The many questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread XXI

[hobbsyoyo]

Do long, well thought out posts have an impact generally?

I'm just wandering if my efforts would be better spent trying to keep my answers to big questions very short. It's hard to do on some complex issues, but I am not sure whether or not long posts are actually effective in getting points across.

I do try and keep things short as much as possible, but sometimes to fully cover an issue/topic/question, I can't keep my answer as short as most other posts. Is this a waste of time or effort?

Serious question

(yes, I realize the irony that this question could have been asked with just one sentence )

 

[Farm Boy]

Dunno. El Mac's posts are usually pretty short and effective. Mine get long, do either work?

 

[sophie]

Do long, well thought out posts have an impact generally?

I'm just wandering if my efforts would be better spent trying to keep my answers to big questions very short. It's hard to do on some complex issues, but I am not sure whether or not long posts are actually effective in getting points across.

I do try and keep things short as much as possible, but sometimes to fully cover an issue/topic/question, I can't keep my answer as short as most other posts. Is this a waste of time or effort?

Serious question

(yes, I realize the irony that this question could have been asked with just one sentence )

It's a combination of (your personal) motivation and determining if there is an audience out there who is legitimately interested in what you have to say. I won't give a long response to somebody like kochman because I know he's not going to read it anyway. I will give a long response to somebody who I think will actually respond or if it's a topic which comes up a lot and the OP seems legitimately interested in getting an answer.

Pick your battles, young padawan.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Dunno. El Mac's posts are usually pretty short and effective. Mine get long, do either work?

I like your posts when you're not nic-fitting snarky.

But it is hard to judge 'effectiveness' when most posters are reluctant to cede an argument, they usually just stop posting or continue disputing points that most objective observers would think they lost. (For the record, I'm very guilty of this - just look at the formal debat thread! )

But I guess what I'm really getting at is whether or not my posting style works, whether it convinces anyone (and not just whoever I'm debating) of anything or if it's mostly wasted digital ink.

It's a combination of (your personal) motivation and determining if there is an audience out there who is legitimately interested in what you have to say. I won't give a long response to somebody like kochman because I know he's not going to read it anyway, or pick out one line from the response and try to attack me there. I will give a long response to somebody who I think will actually respond or if it's a topic which comes up a lot and the OP seems legitimately interested in getting an answer.

Pick your battles, young padawan.

Funny, because I do try and do this and have gotten better at it, to the point that many of my interactions with Kochman involve him telling me to give him something of substance, which I feel is a waste of time. Some posters I've just stop addressing entirely.

But for average posters not involved directly in the debate (and presumably interested), do long posts help or should I trim them down to one-or-two-liners?

 

[Borachio]

Do long, well thought out posts have an impact generally?

I'm just wandering if my efforts would be better spent trying to keep my answers to big questions very short. It's hard to do on some complex issues, but I am not sure whether or not long posts are actually effective in getting points across.

I do try and keep things short as much as possible, but sometimes to fully cover an issue/topic/question, I can't keep my answer as short as most other posts. Is this a waste of time or effort?

Serious question

(yes, I realize the irony that this question could have been asked with just one sentence )

Erm. It's a good question. And I don't know the answer to it.

It depends, I suppose, on what your aim is in posting in the first place.

It's good though, I think, that you're reflecting on the quality of what you write.

 

[Farm Boy]

I like your posts when you're not nic-fitting snarky.

Well, not sure I have many better angels in my nature recently. I'm not doing well at controlling the baseline rage that's just always there. Sorry if it's coming off too strongly.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Well, not sure I have many better angels in my nature recently. I'm not doing well at controlling the baseline rage that's just always there. Sorry if it's coming off too strongly.

I was kidding! There was one post a few days back that I was like, man he's really nic-fitting. But that only goes to show how reasonable and well thought out you are the rest of the time.

But seriously, you're one of the best posters around brah. No worries.

Erm. It's a good question. And I don't know the answer to it.

It depends, I suppose, on what your aim is in posting in the first place.

