Mod. Notice SRP Infothread - Read Before Posting

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Caesar

Ex-Huckleberry
Mar 3, 2005
29,398
15,658
Tombstone, AZ
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Thought I'd start a single locked thread with general purpose info for the board that can be updated as needed, and try and reduce the number of stickies and make it easier to find info.

If you're a regular visitor, you can subscribe to it and it'll pop up in your feed whenever there's something new.
 

Caesar

Ex-Huckleberry
Mar 3, 2005
29,398
15,658
Tombstone, AZ
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
The Disagreement Hierarchy - Read and Improve Your Posting



http://www.paulgraham.com/disagree.html

Where does your last post fit?

The bottom three are really, really boring to read unless they are really, really clever or witty.

Put them on your "to stop doing" list.

The next one up is just a lazy way to go. We all do it but know we should try harder.

Aim for one of the top three.

Seth Godin weighs in...

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/11/how-to-lose-an-argument-online.html

How to lose an argument online

1. Have an argument. Once you start an argument, not a discussion, you've already lost. Think about it: have you ever changed your mind because someone online started yelling at you? They might get you to shut up, but it's unlikely they've actually changed your opinion.

2. Forget the pitfalls of Godwin's law. Any time you mention Hitler or even Communist China or Bill O'Reilly, you've lost.

3. Use faulty analogies. If someone is trying to make a point about, say, health care, try to make an analogy to something conceptually unrelated, like the space shuttle program, and you've lost.

4. Question motives. The best way to get someone annoyed and then have them ignore you is to bypass any thoughtful discussion of facts and instead question what's in it for the person on the other end. Make assumptions about their motivations and lose their respect.

5. Act anonymously. What are the chances that heckled comments from the bleachers will have an impact?

6. Threaten to take action in another venue. Insist that this will come back to haunt the other person. Guarantee you will spread the word or stop purchasing.

7. Bring up the slippery slope. Actually, the slope isn't that slippery. People don't end up marrying dogs, becoming cannibals or harvesting organs because of changes in organization, technology or law.

8. Go to the edges. This is a variant of the slippery slope, in which you bring up extremes at either end of whatever spectrum is being discussed.

So, what works?

filler
 

Caesar

Ex-Huckleberry
Mar 3, 2005
29,398
15,658
Tombstone, AZ
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Posting Articles

The Official BIG rule is now:

Headline
link
Excerpt up to a paragraph
link

No more, unless you have specific remarks about specific paragraphs or sentences in which case:

Your comment
Quote
More comment

Entire articles or large slabs of articles are not to be posted.
filler
 

Caesar

Ex-Huckleberry
Mar 3, 2005
29,398
15,658
Tombstone, AZ
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
How To Write A Good OP:

DO include something new to discuss. A perspective, a news event, whatever. If you don't have something new to say, you probably don't need a new thread.

DO include a link. It's not always necessary, and sometimes it's not even possible, but often it helps facilitate discussion by giving people background or supporting your point.

DO frame the debate. Discussion on a single event can go in a myriad of different directions; if there is an aspect that is particularly interesting then it's important to steer people towards it. Ask open ended questions about the matter you're interested in pursuing. This is particularly important when the issue is sensitive or open to misinterpretation.

DON'T use pejorative language. It polarises people and distracts from your central premise.

Remember, threads are closed or moved based on the overall quality of their content. That content begins with (and often continues to be determined by) the quality of the OP. Please put some consideration into it - fellow forumites will thank you.

Happy posting.
 

Caesar

Ex-Huckleberry
Mar 3, 2005
29,398
15,658
Tombstone, AZ
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Since News Ltd set up their pay walls, we've had a lot of people posting full text of articles. Please note that the rules in post #3 of this thread still apply.
 
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