Discussion?

[Taka Nuvia]

_{Okay, now, somehow I get the feeling that I always post the same topics over and over again, but here we go xD}Warning, mini-rant ahead. For everyone who goes tl;dr, there are some questions at the bottom of the post ;)Let's start with a quote:

I remember GD being a place where you could come and, well, discuss something. (And raise your post count, but that doesn't matter that much to me.)

Those were the times. Lots of topics, where there's something new every second day. Now, when I come to GD, I get mostly "You already posted here". And sadly it's "Post-it-here", which means there's hardly anything to discuss. All I could do is repeat myself, and that's rather boring.But maybe it's not the type of topic that is the problem. Maybe it is us. I am sure that even if we stick to what is the description of this subforum

Here's where you can talk about BZPower itself, and other related things that don't fit elsewhere.

there would be more than enough to discuss. However, if everyone just drops into the topic, gives their opinion and leaves again, it's not really a discussion.I know that this is a generalisation, and these are bad, and some 'Masters of GD' are still around.What I'm trying to get across is that while there are still some topics where a discussion established, they are a minority. And that's bothering me, because if there are just few discussion topics, the chance that I will have something interesting to say as well or am intrigued enough to engage in discussion are rather low.If a forum has "Discussion" in the title, I expect discussion. Not "Post it here", although these topics have a right to exist as well. I don't hate them, I just think that there's no balance between the two types of topics at the moment.... just my observations and thoughts. Now, onto the promised questions:

• [*]Do you feel that the amount of discussionworthy topics has decreased?[*]If/if not, how do you feel about it?[*]Do you try to engage in discussion?

_{... if this gets polled, I will feel very, very bad xD}

[Taipu1]

I think this has been on a lot of peoples minds, and it's not the first time it's come up either. I see less discussion than I used to, but I actually take part in more I think, because the forums tell you everytime someone quotes your post, so I know when someones responding to me. Otherwise I assume the post is just left there. I guess the discussion reservoir is kind of drying up, and there's only so many times you can go over the same stuff...

Edited April 7, 2012 by Taipu1

[Peach 00]

I do believe discussion has decreased. And indeed, I do try to engage in discussion, and if I try to take a step forward towards a discussion that could become heated or could be challenged by somebody else, my post gets shot down. But I see where you're going there's nothing really to discuss because of the lack of actual 'discussion' topics.

[Taka Nuvia]

I do believe discussion has decreased. And indeed, I do try to engage in discussion, and if I try to take a step forward towards a discussion that could become heated or could be challenged by somebody else, my post gets shot down. But I see where you're going there's nothing really to discuss because of the lack of actual 'discussion' topics.

What exactly do you mean by your post getting 'shot down'? Ignored or actually deleted/edited? O.o

I think this has been on a lot of peoples minds, and it's not the first time it's come up either. I see less discussion than I used to, but I actually take part in more I think, because the forums tell you everytime someone quotes your post, so I know when someones responding to me. Otherwise I assume the post is just left there. I guess the discussion reservoir is kind of drying up, and there's only so many times you can go over the same stuff...

I am quite sure I posted a similar topic shortly after when BZPower came back...True, the notification system helps. I don't have to check the topic every few minutes. ^^It's quite annoying sometimes, though, that there apparently is nothing new to discuss...

[Gatanui]

I´m not sure it has ever decreased, maybe it has always been as low. I think the main problem is that it´s hard to find a topic you can have a decent discussion about. However, my Discussion: The Future of BZPower topic a few months back should have proven that it is indeed possible to have a thorough discussion when there is a topic for it even today. I think that´s the main thing, knowing that at least the ability is there. ;)As I am notified about replies to my posts, I always try to react to them, so yes, I do try to engage in discussion.-Gata

Edited April 7, 2012 by Gatanui

[Sumiki]

The amount of discussion-worthy topics has stayed roughly the same. There are the occasional topics discussing (or attempting to stir up interest in discussing) discussion, as well as the topics such as Gatanui's The Future of BZPower. I haven't noticed a particular increase or decrease in the amount of truly discussion-worthy topics in GD ever since I've been a member. The amount of topics may wax and wane, but the amount of discussion-worthy topics is always rather low. Like Gata said, I too am just glad that the ability to have discussion in a forum that is ostensibly dedicated to that.I'm not much of a topic poster, unless it is a poll or to showcase a creative endeavor of mine, and to be honest this is partly because I cannot think of a discussion-worthy and interesting topic to post here. All of the good ideas have been seemingly taken. That said, the forum tells me that I have read every active post in GD, so I've been trying to keep that up - and I especially keep an eye on topics that are asking about discussion and/or have the chance to stir some up. Whenever I can discuss or even debate in those topics, I jump at the chance.

