What Makes a Good Post?

Occams Barber · Mar 26, 2022

Bradskii said:
And I hate it if I've spent quite some time on a post, digging up facts and figures, quoting experts, posting links, making what I think is a decent argument,...

...then realising the post I was arguing against was in a Christians Only Forum.

OB

Bradskii · Mar 26, 2022

mama2one said:
my "opinion" is never wrong

aren't most posts here people's opinions?

I think some people are confused by this. That a person has an opinion about something is undeniably true. That she thinks that her opinion is correct is undeniably true. Whether or not it is not true can often be determined independently. That is, whether she is factually right or wrong.

Moral Orel · Mar 26, 2022

jacks said:
A post that isn't too long. Brevity is the soul of wit.

tldr

Lost4words · Mar 26, 2022

Something without too many knots or cracks in it. Thats perfectly straight and has been treated!

Petros2015 · Mar 26, 2022

Occams Barber said:
What (apart from the topic) makes a post interesting?

On the plus side

If I feel like I'm listening to a human rather than an agenda
If the post appears to be made in decent spirit (paranoia, for the record, is not a decent spirit)
If I feel like I'm learning some facts, or at least some topics I should know facts about

As soon as I see ALL CAPS or a lot of BOLD or demonization of <target here>
Or especially if I see something like
"did you know that 100% of people agree that X is true"
Then I know that someone is trying to invite me onto their agenda log-flume-ride
The more manipulative they appear to be in doing it, the less I care to read further
Check please!

I like italics or a single cap if I want to emphasize Something.
IF I'M TALKING LIKE THIS THERE'S PROBABLY A NUKE INCOMING IN THE NEXT 20 MINUTES

I kind of enjoy some of the wackier theories or interpretations (for a while)
(I have or have had my own to be sure) but what is entertaining to think of (or even entertaining to think of someone else thinking of) for 10 minutes can become annoying (or frightening) after 10 paragraphs.

Vids 5 minutes or less are OK by me. If it's more than that, it had better be real interesting.
Maximum 1 vid per post, maybe 1 or 2 pics. I tend to like including Snip'd pics that make my point.

essentialsaltes · Mar 26, 2022

No video.

MehGuy · Mar 26, 2022

I value posts that contain original thoughts; posts that do not shy away from taking politically incorrect positions. As long as I can understand what a poster is conveying, I care little about their grammar. As someone who was born with an unspecified language disability my own grammar is atrocious, so I cannot fault others for their own.

Occams Barber · Mar 26, 2022

Lost4words said:
Something without too many knots or cracks in it. Thats perfectly straight and has been treated!

As a dog - you would have an ongoing 'relationship' with posts - yes?

OB

Occams Barber · Mar 26, 2022

essentialsaltes said:
No video.

Ahhh yes.

"In Video Veritas"

OB

Occams Barber · Mar 26, 2022

MehGuy said:
I value posts that contain original thoughts; posts that do not shy away from taking politically incorrect positions. As long as I can understand what a poster is conveying, I care little about their grammar. As someone who was born with an unspecified language disability my own grammar is atrocious, so I cannot fault others for their own.

The point I made earlier about grammar and spelling was actually a self referential poke at my own schoolmarmish tendencies.

I have a lot of respect for those who struggle with the language but are still willing to make a post. I have a particular respect for posters for whom English is a foreign language.

OB

Occams Barber · Mar 26, 2022

Petros2015 said:
On the plus side

If I feel like I'm listening to a human rather than an agenda
If the post appears to be made in decent spirit (paranoia, for the record, is not a decent spirit)
If I feel like I'm learning some facts, or at least some topics I should know facts about

As soon as I see ALL CAPS or a lot of BOLD or demonization of <target here>
Or especially if I see something like
"did you know that 100% of people agree that X is true"
Then I know that someone is trying to invite me onto their agenda log-flume-ride
The more manipulative they appear to be in doing it, the less I care to read further
Check please!

