A better way to use a thread (what DF calls a topic)

The way I grew up, the reply section was meant for the community to use not so much for the creator of the thread.

When a creator/author of a thread replies to his/her own postings, it’s a bit like saying, “Look how interesting I am. I even want to talk about what I just said.”

Sometimes it’s a bit like, “Let me ask you for a response, so I can tell you how wrong you are.”

It’s bad form. A bit narcissistic. Embarrassing mostly.

For example, if I see a professional writer reply to his/her own thread, it will most likely be the last time I read that writer’s writing. This is a common reaction from most online readers.

The creator/author of the thread begins the discussion by bringing attention to the issue. At this point, the author has the opportunity to say what s/he needs to say about the topic, revise, and then post. This is the creator’s chance to be clear and thorough.

Afterwards, the author leaves the remaining conversation to the audience. This is why online writing works so well. It is interactive. The community can react and take from the posting what they like – disregard the rest. Sometimes an author’s thread becomes something unintended and takes on a life of its own. That’s ok. It’s up to the community. Rarely, however, should a thread creator/author reply to the thread.

If the author is personally attacked in the reply section, the LAST action the author should take is to reply. The community tends to shame the aggressor as they see fit. Moreover, silence is usually the harshest reply.

I know the DF forum is very casual, to put it politely, and I recognize that this doesn’t work in every case, such as the squad threads. But, some of this forum’s issues could be resolved by moving towards this common standard.

Post a thread. Leave the replies to the community. Take it or leave it.

Nice Finn,

Very well said and the post is complete in itself.

I just want to add few things here:

The reply to the thread should be as far as possible relevant to the topic posted by author.

No user should be allowed to post twice on same thread, s/he can edit his post to max of 2-3 times only. This will help in maintaining the peace at all times and moreover keeping the number of replies under check and unique.

Avoid positing personal remarks-directly or indirectly. Any Misunderstanding or Misinterpretation can be cleared by sending PM to the author instead of writing on thread. Author can change the language or remove the objectionable part if brought to his notice as a token of respect.

As Finn mentioned, silence is usually the harshest reply.