by JackRiddler » Sun Dec 05, 2010 5:13 pm
.
Well, people could make more use of existing threads on the same topic. You can use search to dig up older threads and kick'em back up.
There are roughly speaking three common cases:
1) If someone writes a big post of their own, they will usually want to post it as a new thread. Or else, it's up to them to decide where it best fits and is likeliest to reach its readers. (They might also cross-post in existing threads as relevant.)
2) If someone has an article they want to copy-paste, however, they should use an existing thread if it exists. This keeps us aware of all that's been posted before. (We remain "in context," as our all-time posting champion might say.)
Of course, some news item might be a huge development in the poster's eyes, one that deserves highlighting. As an example, I put all stories and comments I want to make about banking and economics in the Wall Street thread, but sometimes I'll start a new thread with a cross-post from that to alert people to something I found minorly earthshaking. In that case, I expect the alert thread to drop away after its initial splash.
3) I have some understanding for those who might object to
a) a headline, because they find it wrong-headed or simply silly; or
b) the initial spin of an OP; or, um, sometimes
c) the OP author
of an existing thread, and therefore want to start a separate one. One might want to make a bid to reframe a given debate, and let the market decide.
I bet most of us frequent posters have done #3 at some point.
However, most thread proliferation seems to be of the #2 variety. Besides that this can lead to flooding, for the most part it's counter-productive because a story can stay in play much longer on a long general thread and still get readers later than it does as a one-off.
.
We meet at the borders of our being, we dream something of each others reality. - Harvey of R.I.
To Justice my maker from on high did incline:
I am by virtue of its might divine,
The highest Wisdom and the first Love.
TopSecret WallSt. Iraq &
more