thought-provoking posts, sometimes I like clever pun-filled posts with surprise references to Hofstadter, Lehrer and Moxy Fr
I do like the random post thread, though, because, for me at least, it provides a place where we can just share whatever thought happens to cross our minds at the moment without having to dedicate a whole new, frivolous thread to it.
@Bry: I think you might get as many different answers as there are folks on the forums. :-)
Aesthetically, I feel like there needs to be some visible differentiation on the front page - like, different sections - for the JoCo-related and the Non-JoCo-Related. I enjoy both parts of the forum equally, but it´s just really hard to find your way around here.
I don't care for some of the time wasting games... the exception being movie quotes, although I think it would be better if we started discussing the movies mentioned as well.
Actually, Shruti's comment isn't really off-topic, it's just taking my question in a direction I wasn't really expecting to talk about. There are some technical limitations that might make it difficult for us to customize the forum in the precise way you describe. That said, how the forum should look, be organized, etc., is definitely a valuable topic to bring up at some point, just one I'd like to table for a future thread (or a current thread, if someone wants to start that discussion now).
For all the people who are saying that they like what they see already, how 'bout the second question in my list:
I've enjoyed most of the introductions in the "Introduce Yourself" topic. They're typically clever and friendly. Unfortunately, they often get lost in a pile of discussion about something they said or some hobby they had, etc.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading most all of the threads. I did not participate in the "battle of the sonnets" thread but learned a great deal and it forced me to go to wiki. Anything that peaks curiosity or broadens my understanding is a plus.
The humor-factor is always appreciated. I don't even mind the personal exchanges that can often feel voyeuristic as long as posts remain civil. Shruti and Bry had me on the floor with the emoticon exchange.
I am NOT a fan of personal attacks or the posts that should be taken into a private conversation.
To me the Forum is like a birthday party. You go into a house where there is a party going on and you'll find several different conversations taking place. Sure we're all here to celebrate the birthday boy, that's what drew us all together; so, we all cheer, clap and make appropriate whoopty noises in celebration when the time comes. But between those events it's fun to get to know each other better with our little time wasters.
What would make a new forum member stand out? I'm not sure what the aim is here. I'm not sure most new people want to stand out. Most would preffer to come in, say hi to everyone then find a nice conversation somwhere to join in on. So I guess, "contribute in a positive way" would be good. I guess what I mean by that is, in improv we talk about "Yes, and...", that is, you hear, acknowledge and add to the scene. In a lot of forums you get lots of "Yes" but no "and". One word replies or hahas and such. That happens here very little here for which I am greatful. New members can stand out in a good way by not bringing those bad habits in here.
On the off side, because we get so much "and..." here is the major reason our topics drift. I alway feel it is incumbent on the thread starter, if they still care about the thread, to keep things on topic. i.e. "so about my question..." So I guess another positive way to contribute is not to fear starting a new thread. "I liked the conversation going on over in X thread but I see it doesn't match the topic. So I'm starting a new topic over here"
I'll need think more on some of the other questions.
Rob: I love the "birthday party" analogy, and I'd also like to respond to this: Well, I don't mean "stand out" as in "attract attention", I mean "stand out" as in "be somewhat memorable or recognizable" -- not to get the nod and the tiny smile that doesn't come with teeth (speaking of birthday parties). When you see someone's forum name, without reading their post, do you know something about their personality, interests, etc.? Rob's right that if you're going into it with the goal of getting noticed, you're doing it wrong. But it's kinda discouraging, I know, to walk in to the party, introduce yourself, and have everyone say hi and then kinda ignore you. I should've made the question more clear, but I figured the less cut-and-dried I made it, the more open-ended the answers would be, and -- hey, it worked!
I've really enjoyed a lot of the discussion that's gone on. I'll respond to my own questions soon, I keep saying.
good description of it
What kind of posts do I like to see? Well, it's a bit of an ambiguous question (and it's meant to be). The way I see it, there are the posts that become my favorites ("exceptional posts"), and there are the posts that I like to see on a regular basis ("good posts").
To me, posts are exceptional when they:
- Give a new perspective on something, particularly something familiar to me. That's why I love the music-theory posts about JoCo songs.
- Similarly, find a connection, especially between apparently unrelated things.
- Contain or link to an exceptional creation.
- Express a desire to lead or conduct a collaborative project.
- Are exceptionally well-done good posts (v.i.).
Obviously, not every post can be brilliant -- I don't expect them to be, either. I regard posts as good when they:- Tell me something about their authors' interests, personality, etc.
- As a corollary to the above, express, and where possible explain, enthusiasm for a subject, particularly a JoCo subject.
- Are clever, witty, intelligent, funny, informative, etc.
- Go beyond mere fact-dump. A lot of times, fact-dump is an end to discussion (I'm guilty of this too). Go beyond answering the question and ask, how is this answer meaningful?