Edited April 7, 2012 by Sumiki

[Peach 00]

I do believe discussion has decreased. And indeed, I do try to engage in discussion, and if I try to take a step forward towards a discussion that could become heated or could be challenged by somebody else, my post gets shot down. But I see where you're going there's nothing really to discuss because of the lack of actual 'discussion' topics.

What exactly do you mean by your post getting 'shot down'? Ignored or actually deleted/edited? O.o

Just being ignored, I remember I made a huge post (at least five paragraphs) about talking about how BIONICLE probably wouldn't come back, and nobody even quoted it or replied to it. Quite annoying actually. =/

[Kaleidoscope Tekulo]

I try to engage in discussion here and there. I've even started a few topics in S&T, and I'm glad to see discussion happening, if only a few points are covered.Though, I haven't been so active on BZP, so I can't say I've noticed an increase or decrease in discussion, though I have noticed post-it-here topics where members only stop by once. Though, I've also seen topics such as Writing Advice where discussion is pretty active. Unless of course, you're only talking about General Discussion in which case I'm seldom active in. XP Though, I do post around to topics I find interesting and I place my two-bits.

Edited April 7, 2012 by Tekulo: Toa of Gales

[Gatanui]

The amount of discussion-worthy topics has stayed roughly the same. There are the occasional topics discussing (or attempting to stir up interest in discussing) discussion, as well as the topics such as Gatanui's The Future of BZPower. I haven't noticed a particular increase or decrease in the amount of truly discussion-worthy topics in GD ever since I've been a member. The amount of topics may wax and wane, but the amount of discussion-worthy topics is always rather low. Like Gata said, I too am just glad that the ability to have discussion in a forum that is ostensibly dedicated to that.I'm not much of a topic poster, unless it is a poll or to showcase a creative endeavor of mine, and to be honest this is partly because I cannot think of a discussion-worthy and interesting topic to post here. All of the good ideas have been seemingly taken. That said, the forum tells me that I have read every active post in GD, so I've been trying to keep that up - and I especially keep an eye on topics that are asking about discussion and/or have the chance to stir some up. Whenever I can discuss or even debate in those topics, I jump at the chance.

The second paragraph could be me.

I do believe discussion has decreased. And indeed, I do try to engage in discussion, and if I try to take a step forward towards a discussion that could become heated or could be challenged by somebody else, my post gets shot down. But I see where you're going there's nothing really to discuss because of the lack of actual 'discussion' topics.

What exactly do you mean by your post getting 'shot down'? Ignored or actually deleted/edited? O.o

Just being ignored, I remember I made a huge post (at least five paragraphs) about talking about how BIONICLE probably wouldn't come back, and nobody even quoted it or replied to it. Quite annoying actually. =/

That´s the problem with long posts. Unless you have the sincere intention to contribute to the discussion and to take the time to read through all posts, you are likely to skip long posts.-Gata Edited April 7, 2012 by Gatanui

[Sumiki]

Just being ignored, I remember I made a huge post (at least five paragraphs) about talking about how BIONICLE probably wouldn't come back, and nobody even quoted it or replied to it. Quite annoying actually. =/

I'm pretty sure that this is a symptom of post-it-here syndrome. People are so used to going into a topic, reading the first post (if that) and writing up a quick post that all insightful or potentially discussion-triggering posts are lost, their significance diluted under the mass of smaller posts.

[Taka Nuvia]

Just being ignored, I remember I made a huge post (at least five paragraphs) about talking about how BIONICLE probably wouldn't come back, and nobody even quoted it or replied to it. Quite annoying actually. =/

I'm pretty sure that this is a symptom of post-it-here syndrome. People are so used to going into a topic, reading the first post (if that) and writing up a quick post that all insightful or potentially discussion-triggering posts are lost, their significance diluted under the mass of smaller posts.

Agreed. But that's really annoying...

I try to engage in discussion here and there. I've even started a few topics in S&T, and I'm glad to see discussion happening, if only a few points are covered.Though, I haven't been so active on BZP, so I can't say I've noticed an increase or decrease in discussion, though I have noticed post-it-here topics where members only stop by once. Though, I've also seen topics such as Writing Advice where discussion is pretty active. Unless of course, you're only talking about General Discussion in which case I'm seldom active in. XP Though, I do post around to topics I find interesting and I place my two-bits.

