Getting people to read your posts on forums

[Arch0wl]

Some websites are nice. You can discuss ideas freely and it's assumed that what you typed will be read.

Forget that dream though, because most forums are filled with ADD teenagers and intellectually lazy adults. Points that need exposition are only accepted at the assertion level, so you get arguments like "all dogs are fat. you're dumb. police like donuts. [etc]"--the moment that "because" goes in there it's like an Anti-Supporting Argument Shield is activated in the brains of your readers.

Because you're a name on a screen it's very hard to change the way they think, so you just have to deal with them. In my time, I've found a few strategies that consistently work. Here's some ways to trick people into listening to you:

1. If you quote someone in a reply, do it two times at max.

When I was 15, I thought I was very good at arguing. Actually, I was just very good at being right. Quote trees always happen from people who care more about the comforting feeling they get from feeling right.

Quote-reply-quote-reply, by the 3rd reply, muddles the discussion so much that eventually the only people reading it are you and the person you're arguing with. At that point you're just arguing to squash any doubt that you may not be better than the other guy, not to convince anyone.

Obviously, you have to abandon the OCD urge to address everything they said. Which brings me to:

2. Only address VERY key points.

Your opponent doesn't give a crap about what you said and just wants to indulge himself. If you address everything it's more likely he'll screw up your points and come out with some atrocious misinterpretation of what you meant; then you're stuck combating a strawman.

But! If you only mention two or three points, he's pretty much forced to listen to you.

Take this very paragraph for example. Even though its purpose is to explain why each technique works, few people will read it. That's why I bolded everything in list format.

3. Put the important crap first and the most important crap last.

When you learn to write essays, your first paragraph is always most important. On here, it's not. Unless you said something they really object to, they will almost always respond to the very last part of what you said.

This is because forum idiots are hopelessly knee-jerk and act like naggy girls who jump on the last few words of your sentence during a verbal argument. Ask yourself "if I had to get across one thing here, what thing do I REALLY want to get across?" and then make that last.

So, in summary.

1. If you quote someone in a reply, do it two times at max.

2. Only address VERY key points.

3. Put the important crap first and the most important crap last.

[Superfreak04]

Very interesting, I've actually notice myself to do these types of things in arguments on forums.

[abro13]

If you were to only address the VERY key points and I, as your opponent, couldn't find anything to do that would make it go my way, I would simply bring up a lesser point that you didn't restate and say something to the effect of "But what about ________? *insert arguement here*"

[devonin]

There's also the fact that in CT we wnt to -encourage- people to be thinking about what they say such that -all- their points are valid and useful, and sometimes you need/want to be responding to each thing they said seperately.

If I were to respond to your post in a way that expressed disagreement, at minimum I'd be quoting you thrice, once per bolded point. If you'd set out a 10-point argument, I'd want to individually address all 10 points, and to me that's not an issue about "wanting to be right" it's an issue about "showing you the respect of acknowledging ALL of what you said"

[mhss1992]

I agree with devonin.

[Kibblre]

Wait....Arch0wl? When did this happen...

Btw, I'm not addressing key points. I doubt anyone will read this post.

[Arch0wl]

Okay, I confess. This thread's purpose is explained by knowing that it started out as a PM to Afrobean, lol.

[Zybanthia]

Point 1 is valid sometimes. Rather, it's more important to know when a quote block is absolutely necessary, regardless of whether or not you are addressing the majority of somebody's post. There are times when a response to someone's post is a neat and concise enough summary of thoughts not to need one, and there are other times when you need to be specific about what you are responding to. I'd not make a hard quote limit, but it's still good advice not to do it all the time without thinking.