- Similarly, encourage discussion. That includes asking questions that require some kind of opinion (not just facts), as well as replying with your opinions.
- Post something creative that's JoCo-related.
- Are gracious. I'm not very good at this one, but -- y'know, when you're right, don't rub it in; when you're wrong, acknowledge it with thanks.
- Are, if anything, underconfident. I like people who think about what they say -- not that confident people can't be thoughtful, but people who aren't confident ought to, and often do, put more thought into their posts.
- Express some familiarity with what's going on in the thread. If you can't read the whole thread, at least figure out what the thread's about.
- Are self-policing. That's a selfish wish -- I don't like having to get on people's cases, and I'd really rather the forum take care of itself. If you see something someone does that doesn't seem to fit with the forum code of conduct, speak up! (Graciously, of course -- but speak up!)
So what does it take for me to notice you? Either a small number of exceptional posts or a consistent level of good posts will do. Or, just read the threads, read the threads and I will like you.I appreciated a LOT of the replies y'all gave. I'll work on my pithiness -- I don't want to kill threads because nobody reads my screeds. (Sidenote on English phonetics: Which two words rhyme: threads, reads, screeds?) As such, I'm not going to quote everyone I agree with, but I really liked Ben's remarks on fluidity of discussion and Spiff's expression of appreciation for gig threads, Introduce Yourself introductions, and "Hi, I'm new, and I have a question" posts.
I've axed large portions of this post; the original is at my blog. (I praise specific forum members and reply to Ben's fluidity point there.)
- Tell me something about their authors. I mean "something" like interests, personality, etc. Preferably something good, or at least neutral, of course -- I wouldn't think of a post as good if what it told me was that its author was an illiterate, antagonistic bigot (and that is not drawn from any incident that has occurred in this forum, Lord be praised). Like Spiff, I've been enjoying the Introduce Yourself posts, but it doesn't have to be an outright introduction.
- As a corollary to the above, express, and where possible explain, enthusiasm for a subject -- Spiff mentions the threads for JoCo gigs, which are great. I've also enjoyed the posts in the Favorite Songs thread -- even just hearing that someone really enjoys a song I don't listen to much makes me more interested in listening to it again. Doesn't have to be JoCo-related; those just happen to be some of my favorite examples.
- Are clever, witty, intelligent, funny, informative, etc.
- Go beyond mere fact-dump. I have a fervid appreciation for lists of facts, and I post them myself on a regular basis, but a lot of times, fact-dump is an end to discussion. Convenient example, no criticism meant of anyone who contributed: In the last few posts of this thread, there was some discussion of forum members' account numbers, etc. It's not a bad topic (although it isn't quite on topic for this thread), but it runs the risk of devolving into, "I'm number this! I'm number that!" I could see a more interesting discussion start up, using the same data, on things like, how fast has the forum grown? (It took about 4.5 months to get from 101 to 201 members; it took about 1.5 months to get from 601 to 701 members.) What spikes are there? How do we relate these statistics to something meaningful?
- Similarly, encourage discussion. That includes asking questions or starting threads where discussion takes place; it also includes replying when others have discussion topics, particularly replies that are open-ended enough to invite further responses.
- Post something creative that's JoCo-related. It doesn't have to be brilliant -- I will appreciate it even if it's just a straightforward cover of a song with nothing original about it.
- Are gracious. I'm not very good at this one, but -- y'know, when you're right, don't rub it in; when you're wrong, acknowledge it with thanks. (Not saying you have to -- just saying I like when you do.)
- Are, if anything, underconfident. I like people who think about what they say -- not that confident people can't be thoughtful, but people who aren't confident ought to, and often do, put more thought into their posts.
- Express some familiarity with what's going on in the thread. If you can't read the whole thread, at least figure out what the thread's about and who said what.
- Are self-policing. That's a selfish wish -- I don't like having to get on people's cases, and I'd really rather the forum take care of itself. If you see something someone does that doesn't seem to fit with the forum code of conduct, speak up! (Graciously, of course -- but speak up!)
So what does it take for me to notice you? Either a small number of exceptional posts or a consistent level of good posts will do. Or, just read the threads, read the threads and I will like you.One other thing: I really enjoyed, and largely agreed with, Ben's comment about "largely informative posts that stay on topic," particularly the part about the fluidity of discussions. One thing I've just recognized is that I regard posts within a thread more or less the same way I regard threads within the forum: the stated purpose of the forum is JoCo discussion, so threads on that subject are always encouraged, but off-topic threads are generally welcome as well. In the same way, whatever the stated purpose of a thread is, posts on that subject are always fine, but off-topic posts are generally okay too. (It's a fractal pattern!) I'm not real picky about on-topicness, as long as off-topic posts aren't drowning out people who want to stay on topic.
I know, tl;dr. But drat it, I care about the forum, and I'd like to see more of what I'd like to see.
* (they both tip over when you saw their legs off**)
** (if you quote this answer I'd appreciate credit)