Ways to be a Productive Poster

[Gwazi Magnum]

Continuation of @Diana post here. What are ways people can suggest to be productive and contributing members to a forum community.

Remember to be Fonz Cool. No being a dick, and no using this as a platform to bash or compare any members.

Also, Diana am I following tip #7 right here?

 

[Diana]

Yay! Being productive!

I have plenty of tips. >:3

OKAY SO: One of the things people ask me all the time is "What can I do for Iwaku?!" and the #1 answer I always give them is Post a cool thread once a day. (Well, aside from "go roleplay!")

BECAUSE when people aren't roleplaying, we want them to still be on Iwaku doing stuff and meeting other members. A really, really good way to do is that a posting a thread once a day. Because not only are you creating a conversation and providing content for the site, you're also becoming a familiar face and making new friends. 8D Which is why you also want to make sure you're also posting good positive topics. If you get a reputation for posting the kind of topics that go up in flames, it damages your ability to forge new relationships and can actually prevent you from getting new roleplay partners too cause no one wants to deal with that. O_O

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

Yay! Being productive!

I have plenty of tips. >:3

OKAY SO: One of the things people ask me all the time is "What can I do for Iwaku?!" and the #1 answer I always give them is Post a cool thread once a day. (Well, aside from "go roleplay!")

BECAUSE when people aren't roleplaying, we want them to still be on Iwaku doing stuff and meeting other members. A really, really good way to do is that a posting a thread once a day. Because not only are you creating a conversation and providing content for the site, you're also becoming a familiar face and making new friends. 8D Which is why you also want to make sure you're also posting good positive topics. If you get a reputation for posting the kind of topics that go up in flames, it damages your ability to forge new relationships and can actually prevent you from getting new roleplay partners too cause no one wants to deal with that. O_O

What if they're on a blank for ideas though?

 

[Diana]

What if they're on a blank for ideas though?

Also something I hear a lot of. O_O People always tell me they have no ideas for posts.

THAT IS WHERE WRITING MEME SITES COME IN. >:3

I like this site because it links to to sites every day that provide writing prompt questions: The Daily Meme - Thought and ideas to inspire you.

I always go for the ones that are more like interview/interest questions that can create a conversation on a topic instead of full on writing prompts. Googling can come up with fun ideas. And... it doesn't hurt to jack topic ideas from other forum sites, so long as you're not copy-pasting their post. >:3

 

[Kestrel]

A forum like this requires positive interaction between members. First and foremost remember this is a community; a coming together of people. So constructive posting is automatically inclusive. Typically, you want to nudge a great variety of people to interact in a positive manner and share with each other. Minibit has a lot of topics on her name, both in GD and the çontent section,' so if you want to learn by example, check that out.

However, I don't think someone needs to automatically be a textbook example to be contributing to the forum. I also want to point out people have different tastes in topics and, well... People. You see, while there is need for topic starters as facilitators; if nobody takes part in their topics they're not exactly contributing in the first place. Also maybe you're not all that interested in a wide variety of subjects. I mean heck, I wouldn't post a topic about what is your favourite band, because frankly I'm not interested in it (also I'm an elitist whore when it comes to music.) If you're not actually interested in the topic or people's replies, I'd argue you're not the person who should be posting topics daily. Maybe instead, try to find a more visible kind of demand that you can meet. Like answering a question in the help desk or content sections. If you know your shit, you might be able to give people advice in counselling. If not, a simple post empathising with people can count for a lot (but pleasepleaseplease dont post there for the sake of it or being seen as a good guy.) There's even something to be said for giving out a lot of positive ratings, which can make someone's day.

I think contributing has many different forms, I don't think people should take on roles they're not suited for just for the sake of contribution.

 

[Diana]

A forum like this requires positive interaction between members. First and foremost remember this is a community; a coming together of people. So constructive posting is automatically inclusive. Typically, you want to nudge a great variety of people to interact in a positive manner and share with each other. Minibit has a lot of topics on her name, both in GD and the çontent section,' so if you want to learn by example, check that out.

However, I don't think someone needs to automatically be a textbook example to be contributing to the forum. I also want to point out people have different tastes in topics and, well... People. You see, while there is need for topic starters as facilitators; if nobody takes part in their topics they're not exactly contributing in the first place. Also maybe you're not all that interested in a wide variety of subjects. I mean heck, I wouldn't post a topic about what is your favourite band, because frankly I'm not interested in it (also I'm an elitist whore when it comes to music.) If you're not actually interested in the topic or people's replies, I'd argue you're not the person who should be posting topics daily. Maybe instead, try to find a more visible kind of demand that you can meet. Like answering a question in the help desk or content sections. If you know your shit, you might be able to give people advice in counselling. If not, a simple post empathising with people can count for a lot (but pleasepleaseplease dont post there for the sake of it or being seen as a good guy.) There's even something to be said for giving out a lot of positive ratings, which can make someone's day.