I was mainly complaining about GD, yep. But it's good to hear that discussion still happens. ^^

[Gatanui]

Just being ignored, I remember I made a huge post (at least five paragraphs) about talking about how BIONICLE probably wouldn't come back, and nobody even quoted it or replied to it. Quite annoying actually. =/

I'm pretty sure that this is a symptom of post-it-here syndrome. People are so used to going into a topic, reading the first post (if that) and writing up a quick post that all insightful or potentially discussion-triggering posts are lost, their significance diluted under the mass of smaller posts.

It all depends on the topic. I´ve seen bones and Aanchir debating with posts so long that I eventually gave up on reading them, as by the time I would have finished there likely were new replies already. :PWell, it looks like we´ve started an actual discussion here, so good job, Taka. -Gata Edited April 7, 2012 by Gatanui

[Taka Nuvia]

Just being ignored, I remember I made a huge post (at least five paragraphs) about talking about how BIONICLE probably wouldn't come back, and nobody even quoted it or replied to it. Quite annoying actually. =/

I'm pretty sure that this is a symptom of post-it-here syndrome. People are so used to going into a topic, reading the first post (if that) and writing up a quick post that all insightful or potentially discussion-triggering posts are lost, their significance diluted under the mass of smaller posts.

It all depends on the topic. I´ve seen bones and Aanchir debating with posts so long that I eventually gave up on reading them, as by the time I would have finished there likely were new replies already. :PWell, it looks like we´ve started an actual discussion here, so good job, Taka. -Gata

Yep, and those discussions make it really hard for others to join...(but yay me xD)

[fishers64]

I do believe discussion has decreased. And indeed, I do try to engage in discussion, and if I try to take a step forward towards a discussion that could become heated or could be challenged by somebody else, my post gets shot down. But I see where you're going there's nothing really to discuss because of the lack of actual 'discussion' topics.

What exactly do you mean by your post getting 'shot down'? Ignored or actually deleted/edited? O.o

Just being ignored, I remember I made a huge post (at least five paragraphs) about talking about how BIONICLE probably wouldn't come back, and nobody even quoted it or replied to it. Quite annoying actually. =/

Silence implies agreement. Or at least, "I don't disagree enough to respond. "Anyway, yes, I try to engage in discussion - I follow quoted posts and topics I have an interest in. I also make some topics in here to try to get that going, but they all meet the post-that-opinion-and-leave fate. I guess I could try to post within those topics to try to spur something. General Disscussion is indeed possible. Mostly, however, since we are talking about BZP in here, they tend to fall on Topics that have been rehashed time and again, because BZP as a website entity doesn't change very much any more. Nobody wants to rehash that thing again, so we just use the forum as a shameless post-count boosting machine. When things do change on BZP, this forum does come back to life - I remember that the day that the banner was fixed and the staff name change fads sparked some discussion. Granted, most of the latter discussion was rather silly, but it was discussion. I think a lot of what this forum does is express opinions of the members of BZP on BZP, and those opinions only become valued by others to the point of disscussion when there is some possibility of or actual change.

[bonesiii]

Same answer as the various other "Has X decreased?" topics -- everything has decreased. :)It doesn't really seem to be decreasing, though. I think we just went through turnover as we always do, but it was helped along by being offline for so long. Many of those who are active now seem to be a "new generation", who so far have stayed about constant in activity. If anything it's been growing, very slowly, since we came back. ^_^And like others said, there were rarely true discussion topics in GD anyways. Also, half of what GD used to be is now in LD, so don't forget to factor that. :)Edit: Peach 00, I loled at the idea that five paragraphs is a huge post. That's a short post for me. But there is a definite science or art to designing your posts to be more likely to replied to. Experience helps with that, so don't worry about it too much. And fishers is definitely right about silence often implying agreement. My main advice is that you have to know how to be positive, and observe the ideas, especially the bolder ones, that don't seem to be occurring to others. That is a mix that to me seems to usually guarantee replies.Also, simply believe that you are a part of the conversation. If you have the attitude that "nobody's going to reply to me, and if I'm right about that I'll be annoyed" it can turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy, because it affects how you word things in subtle ways that other people can subconsciously pick up on and actually desire less to reply to you. It can make you seem desperate for attention, which ironically makes people not want to give it. But if you simply act like you're a natural part of the conversation people easily reply to you. Be calm about it, even cheerful, and most of all be totally accepting of the idea that you might not get replied to. Understand that people are reading your posts, or at least skimming, so you are affecting them even if they don't directly acknowledge it.