It's good though, I think, that you're reflecting on the quality of what you write.

Thanks Borachio. I am interested in actually making a point that people want to read rather than just spamming out every random thought that comes into my brain.

 

[sophie]

Funny, because I do try and do this and have gotten better at it, to the point that many of my interactions with Kochman involve him telling me to give him something of substance, which I feel is a waste of time. Some posters I've just stop addressing entirely.

Again, depends on whether or not you genuinely think it'll do any good. Either from a personal standpoint (you might take pleasure out of making the post), from a one-on-one standpoint (the other guy might be genuinely curious), or from a third-party standpoint (you see a troubling amount of misinformation on the thread and want to set the record straight for lurkers or anybody who may happen upon the thread). If none of those apply, there's not much point in taking the time to make a longer post. It's all down to personal judgment, really..

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Good point Owen. I will rethink my strategies.

 

[madviking]

It's a combination of (your personal) motivation and determining if there is an audience out there who is legitimately interested in what you have to say. I won't give a long response to somebody like kochman because I know he's not going to read it anyway. I will give a long response to somebody who I think will actually respond or if it's a topic which comes up a lot and the OP seems legitimately interested in getting an answer.

Pick your battles, young padawan.

Again, depends on whether or not you genuinely think it'll do any good. Either from a personal standpoint (you might take pleasure out of making the post), from a one-on-one standpoint (the other guy might be genuinely curious), or from a third-party standpoint (you see a troubling amount of misinformation on the thread and want to set the record straight for lurkers or anybody who may happen upon the thread). If none of those apply, there's not much point in taking the time to make a longer post. It's all down to personal judgment, really..

Yes.

 

[sophie]

Yes.

this is why I love you.

 

[Borachio]

Wut? He said no 2 minutes ago.

 

[madviking]

this is why I love you.

<3 u 2

 

[hobbsyoyo]

the point that many of my interactions with Kochman involve him telling me to give him something of substance, which I feel is a waste of time

Called it.

 

[The_J]

I guess anyone here has a Paypal account, yeah?
Does anyone remember how long it takes til your the transactions to verify the bank account have been done?
Because I'm wondering if I should now open an account, or after I've moved. I only have 1.5 weeks here now, but I guess it doesn't take that long, right?

 

[Synobun]

Do long, well thought out posts have an impact generally?

I'm just wandering if my efforts would be better spent trying to keep my answers to big questions very short. It's hard to do on some complex issues, but I am not sure whether or not long posts are actually effective in getting points across.

I do try and keep things short as much as possible, but sometimes to fully cover an issue/topic/question, I can't keep my answer as short as most other posts. Is this a waste of time or effort?

Serious question

(yes, I realize the irony that this question could have been asked with just one sentence )

In my experience my long posts usually never get responded to unless someone really wants to prove me wrong.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

Especially the reminder for a gift is good, I would absolutely not have thought of that.

Wow. That's actually a uniquely awesome attitude! My initial thought was you seriously need to read the handbook on manners. But on reflection I realize it's nothing to do with being rude and everything to do with being, well, uniquely awesome.

 

[The_J]

No, I'd rather say being ignorant and just not interested in the people around me. But now after you've said it, I have to say I prefer your interpretation ^^.

 

[Camikaze]

I actually would agree that a gift isn't necessarily necessary. My family was invited to a wedding in the UK last year, but it was simply an obligatory invitation; there was no expectation that we would go, it was just an acknowledgment that we would've been invited if we lived closer. We sent a card, but we didn't give a gift. We weren't there, after all, and haven't seen them since (because they live on the other side of the world), so there was no expectation that we'd look up the registry and either buy something off the list or mail something over. But I guess in the situation where it's just an overseas wedding for someone who does live locally, and who you would otherwise have bought a wedding gift for, you don't get out of it because you're not attending the ceremony.

 

[The_J]

Damn ^^. Thinking about presents is also always a problem.
Good that I can postpone that for...I guess at least 2 months .