What kinds of posts do you like to see?

BryBry
edited June 2008 in Forum News and Issues
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.

Comments

  • I like posts that are clever, funny, and/or informative. I also like hearing from people I consider my friends, but I'm always open to making more friends.
  • edited June 2008
    If anyone was going to make this, it was going to be you Bry :P.

    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.
  • edited June 2008
    Hmm... Something that characterises someone in a positive way, and contributes to the value of the forum... I mean, on this forum I love it that everyone's working on JoCo-related things, covers, tabs, video clips... It's fantastic to see all this effort being put into something that brings people together already, I really think it makes people who do something worthwhile stand out and be appreciated for their work.

    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.
  • If anyone was going to make this, it was going to be you Bry :P.
    Well, naturally the person saddled with a responsibility to maintain and nurture the forum's interests would have some curiosity about what, exactly, the forum wants maintained and nurtured. *shrug* :)
  • Well i think that most posts as they are are good but I would say that I like most the more informative posts that stay on topic. (When I say on topic though I don't mean it in the sense that it follows what it was created to follow. The title of a discussion may have nothing to do with the topic. Discussions are fluid and the topic follows that changing and evolving as the subject does.) I like posts that I can follow and understand and follow with the exception of it being a complex subject that other people are knowledgeable on (like music theory) that just go over my head and I am happy to let them do that. I will say though I do also enjoy the odd slightly more random post and the comedy is great, I am not restricted in liking to serious things. I do tend to think that something like the RANDOM something thread doesn't seem good as a discussion needs some coherence to be readable and enjoyable, random to me means that there will be no link between posts and there is no flow so like a list of quotes. In all a good discussion needs a bit of everything to be interesting and informative. Those are good qualities.
    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.
  • edited June 2008
    I like the posts for each of JoCo's shows. I think it gives each show a place to giggle in anticipation or gush over a great experience, which I think is nice. I also like posts about JoCo-related things people have done, like the covers, and the guitar lessons, and the code monkey travel project, and such. Also, posts about things of general interest to people like us (high-functioning geeks) are good.

    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 apologise Spiff.
  • edited June 2008
    I love pretty much everything happening here. The only thing that occasionally gets me is when I get behind on following the forum, and I'm not sure what can be safely skipped, since e.g. the Concert in City X thread contains great sidenotes to something happening in another thread. Maybe we should try and cultivate the discipline of siphoning things off from threads where the title and the subject start diverging too much. I know, I'm a terrible sinner there too ;-) Some threads just have great mop-up potential though: I love the Random Post thread, because it is not really all that random, and it's pretty vibrant. Similarly, the Introduce Yourself thread has had great moments in its history that have not necessarily involved an introduction, but that's cool since most of us will want to read that thread anyway.

    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.
  • edited June 2008
    @Jon, I don't recall referring to you in my post. Relax, buddy. :)
  • I like posts that I can follow and understand and follow with the exception of it being a complex subject that other people are knowledgeable on (like music theory) that just go over my head and I am happy to let them do that.
    I like posts that make me feel better about knowing so little about music theory.

    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
  • This probably won't surprise anyone, but I prefer discussion. (This is not to say that I don't appreciate one-liners.) Also, I like that this forum goes beyond JoCo-related stuff, because - let's face it - once you've been on the forums for a while, how much more can you discuss about the man? :-) (Yes, new shows, new projects, I know.) And yes, some of the topics discussed make my eyes glaze over (computers, gaming systems), but it's great that this is a place where like-minded folks can dicuss subjects of interest to them.

    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. :-)
  • Or at least folks who post on the forums. I looked back at the earlier pages and there are so many people who just aren't here anymore. And c4bl3fl4m3...
  • Let´s talk about threads. And how they need to be more specific, yes, with the subject matter actually contained within the title. And how discussion should stay on topic, whatever that topic be.

    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 think i prefer short posts that can be analyzed from several different prospectives
  • I like most of what is on the site, honestly. I like the discussions we have, both on topic and off.