Edited April 7, 2012 by bonesiii

[Toa Smoke Monster]

1. No, not really. I, personally, haven't seen a large amount of discussion in this forum in a long while. Sure, there are some here and there, but I haven't really a lot of it lately.2 and 3. I do think that actual discussions in this forum are a good thing. (This is the General Discussion Forum, after all. ) Honestly, though, I never really engage in them unless I have something to add to the conversation and/or it is something I really care about addressing. Depending on the subject of the particular conversation, however, I may still read through them, just to see what the members involved are talking about.

[Peach 00]

Same answer as the various other "Has X decreased?" topics -- everything has decreased. :)It doesn't really seem to be decreasing, though. I think we just went through turnover as we always do, but it was helped along by being offline for so long. Many of those who are active now seem to be a "new generation", who so far have stayed about constant in activity. If anything it's been growing, very slowly, since we came back. ^_^And like others said, there were rarely true discussion topics in GD anyways. Also, half of what GD used to be is now in LD, so don't forget to factor that. :)Edit: Peach 00, I loled at the idea that five paragraphs is a huge post. That's a short post for me. But there is a definite science or art to designing your posts to be more likely to replied to. Experience helps with that, so don't worry about it too much. And fishers is definitely right about silence often implying agreement. My main advice is that you have to know how to be positive, and observe the ideas, especially the bolder ones, that don't seem to be occurring to others. That is a mix that to me seems to usually guarantee replies.Also, simply believe that you are a part of the conversation. If you have the attitude that "nobody's going to reply to me, and if I'm right about that I'll be annoyed" it can turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy, because it affects how you word things in subtle ways that other people can subconsciously pick up on and actually desire less to reply to you. It can make you seem desperate for attention, which ironically makes people not want to give it. But if you simply act like you're a natural part of the conversation people easily reply to you. Be calm about it, even cheerful, and most of all be totally accepting of the idea that you might not get replied to. Understand that people are reading your posts, or at least skimming, so you are affecting them even if they don't directly acknowledge it.

Heh, indeed, in comparison to your posts at times that is a rather miniscule post. I do agree, though, she is right that silence implies agreement. And thank you for the advice, I'll remember that. :)But it is the truth, BZP has not just decreased in somewhat controversial discussion (if that is possibly the right word), but also topic choice. It's obvious that we'll have the same topics over and over every once and awhile, which is purely unavoidable as the site has been here for 11 years, but perhaps we need to explore other discussion besides the same 'post-it-here' topics. One thing that has changed is preference, too - by that I mean preference in topics to post in. People sometimes care to just post in the 'post-it-here' topics for free posts, not the topics that could spark a heated yet friendly debate among members where the staff does not have to step in.

[fishers64]

But it is the truth, BZP has not just decreased in somewhat controversial discussion (if that is possibly the right word), but also topic choice. It's obvious that we'll have the same topics over and over every once and awhile, which is purely unavoidable as the site has been here for 11 years, but perhaps we need to explore other discussion besides the same 'post-it-here' topics. One thing that has changed is preference, too - by that I mean preference in topics to post in. People sometimes care to just post in the 'post-it-here' topics for free posts, not the topics that could spark a heated yet friendly debate among members where the staff does not have to step in.

It is indeed inevitable that members are more likely to post in a topic if the posting thereof does not require as much mental resources as something else. Oftentimes I think people fail to realize that posting cheese in post-it-heres does not make them look better or more noticeable (unless it is something particularly witty). Turning numbers on that little wheel under your name just for the sake of doing so (Yay, I got 5000, someone will notice me now!) doesn't really work. (Sadly, I don't pay much attention to other member's numbers, only my own on occasion, so I have a biased view on this) Everyone wants to be acknowledged, right? That's why people post here - to voice their views and have them heard. Topics that ask for member's opinions provide an opportunity for that, but then everyone rushes to post their own opinion without considering the opinions of others. It's human nature.Has that increased with the recent events? Yes, there is less to discuss, because nothing is happening. People get bored and hit the post-it-heres because they have nothing better to do. Thus more posts in said topics. I think it is not as much of members preferring that type of topic as much as there is less of an alternative.

[Hahli Husky]

IMO what I've noticed is that people are less likely to respond to someone's post. They just want to post their own experience or opinion and then move on, which kind of sets the theme for the whole topic. I have to admit that I've been doing this too (like I'm actually doing right now, haha.)

[Protodite Karzahni]

Well, I think one reason is the decline in active members since the BZPocalypse. Obviously, some people had decided it wasn't worth coming back. Not that I blame them. But I'm one of those people guilty of this "post-it-here" stuff. The reason being is that I'm rarely good at discussing. I can state my point and be done with it, but the moment I start engaging in a full discussion over it, I lose confidence and whatever I said before starts to lose all meaning. That's usually why I don't respond to another person, because it'll end with me just giving up whatever I had responded with in the first place and the whole thing ending rather awkwardly. Not to mention I never really plan out my words, leaving my points riddled with holes easy to pick at and pull apart. I'm just not overly good at discussion, pretty much.

