OK, most of the people who know me know me for my silliness, but this is in all seriousness. Ive seen too many people who have really good ideas get flamed for poor presentation, and I think its important to point out the dos and donts of making a meaningful post on the forums. Feel free to point out any detail that you think Ive missed, but these are truths that Ive come across in my experiences with broadcasting, interpersonal communication, and public speaking, and I think deserve mention.
Think!
This seems rather obvious, but goes beyond what you may be expecting. First off, what made you want to post in the first place? A lot of times, theres a strong emotion attached to your topic, and it may be counter-productive to what youre trying to say. A common area where this problem rears its ugly head is in the PvP vs. PvE debate its an emotional issue, and a great number of people have some very entrenched views on the topic. But slow down a moment and think about what you have to say. Youre not going to change anyones mind if you go on a vicious attack, so moderate your tone. Its not that emotion does not belong in your post, but dont let it overpower your point. Strong emotional content garners a strong emotional response sometimes thats precisely what youre after, but more often then not, what you really want is someone to put some thought into your post. So slow down, think, then move to the next step.
Name your thread appropriately!
Sometimes its OK to give your thread an outrageous name, just to get some attention, but the problem with this tactic is that youve just formed a first impression about yourself, and colored the way the rest of your message will be received. Granted, you may get to skip this step if youre responding to someone elses post, but still, its useful information when reading someone elses thread as you can become aware of the impressions youve drawn about the poster based on their title.
Whatever your reason for concern over a threads title, you should recognize its power. It sets the tone for every word that comes after it. If you want to make a point, then start with the title dont confuse your audience. If you think a power should be made inherent, then say so in the title. Get people to be thinking about it before they read the first word. And while a straightforward title may not convince people of your intelligence, it certainly wont give them a reason to doubt it. I would recommend double checking the title for spelling and clarity, just to be on the safe side.
Present your ideas coherently!
Im a big fan of entering any large posts (like this one) I have into Word or a similar program, simply because it allows me some options. I can spell-check it, I can review it, and I can put it on hold and come back to it later. Sometimes a little break makes all the difference between coming off as a sane and reasonable person, and a complete looney. Using a word processing program lets you ensure that you have organized your thoughts effectively to give your words the biggest impact on the reader. And this is what youre after, surely, otherwise you wouldnt be posting.
Now Ive heard some people argue that spelling and punctuation arent important, as the people on the forums will understand what you mean. This may be true, but its also true that theyre not just evaluating your words
theyre evaluating YOU! Im going to be a lot more likely to respect and evaluate someones position if they come across as rational and intelligent. Its only natural. And if I have to struggle through a message, trying to interpret the posters message through bad grammar and poor spelling, then my mood is going to deteriorate, and my emotions are going to interfere with me hearing what the poster has to say. Also, be sure to re-read it after the spell-checker has done its thing. It can miss some things that giving the post another once-over might catch. When writing this guide, I fell victim to this, myself, and am fortunate a friend caught the mistake and pointed it out to me.
So, use Word or something similar to compose yourself, if youll pardon the pun, then copy and paste the message to the boards. It will help you remove unnecessary emotion, it allows you to spell-check, and even gives you a chance to step back and evaluate if this is worth saying to begin with.
In Closing
This doesnt apply to the majority of posts youre going to write on the forums. Quick responses have their place, and you wont see me going through all this for my latest post in Kitty Court. This also will not guarantee every response on your thread will be logical, well-reasoned counter-debate. But I do promise that youll get a far more positive response then you would have otherwise, and will most probably begin a very solid discussion that will encourage intelligent response. Remember, in everyday communications, we get 50% of the speakers meaning through body language, 40% through tone of voice, and only 10% through the actual words. Since weve cut out 90% of our cues, we have to be careful if we want to be clear to our intended audience. Hope I didnt bore you too much!