    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.
  • And how discussion should stay on topic, whatever that topic be.

    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.
    Ah, irony. ;)

    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:
    What kinds of posts would make a new forum member stand out to you in a good way?
  • edited June 2008
    Ah, irony. ;)
    Yeah, shut up. I thought really hard about not including the last part due to said offtopicness, but decided it was relevant enough. That said, I´m fine with tabling that for now, so to speak. My main point was organization, and I´m sticking with it!
    What kinds of posts would make a new forum member stand out to you in a good way?
    Well, new members who actually say things that allow me to know more about them would make me stand out. Not necessarily personal details, just thoughts or whatever. Also, ones who are clever, because I´m a sucker for cleverness.
  • What kinds of posts would make a new forum member stand out to you in a good way?
    I always like the "hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and have XYZ question" kind of post because it gives some context and is smooth transition into a group of people who are all very willing to help new people. I also like the "Woo! JC is coming to my town next month!" posts, because it gives a good starting point for a conversation with the new person.

    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.
  • 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.
    The political thread is only interesting to some and I get that - however, I am very interested in what our friends in ALL parts of the world have to say about the U.S.'s presidential election. This may sound ethnocentric or narcissistic but given how far reaching U.S. policies are, I would love to hear from everyone regarding our most recent presumptive Democratic nominee.

    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.
  • I've been thinking on how to answer this but I think it's easiest to say I've not seen a thread here yet that I think I don't like. There are several that I don't follow but there are none that I can say, that doesn't belong here.
    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.
  • To me the Forum is like a birthday party.
    Except there is no cake.
  • You didn't get cake? Sorry. It was all chocolatey and stuff. You probably wouln't have liked it anyway.
  • I like the birthday party analogy. I thought there'd be cake too, but of course, the cake was a lie.
  • I'd quite like a post that told us who's been on the forums longest and still posts.
  • awryone is #17. The only lower numbers that I recognize are Jonathan Coulton (#1) and Len Peralta (#12), but I don't see either of them posting very often any more.
  • out of curiosity Jon, why?
  • Curious is all.
  • how to see those numbers then?
  • Well it would appear as we created our accounts we were given a sequential number in the database as an unique key. In the web address of your user page (eg for Jon Who his is http://www.jonathancoulton.com/forums/account.php?u=310) it can be found as the number after the u so Jon was the 310th user to sign up. It would appear by using last active dates that Awyrone is about number 4 of active users. Excluding JoCo, it would be #10 Skullcrusher who gets the crown for oldest still active user.
  • so i am coulton fan number 541 according to that
  • (Yanks hard at steering wheel -- how'd we get on this subject?)

    Rob: I love the "birthday party" analogy, and I'd also like to respond to this:
    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.
    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.
  • (Yanks hard at steering wheel -- how'd we get on this subject?)
    I said I'd like to see a post that told us who the oldest active forum member was.
  • BryBry
    edited June 2008
    [I'm aware, yes. I didn't want to call you out, since it always seems to bother you when you realize you've derailed a thread... ;) Not that your request was off-topic -- it did respond to the last of my questions above. It kinda kick-started a digression, though.]
  • {Doesn't bother me that much. Just concerned when it bothers you, which is why I express concern at derailment.}
  • /* Oh, I don't mind a derailment so much unless the original subject was interesting to me. ;) */
  • I've described Twitter as resembling a cocktail party, with many simultaneous half-overheard conversations. Conversation here is much more coherent.
  • chaotic=good-a companion cube

    good description of it
  • BryBry
    edited June 2008
    Finally, my answer:

    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.)
  • Obviously, not every post can be brilliant -- I don't expect them to be, either. There are posts I like to see that aren't particularly brilliant, just good. And posts are good when they:
    • 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)
  • Double-posting to say that on reflection, I've shortened my answer (mostly by removing examples and commentary) so that someone will actually read it... ;) The original, if you care, is at my blog.
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