[Kakaru]

Well, I think one reason is the decline in active members since the BZPocalypse. Obviously, some people had decided it wasn't worth coming back.

This statement has been used in nearly every topic in GD since the forums came back. It's sad but true: Discussing any decline in activity is ultimately meaningless because BZPower will never be as active as it once was.To be honest, if there's any decline in the amount of activity here, it's actually in post-it-here topics. I remember years ago when the forum was flooded in them. Unfortunately, as everyone else has already stated, topics well-meaning to spark discussion degrade into one-post-and-leave scenarios because of the prevalent attitude in this forum handed down through the years.For me, I don't actively participate in discussion unless I'm really intrigued or have a strong opinion about the subject (and to this I am also guilty of one-upping my post count using this forum). For the most part too, when I read through all the discussion, I note that many others have already stated my own opinion several times over, leaving any discussion to simply "I agree." It just seems like a waste of time.Oh oh quick note: I don't check back on topics unless someone quotes me. I understand that silence often means agreement, but if someone disagrees with me they've got to quote it so I'm aware. There's no point in coming back and reading topics that, by silence, mean everyone casually agrees with you.Also, I could think of any number of intelligent replies to any post in this topic, but I generally don't feel ilke getting worked up about it. Chronic apathy, meh.I don't know why I typed this Edited April 8, 2012 by Kakaru

[Rarity]

1: Yes.2: Disappointed.3: Sometimes, but there isn't much to discuss here.

[Bambi]

Do you feel that the amount of discussionworthy topics has decreased?Yes.If/if not, how do you feel about it?Somewhat upset.Do you try to engage in discussion?Not that much.

[Taka Nuvia]

Silence implies agreement. Or at least, "I don't disagree enough to respond. "Anyway, yes, I try to engage in discussion - I follow quoted posts and topics I have an interest in. I also make some topics in here to try to get that going, but they all meet the post-that-opinion-and-leave fate. I guess I could try to post within those topics to try to spur something.[...]When things do change on BZP, this forum does come back to life - I remember that the day that the banner was fixed and the staff name change fads sparked some discussion. Granted, most of the latter discussion was rather silly, but it was discussion. I think a lot of what this forum does is express opinions of the members of BZP on BZP, and those opinions only become valued by others to the point of disscussion when there is some possibility of or actual change.

But how can we tell whether it's the first or second case? :/

[...]Also, simply believe that you are a part of the conversation. If you have the attitude that "nobody's going to reply to me, and if I'm right about that I'll be annoyed" it can turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy, because it affects how you word things in subtle ways that other people can subconsciously pick up on and actually desire less to reply to you. It can make you seem desperate for attention, which ironically makes people not want to give it. But if you simply act like you're a natural part of the conversation people easily reply to you. Be calm about it, even cheerful, and most of all be totally accepting of the idea that you might not get replied to. Understand that people are reading your posts, or at least skimming, so you are affecting them even if they don't directly acknowledge it.

That's an interesting point, but I'm not 100% sure whether I agree. I mean, I understand how that concept works in real life, through body language and such, but in written from... I'll keep it in mind, though.

IMO what I've noticed is that people are less likely to respond to someone's post. They just want to post their own experience or opinion and then move on, which kind of sets the theme for the whole topic. I have to admit that I've been doing this too (like I'm actually doing right now, haha.)

But whyyy? D:It's not like it took forever to come up with a response... if everyone talks and nobody listens, that's quite sad :/

[...]Do you try to engage in discussion?Not that much.

Why not?

[Sumiki]

IMO what I've noticed is that people are less likely to respond to someone's post. They just want to post their own experience or opinion and then move on, which kind of sets the theme for the whole topic. I have to admit that I've been doing this too (like I'm actually doing right now, haha.)

But whyyy? D:It's not like it took forever to come up with a response... if everyone talks and nobody listens, that's quite sad :/

Sadly, not everyone has or feel like they have the patience to write out long and coherent responses, and even a series of long Bonesiiiish posts can be intimidating even for those who usually exhibit the necessary tenacity to read through walls of text.Plus, sometimes people just don't feel like it, not expounding upon a point which they could so easily expand to a longer essay on a given subject.

[bonesiii]

That's an interesting point, but I'm not 100% sure whether I agree. I mean, I understand how that concept works in real life, through body language and such, but in written from... I'll keep it in mind, though.

