Apologies if this is addressed somewhere or needs to be moved.
There is a lot of activity on the boards these days with intense, hastily posted comments flying around. Some clarity would be helpful to me and maybe to others as well.
What is NOT helpful is:
*Posting a YouTube link without a comment or any information about what the point is. Some of us can’t follow YouTube links for various reasons, due to our devices or circumstances. So when you post one, can you at least say, “Here’s <whoever> doing <whatever>,” or something about what the link shows and what point you want to make.
*The same goes for posting links to stories. By all means, do it, bearing in mind that some publications are behind paywalls or have a limit on how many free articles you can access in a given period of time. A short quote from the article would be a big plus, and again, a clue about your point. In fact, don’t assume everyone will immediately get your point. If you’re a regular here, you know that *someone *will a) grossly misunderstand and/or b) take offense, pretty much no matter what you say, so at least strive to make it clear what you mean in the first place.
*Replying specifically to someone and assuming it will be clear to whom. It might not be. While you’re composing your reply, one or more posts can intervene and your reply just hangs there in space. Can you either quote all or part of the post you are replying to (using quote box and shortening the post with ellipses, if necessary) or using “@<posterName”?
I think this is the smartest, most articulate message board on the interwebs with the most literate, well-informed, wittiest members (with a few notable exceptions, and we all know who they are). I want to understand what you’re trying to tell me. I value the opinions expressed here and the information shared…hell, more than by most of the people I know IRL.
And, yeah, some messages are a bit light on context. I’ve seen a lot of threads that get into a kind of short-hand, where you can’t tell what someone’s position actually is.
The quote serves to give the reader an idea of what the article was about. Whether or not the author is authoritative is a question that can be discussed in the Great Debates thread started by ThelmaLou.
