So often I feel like a thread killer. I don't know whether it's because I get to them too late and everybody who's interested has already commented, or because my contribution is too irritating and drives people away, or maybe I just don't express my thoughts clearly and all I've done is confuse people.
But I can't help noticing that once I enter a conversation it winds down pretty quickly. So I am going to ask for advice which may help me become a more useful member of the forum.
What aspects of a post will help the thread continue? Alternatively, what aspects of a post are most likely to discourage further interest?
I'm not talking about the threads which the moderators terminate. Those I can usually figure out for myself. Nor am I talking about threads which garner only a few responses. Those probably just don't evoke broad interest.
I'm talking about threads that had either novel or perennially interesting (money, vice, etc) topics and for a while invite dozens of responses before flaming out in a hurry.
I know that I relish volleys of creative one-liners (Nemo and Travelover are rich sources for these), but I also like reading longer, thoughtful posts which include both an easy-to-follow sequence of reasoning plus some colorful wordplay.
However, I probably am not the best judge of what interests others. So I'd appreciate your suggestions on what to put into, or leave out of, a post so it helps fuel additional conversation.
But I can't help noticing that once I enter a conversation it winds down pretty quickly. So I am going to ask for advice which may help me become a more useful member of the forum.
What aspects of a post will help the thread continue? Alternatively, what aspects of a post are most likely to discourage further interest?
I'm not talking about the threads which the moderators terminate. Those I can usually figure out for myself. Nor am I talking about threads which garner only a few responses. Those probably just don't evoke broad interest.
I'm talking about threads that had either novel or perennially interesting (money, vice, etc) topics and for a while invite dozens of responses before flaming out in a hurry.
I know that I relish volleys of creative one-liners (Nemo and Travelover are rich sources for these), but I also like reading longer, thoughtful posts which include both an easy-to-follow sequence of reasoning plus some colorful wordplay.
However, I probably am not the best judge of what interests others. So I'd appreciate your suggestions on what to put into, or leave out of, a post so it helps fuel additional conversation.