I don't think I believe anything 100%, including that, so that's fine. Think of it as something to try out as an experiment. That's what I decided to do and it seems to have worked wonders. Even if it doesn't actually bring more replies, at least it will help us be happier / more contented regardless of what happens. And the part about "if they read your post you're affecting them even if they don't reply" is of course definately true. :)And yes, it's less effective in some ways with text, since we don't have direct body language here (though we can use emotes, and I do), but it can also be more effective in other ways. For example we can take more time to carefully think through our wordings to be clearer than we often can in real-time talking. And I've seen countless examples of how subtle differences in wording have a profound emotional effect on the discussion that follows, including whether or not there is discussion. I think it's very similar to body language in that it's all about those subtle details we often can't really consciously understand in full. Edited April 8, 2012 by bonesiii

[fishers64]

Silence implies agreement. Or at least, "I don't disagree enough to respond. "Anyway, yes, I try to engage in discussion - I follow quoted posts and topics I have an interest in. I also make some topics in here to try to get that going, but they all meet the post-that-opinion-and-leave fate. I guess I could try to post within those topics to try to spur something.[...]When things do change on BZP, this forum does come back to life - I remember that the day that the banner was fixed and the staff name change fads sparked some discussion. Granted, most of the latter discussion was rather silly, but it was discussion. I think a lot of what this forum does is express opinions of the members of BZP on BZP, and those opinions only become valued by others to the point of disscussion when there is some possibility of or actual change.

But how can we tell whether it's the first or second case? :/

What do you mean by this? I'm slightly confused.Do you mean the agreement thing versus the undervaluing of opinions thing? It depends on the topic. For example, I have a topic open now on which blog is your favorite. Everyone in that topic posts their opinion and could care less (mostly) about what everyone else's favorite blogs are, so no discussion happens. By contrast, there is another topic "Opinions on Bionicle return/ won't return debate", which suffers from the latter condition of silent agreement.

[The Swimming Beard]

I honestly have not noticed any difference in discussion in gd.

[Wotz]

Despite being a relatively new member compared to a lot of (more) regular GDers, I do agree that the number of discussion worthy topics have decreased, but mostly it's discussion worthy posts. Even in this very topic, I can see posts which don't provoke any kind of response, and are just kind of there. People turn up, answer the questions, and leave.Although I'm not saying I'm not guilty of doing this either, as I'm just doing exactly that in this post, but I'm writing loads of fluff to make it look more interesting :PTo be honest, I wish I was more of a discuss-er, as I just end up posting a little tidbit in a 'What Do You Think of...' topic and then flee back to my hole in the Creative Outlet. I see topics every once in a while that have the potential to provoke intelligent debates about things, but end up becoming 'Post-it-Here's thanks to the posters themselves.At least, that's what I think.

[Ballom Nom Nom]

Plus, sometimes people just don't feel like it, not expounding upon a point which they could so easily expand to a longer essay on a given subject.

While I read really quickly and often do wade through those uber-long bones posts, I'd say I fall into this group. I'm usually a pretty concise person, so unless I'm making a lot of new points on a topic my posts tend to be extremely brief. (For example, this post. It's only a few sentences, but I've said all I feel is necessary. Probably reflects how I can be rather quiet IRL.) I'm also a bit of a lurker, given that if I see a topic with some major debate going on, odds are my views are more than included in posts like those of bones, Aanchir, or Gata. That will further lessen the need to me to reply, as I'd just be repeating what's already been said in a generally less witty manner. However, I do enjoy a debate if I'm not being redundant by joining, you know?Also, in regard to lack of discussion of some parts of GD (or Sets, or similar forums) overall, many topics are about tastes, so it's rather hard to have any real debate on something so subjective.~B~ Edited April 9, 2012 by Ballom

[Queen of Liars]

I agree with you pretty much completely. I almost stopped visiting General Discussions altogether due to the lack of topics where I feel I have anything meaningful to say. I think I only made one post in GD since the forums came back, and that was in one of the topics about the recent changing of names by the staff, so it doesn't really count. I definitely posted a ton more in here before the forums went down and I remember always defending people's rights to complain about something in those topics that were complaining about the complainers, on the grounds that this is a discussion forum and it would be pointless if everyone agreed on everything. Now there aren't even any topics like that. You know the times are dark when no one is complaining about other people complaining But I guess that's just an expected consequence of the forums being down for so long: the number of active members have decreased and so have the number of topics. I certainly noticed that I have not seen quite a few names that used to make GD topics on the old forums return. It also comes down to, as others have said, people not really wanting to discuss and just posting their opinions and moving along, never to look at the topic again. I always try to reply to anyone that replies to me, I made sure to have the feature of being notified when someone quotes you enabled. That's a feature of the new forums that I really appreciate and think it's a shame that more people don't seem to be using it. Well, there's not really much more to be said about it. To answer your questions: - Yes - It's quite sad really, but it's inevitable - I do