I like italics or a single cap if I want to emphasize Something.
IF I'M TALKING LIKE THIS THERE'S PROBABLY A NUKE INCOMING IN THE NEXT 20 MINUTES

I kind of enjoy some of the wackier theories or interpretations (for a while)
(I have or have had my own to be sure) but what is entertaining to think of (or even entertaining to think of someone else thinking of) for 10 minutes can become annoying (or frightening) after 10 paragraphs.

Vids 5 minutes or less are OK by me. If it's more than that, it had better be real interesting.
Maximum 1 vid per post, maybe 1 or 2 pics. I tend to like including Snip'd pics that make my point.

Thanks @Petros2015..

I think most of us are allergic to CAPITAL LETTERS since they come across as synonymous with shouting. My impression is that it was more prevalent a few years back in sermon type posts and that it's relatively rare these days.

I'm an italics fan. I use them with an indent to make it clear that I'm quoting from a source. I often wonder if others find italics annoying or hard to read.

I use Snipping a lot. Its particularly useful for graphs or tables where there is often no facility to 'Copy Image'.

OB

Astrid · Mar 27, 2022

Occams Barber said:
I have similar likes and dislikes particularly when it comes to researching a topic. I think we've both had the experience of checking out somebody's supporting link only to find it says the opposite of what they thought it did. I also get annoyed when someone produces some apparently incontrovertible contentious 'facts' without bothering to provide backup.

I also get irritated by bad spelling and crappy grammar. I recently joined Spelers Anominous in an attempt to cure my addiction to SpelCheking.

OB

Sloppy writing is a insult to the reader

jayem · Mar 27, 2022

Estrid said:
Sloppy writing is a insult to the reader

Very true. And not only that. Sloppy writing indicates sloppy thinking.

honey badger · Mar 27, 2022

Occams Barber said:
What Makes a Good Post?

What makes a good post? By that I mean what is it about a post which makes you want to read it?

I’m not talking here about topic. We all have preferred interests along with topics we avoid. I’m asking about things like writing style and appearance, words and layout, links and pictures - the look and feel and readability of a post. What (apart from the topic) makes a post interesting?

Are there also posting styles which tend to turn you off after the first few words or posts you automatically avoid based on appearance?

What makes a good post?

OB

(it’s probably unnecessary but I’ll say it anyway. This thread is not about criticising individual posters.)

one void of ones own reasoning ...

jacks · Mar 27, 2022

honey badger said:
one void of ones own reasoning ...

How about a post void of all reasoning?

honey badger · Mar 28, 2022

jacks said:
How about a post void of all reasoning?

Jesus did not believe thought ( our own reasoning based on an image outside of us (no matter what form this image appears in) adds anything to us.

Chesterton · Apr 2, 2022

essentialsaltes said:
No video.

I agree. I'm fine with people communicating thoughts with visual symbols like text, but when they communicate thoughts with auditory symbols like oral speech, oh my goodness that is THE WORST!

J_B_ · Apr 5, 2022

A clear, concise message (which implies brevity) seems to be a common theme, and that is indeed desirable. But does that limit the complexity of the topics that can be discussed?

J_B_ · Apr 5, 2022

Occams Barber said:
Christianity is notoriously black and white (and never wrong) in its opinions.

That is a common objection raised in this forum, but I would make several conjectures:
1. We all have positions we will not surrender
2. People (both Christians and unbelievers) are much more likely to admit their uncertainties, be persuaded to change their mind, etc. when they are among friends they trust and who understand them than among opponents who do not know them well
3. Given #2, there is a lot more discussion of gray areas within Christian circles than unbelievers seem to realize, and it seems odd they would expect Christians to lay themselves open to unbelievers. The converse could also be said.

Occams Barber · Apr 5, 2022

J_B_ said:
A clear, concise message (which implies brevity) seems to be a common theme, and that is indeed desirable. But does that limit the complexity of the topics that can be discussed?

Unfortunately yes.

The problem with a Public Forum like CF is that it needs to accommodate all levels of knowledge and understanding. The overall result is a tendency to move towards the lowest common denominator in terms of the complexity and length of posts.

This is not entirely a bad thing since it often forces posters to try and explain things in accessible language.

OB

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