Readability

[tonyb]

Lengthy posts are easier to digest (and likelier to be read) when they are presented in bite-size pieces. This is especially so when the posts are seen on these little smartphone screens.

So, my recommendation is to write in generally shorter paragraphs and to put a couple of spaces between those 'graphs.

Of course, spelling and punctuation and capitalization matter. The reader finds it far easier to consider the meaning of a post when he isn't struggling to determine where sentences begin and end.

Most people here are pretty good about these things. I wouldn't wish those who aren't to think their observations are less valued on account of that. But those folks should know that their posts will be better received when they are presented in a more reader-friendly manner.

 

[Stanley Doble]

That is the way I do it. Although using a space between paragraphs seems a bit avante garde compared to indenting the first line the way I was taught in school.

 

[MikeKardec]

It's true in all media. A 3 minute segment of film with a lot of cuts and angles will seem shorter than a 3 minute segment without. I'm not sure if music with a lot of dynamic range, the difference between high and low volume seems shorter than compressed range reduced "radio pop" but the radio pop is considerably duller!

I used to date a very respected artist (painter) and she would say that the eye always searched for an exit from the painting and that it was important for the artist to provide it.

The eye and the mind need a place to rest.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^^

A good artist knows the strengths and limitations of his or her chosen medium.

Listening to an audio "book" differs from reading the same words in print, and reading those same words on a small electronic screen differs from reading them on paper.

Any literary effort is wasted if it doesn't get read. In the world of books, it's the cover art and the first couple of pages that will (or won't) sell the book. That's about all the would-be reader will give before moving on. With newspapers it's pictures and headlines that compel the reader. And then you got maybe two shortish paragraphs. The average reader just won't stay with the story beyond that if it doesn't captivate him or her.

On a smartphone screen the typical reader will stay with you for a sentence of two, and then only if there's space to breathe before he or she is asked to consider another piece of information.

With the World Wide Web in one's hand, the device almost begs a person to quickly move on to something more compelling.

 

[GHT]

The one thing that I have learned about internet forums, social media and comments, is that you only have the written word to get your message across. There's no body language, no nuance and no eye contact. As a result, any unintentional ambiguity is often seized upon, from which a dispute ensues. This forum remains one of the rare places where mistakes are not only tolerated but mostly ignored. That sounds obsequious, but there rarely is any ass-kicking.

Some years ago, I followed a BBC forum, lurked I think the terminology is. Two things struck me, one was that I was convinced that members never read anything, and secondly, they never proof read their own posts before hitting the submit button. The name calling and the insults were appalling.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^^^
And part of it is anonymity.

There's a word for those who are so bold when hiding their true identities.

 

[MikeKardec]

I wonder if it hasn't broken through our normal bounds of politeness and community and revealed the tribal feelings that lurk beneath. I've co-moderated a forum since 2000 and one of the fascinating aspects of the way people blew up at one and other was how when one person stated their position on something that others found controversial, those others responded initially with tirades about who they were ... establishing their identity as if it was a line in the sand and as if it had been threatened by the fact that the first poster was slightly different.

People are amazingly weak and defensive even in the face of an opinion that has no ability to harm them except to remind them that there are different people in the world. Stranger = Enemy.

 

[LizzieMaine]

One of the things about the Lounge that's interesting is that we have quite a few long-term members whose real identities are no particular secret, and a pretty good percentage of us use our actual faces as avatars. I know of a few forums that take that idea even further -- you aren't allowed to be a member at all unless you post under your real name. I suspect that if that were a common policy, the amount of online jackassery would drop astonishingly.

 

[GHT]

Online jackassery, you've got such a way with words Lizzie. But you are not wrong. On this thread you can read the story of a generous Easter Bunny. There's a link to the local newspaper that ran the story.In the comments section one cynic wrote:
"Do Exlax make Easter eggs."

 

[MikeKardec]

One of the things about the Lounge that's interesting is that we have quite a few long-term members whose real identities are no particular secret, and a pretty good percentage of us use our actual faces as avatars. I know of a few forums that take that idea even further -- you aren't allowed to be a member at all unless you post under your real name. I suspect that if that were a common policy, the amount of online jackassery would drop astonishingly.

Why, that is quite a good idea!!!

 

[ChiTownScion]

The Lounge is an oasis of sanity in a cyber world gone quite mad.

 

[tonyb]

I wonder if it hasn't broken through our normal bounds of politeness and community and revealed the tribal feelings that lurk beneath. I've co-moderated a forum since 2000 and one of the fascinating aspects of the way people blew up at one and other was how when one person stated their position on something that others found controversial, those others responded initially with tirades about who they were ... establishing their identity as if it was a line in the sand and as if it had been threatened by the fact that the first poster was slightly different.

People are amazingly weak and defensive even in the face of an opinion that has no ability to harm them except to remind them that there are different people in the world. Stranger = Enemy.

And then there's "winning" -- an argument, an election -- and regarding that victory as an end in itself.

I could cite numerous examples from my own experience. Win the battle just to lose the war.

 

[Tiki Tom]

Really, these days the FL is about the only message board I participate in; exactly because the participants are so civilized. Additionally, there are some thoughtful threads on here that I find interesting and educational. So, hats off to you all and thank you!

 

[MikeKardec]

This place is the way our site was for the first few years. Somehow this wonderful group (vastly larger than the one that came to our forum ever was) has maintained their civility for a long long time. I shouldn't say "somehow" ... I know how: character.

 

[GHT]

And then there's "winning" -- an argument, an election -- and regarding that victory as an end in itself.

Tell me about it. If there's something that might be deemed contentious, written as an article in a newspaper, go to the same article online, look in the comments section.
Don't expect articulate argument, and certainly don't expect any sort of give and take. It's a case of: "Of course the earth is flat, you moron."