[Peach 00]

Well, that is the basic problem in GD. People are magnetically drawn to post-it-here topics because they don't want to post thought-provoking posts. That and the fact some are actually quite lazy. Which is a shame, because they might have an opinion that could possibly be a very good addition to the topic's discussion.I'd have to side with Ballom, most of the time my posts are extremely brief. Length isn't a large issue, however, because you could just as well have a thought-provoking opinion in just a few sentences, or you could go about it bonesiii style and expand upon the opinion in a large amount of detail. Both may express the same thought, but it's the detail. I'd opt for a detailed post, but sometimes the clutter of the post makes it extremely hard for people to follow, so they skim to the smaller and more brief posts. This is one of the main problems, and has already been mentioned, but there's a small explanation for it, I guess. It's a shame that's the case, honestly.

[Akuna Toa of Sonics]

-I feel that it has been decreasing since the downtime.-The decrease had to happen sometime. I just didn't think it would happen so quickly.-I try to, but sometimes I'm just too busy/lazy .

[Hahli Husky]

I think I figured a part of it out. ?After checking out this topic last week, the subject has been on my mind. I've noticed, when someone responds to someone else, they often don't quote their post. They just slap a post right after the one they're replying to. While some people come back to the topic or blog entry to see new replies, not everyone does. I don't know about you guys, but to save from being flooded, I don't subscribe to many topics or blog entries. I just get "So-and-so quoted your post" notifications, and when I do, I like to reply if I think of something to say.But for the sake of testing this theory, I went back to a few places I'd posted without getting a quote and found that a few people had replied to me without quoting. I know this isn't the entire issue, but I feel it's related. Maybe people are used to getting notifications on other sites like "This person also posted on a blog/status you posted on", so they don't think about quoting. But I feel that on those sites, it's not as obnoxious to get notifications like that. Here, if you subscribe to a topic, you could get hundreds of notifications. For some people I guess that's cool, but personally, I feel like it's too much. As a person who often forgets where she posts, I feel like there's probably a lot of people out there who tried to say something to me, but I never went back and saw it. XD So yeah. I like quoting people when I respond to them, and I like when people quote me when responding. I think maybe it helps keep discussion going.

Edited April 18, 2012 by Hahli Husky

[Ballom Nom Nom]

I think I figured a part of it out. ?After checking out this topic last week, the subject has been on my mind. I've noticed, when someone responds to someone else, they often don't quote their post. They just slap a post right after the one they're replying to. While some people come back to the topic or blog entry to see new replies, not everyone does. I don't know about you guys, but to save from being flooded, I don't subscribe to many topics or blog entries. I just get "So-and-so quoted your post" notifications, and when I do, I like to reply if I think of something to say.But for the sake of testing this theory, I went back to a few places I'd posted without getting a quote and found that a few people had replied to me without quoting. I know this isn't the entire issue, but I feel it's related. Maybe people are used to getting notifications on other sites like "This person also posted on a blog/status you posted on", so they don't think about quoting. But I feel that on those sites, it's not as obnoxious to get notifications like that. Here, if you subscribe to a topic, you could get hundreds of notifications. For some people I guess that's cool, but personally, I feel like it's too much. As a person who often forgets where she posts, I feel like there's probably a lot of people out there who tried to say something to me, but I never went back and saw it. XD So yeah. I like quoting people when I respond to them, and I like when people quote me when responding. I think maybe it helps keep discussion going.

So, in light of your reply, I did make sure to quote you now. Usually, I often don't quote people who I'm posting right beneath due to it seeming redundant. I actually hadn't thought of notifications, having turned them off when the forums came back out of not wanting to deal with them. However, you're quite right that using notifications in such a way can help conversations. You actually convinced me to turn some of those back on, especially because I try to look for where I posted to see if discussion continued and such, but of course I tend to forget where I post too.So yes! Thanks, Halhi Husky. ~B~

[fishers64]

