I’ve been bopping around the SDMB for awhile, and have recently begun posting. I don’t think I’m easing into the conversations too well. I don’t mean here in MPSIMS, but places like General Questions and Great Debates. I’ve posted a few times to both these boards without causing so much as a ripple.
I’m not looking for a critique here, so much as general advice. How would you guys coah a newbie into the ways of active discussion & debate? Any particular pitfalls to avoid? Any good methods to follow?
I’ll just throw in one more caveat. I’m not trying to troll for newbie flaming either. I’ve been reading the Pit enough to know what is NOT appreciated in a poster - old or new. I’m less interested in “you shouldn’t”'s and more interested in “you should”'s. Hence, using MPSIMS. I didn’t know if this would qualify for a general question, but didn’t want it to fall into the pit either.
I await your wisdom, and hope one day for my own Wally Sig™
(Now, where was that thread?)
Inky my boy (gal?), just stick around and keep posting. It’s kinda like picking at scab. First you knock off the dried up crusty edges and before you know the whole damn thing just falls off. Soon you’ll more attention than you know what to do with. Of course, this will be at the cost of whatever sanity you may have, but what the hell. Sanity is overrated anyway.
The general rule is “Don’t be a jerk”… I haven’t been here that long but it seems to me that following that rule works really well.
And I’ve noticed some of your posts, InkBlot. Most posts around here don’t make a ripple, really. As long as you are contributing, you’ll eventually hit on something that people respond to. I’m still waiting for one of mine to “ripple”, myself.
Judging by your above post, you have nothing to worry about. You’re friendly, know the boards and are, most importantly, articulate. If you don’t seem to be getting anyone’s attention, that may be a good thing. Welcome aboard, and nice to meetcha!
Don’t worry, Inky. I’ve been here for a year, and still haven’t made a ripple. You don’t need to be poignant or witty-- leave that to the professionals. Just be polite, and try to back up your answers as much as you can. Check the archive before asking a question.
Ahhh, I remember fondly the board as it was a year ago when I first joined . . . I could read an entire day’s posts within an hour. Now, I don’t even read all of the new threads . . . just too damn many of them. I find myself picking the thread by it’s title, and miss out on a lot beacuse of it.
I remember when I posted my first question. I was extremely nervous, and took great care with the wording, thinking that I would be ripped to shreds by rabid intellectuals for splitting my verb phrase, or asking a stupid question. I was pleasantly surprised. Everyone seemed nice and accepting, and I think that today, even though there are more than 6000 of us, that that same attitude prevails. Yes, we still have an occasional troll infestation. (You can spray and spray, set out traps and set off a bomb but they just keep coming back and bringing their friends, and they multiply like rabbits sometimes.) It’s just an ongoing process of seperating the wheat from the chaff, and our moderators seem to be doing a wonderful job of it.
So, welcome, InkBlot. Just remember those few pointers, and everything should be fine. I hope you enjoy your stay.
You’ll notice Inkblot that although you registered before me, I’ve been wasting more time here than you have. I have received a fair few direct response, but this may well be as much due to quantity as much as anything else.
Early on, I posted a comment that the way to get a response was to be an arsehole. This is true, and it can be discouraging if you’re not one. If you are making serious posts (and I guess you are) it can take time before you realise that people are reading your posts. I know how you feel, it was only when someone mentioned my post that I really felt I existed on this board. You’ve got a few replies here, so you know you’ve been seen.
After a while, you’ll seem to be noticed more, but truth be known not much more. It’s not (I think) that no-one reads your post, just that not every good post is acknowledged by subsequent posters.
The “views” count is useful here, since it tells you that people have at least seen if not responded. In GQ, this may well mean that you have answered the question to everyone’s satisfaction.
Welcome aboard, and nice to meetcha!