I think I figured a part of it out. ?After checking out this topic last week, the subject has been on my mind. I've noticed, when someone responds to someone else, they often don't quote their post. They just slap a post right after the one they're replying to. While some people come back to the topic or blog entry to see new replies, not everyone does. I don't know about you guys, but to save from being flooded, I don't subscribe to many topics or blog entries. I just get "So-and-so quoted your post" notifications, and when I do, I like to reply if I think of something to say.But for the sake of testing this theory, I went back to a few places I'd posted without getting a quote and found that a few people had replied to me without quoting. I know this isn't the entire issue, but I feel it's related. Maybe people are used to getting notifications on other sites like "This person also posted on a blog/status you posted on", so they don't think about quoting. But I feel that on those sites, it's not as obnoxious to get notifications like that. Here, if you subscribe to a topic, you could get hundreds of notifications. For some people I guess that's cool, but personally, I feel like it's too much. As a person who often forgets where she posts, I feel like there's probably a lot of people out there who tried to say something to me, but I never went back and saw it. XD So yeah. I like quoting people when I respond to them, and I like when people quote me when responding. I think maybe it helps keep discussion going.

*quotes post*Yes, I do try to do that, especially when I'm replying to something specific they said.Also, I frequently check the topics that I have posted in to see if there is any replies to me. It's just a habit, I guess - assisted by the forum software's highlighting in blue of forums with unread posts (as opposed to white for read). But I assume most of us aren't as interested in...discussion...as I am.

[Hahli Husky]

So, in light of your reply, I did make sure to quote you now. Usually, I often don't quote people who I'm posting right beneath due to it seeming redundant. I actually hadn't thought of notifications, having turned them off when the forums came back out of not wanting to deal with them. However, you're quite right that using notifications in such a way can help conversations. You actually convinced me to turn some of those back on, especially because I try to look for where I posted to see if discussion continued and such, but of course I tend to forget where I post too.So yes! Thanks, Halhi Husky. ~B~

Haha, cool! Didn't think about how it might be redundant, which does make sense. Maybe I'm just used to it. At first the notifications made me roll my eyes, but then I realized they can help one remember to check stuff. XD

*quotes post*Yes, I do try to do that, especially when I'm replying to something specific they said.Also, I frequently check the topics that I have posted in to see if there is any replies to me. It's just a habit, I guess - assisted by the forum software's highlighting in blue of forums with unread posts (as opposed to white for read). But I assume most of us aren't as interested in...discussion...as I am.

That's a habit I wish I had. They could be uninterested in discussion, or also just forgetful and silly.

[fishers64]

So, in light of your reply, I did make sure to quote you now. Usually, I often don't quote people who I'm posting right beneath due to it seeming redundant. I actually hadn't thought of notifications, having turned them off when the forums came back out of not wanting to deal with them. However, you're quite right that using notifications in such a way can help conversations. You actually convinced me to turn some of those back on, especially because I try to look for where I posted to see if discussion continued and such, but of course I tend to forget where I post too.So yes! Thanks, Halhi Husky. ~B~

Haha, cool! Didn't think about how it might be redundant, which does make sense. Maybe I'm just used to it. At first the notifications made me roll my eyes, but then I realized they can help one remember to check stuff. XD

*quotes post*Yes, I do try to do that, especially when I'm replying to something specific they said.Also, I frequently check the topics that I have posted in to see if there is any replies to me. It's just a habit, I guess - assisted by the forum software's highlighting in blue of forums with unread posts (as opposed to white for read). But I assume most of us aren't as interested in...discussion...as I am.

That's a habit I wish I had. They could be uninterested in discussion, or also just forgetful and silly.

It helps me that there aren't as many active topics in the forums I frequent. Except for the Library, and I'm not complaining about that. I find it helpful(except for the Library, again) to mark the forum as read when I've finished reading what I wanted, then I could come back and see what forums were blue and go see what's new. And Ballom, I tried that out as well and found notifications for discussion forums and topics to be redundant, yes, since I would see them on a normal forum check anyway. The places I use those are places where I can't do the top method like the Library - I find topic notifications useful for notification of new epic/comedy chapters.

[Ballom Nom Nom]

And Ballom, I tried that out as well and found notifications for discussion forums and topics to be redundant, yes, since I would see them on a normal forum check anyway. The places I use those are places where I can't do the top method like the Library - I find topic notifications useful for notification of new epic/comedy chapters.

True, but given that I'm not always too active, I generally don't do entire forum checks. Mostly, I only remember to check a topic if I posted something broadly inciting expressing a differing view from the masses, or another such thing that would attract responses. But, to each his/her own.And eww, those hyphenated structures are ungainly, but I suppose political correctness must come first. ~B~

[fishers64]

And eww, those hyphenated structures are ungainly, but I suppose political correctness must come first. ~B~

:???:Sorry for offending your sensibilities. I acted in ignorance.Edit: And sorry for losing the color tags. Edited April 18, 2012 by fishers64