I think contributing has many different forms, I don't think people should take on roles they're not suited for just for the sake of contribution.

This is all legit advice too! O__O Cause not all people are Topic Starting people. Some people are definitely WAY better are just participating in the discussions other people post. So this was a good reminder.

Supporting other people's topics helps keeps the conversations going. >:3 And you never really know when you're the person that has something really new and interesting to say that someone else really needed to hear. I know there's a couple members that turned me on to a lot of cool stuff cause of their participating in topics.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

If you know your shit, you might be able to give people advice in counselling. If not, a simple post empathising with people can count for a lot

(but pleasepleaseplease dont post there for the sake of it or being seen as a good guy.)

I know sometimes the line between these can be blurred for people. Trying to figure out at which point they're trying to empathize and help the person, and at which point the desire to help is coming from a "I'm a good person!" mentality. So I'm wondering, do you have any ways to help notice when you're falling under one or the other?

As someone who occasionally tries to help in Counselling myself this is also something I feel would be helpful to me in case I end up making these mistakes without realizing it.

 

[Brovo]

I know sometimes the line between these can be blurred for people. Trying to figure out at which point they're trying to empathize and help the person, and at which point the desire to help is coming from a "I'm a good person!" mentality. So I'm wondering, do you have any ways to help notice when you're falling under one or the other?

Yeah.

If you're giving advice to someone, always see if you can cite a source that they can go to in order to learn more themselves. Like if someone is considering suicide, link them to the suicide hotline. If someone is looking for advice on how to work out, back your ass up with advice & facts. If you learn things within five minutes of looking up stuff like this, you don't know what you're talking about: Stop what you're doing, and do some research if you really care. If you don't, delete the post, move right along.

As for emotional issues, it's really a person to person basis. You really probably shouldn't be playing as someone's therapist though: You're not qualified and you're usually never given all the facts. Don't give advice to people about their family situations for example: You have no idea if what the person is saying is completely true. What if their view of the situation is coloured with extreme bias because they're having an emotional meltdown? Suddenly, things which you and I might interpret as "simple parenting" to them might be interpreted as "abuse." If you try to tell them to think clearly, they might get offended and bottle up further instead of expressing in a healthy way. Don't play armchair psychiatrist, it's not your job, and when I catch friends doing it, I slap their shit and tell them to lay off. Unless you know that person well and you know their life and the circumstances they're living under, don't give them advice. Just empathize if you really care, and try to learn more, get them talking. Who knows, after a few hours of talking and blowing off steam, that might be all they need to feel better: Just someone to listen, not give advice. (Hell, if anyone here has seen a therapist, you know that half their job is just listening to you and probing you with non-invasive questions to try and help you come to terms with your own issues on your own. They equip you with the knowledge to fix yourself.)

Seriously, if I could, I'd pin this to the top of the Counseling section. On more than one occasion I've caught people giving advice that is either damaging or outright potentially lethal. It's one of the reasons I tend to loathe the section myself.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

Yeah.

If you're giving advice to someone, always see if you can cite a source that they can go to in order to learn more themselves. Like if someone is considering suicide, link them to the suicide hotline. If someone is looking for advice on how to work out, back your ass up with advice & facts. If you learn things within five minutes of looking up stuff like this, you don't know what you're talking about: Stop what you're doing, and do some research if you really care. If you don't, delete the post, move right along.

As for emotional issues, it's really a person to person basis. You really probably shouldn't be playing as someone's therapist though: You're not qualified and you're usually never given all the facts. Don't give advice to people about their family situations for example: You have no idea if what the person is saying is completely true. What if their view of the situation is coloured with extreme bias because they're having an emotional meltdown? Suddenly, things which you and I might interpret as "simple parenting" to them might be interpreted as "abuse." If you try to tell them to think clearly, they might get offended and bottle up further instead of expressing in a healthy way. Don't play armchair psychiatrist, it's not your job, and when I catch friends doing it, I slap their shit and tell them to lay off. Unless you know that person well and you know their life and the circumstances they're living under, don't give them advice. Just empathize if you really care, and try to learn more, get them talking. Who knows, after a few hours of talking and blowing off steam, that might be all they need to feel better: Just someone to listen, not give advice. (Hell, if anyone here has seen a therapist, you know that half their job is just listening to you and probing you with non-invasive questions to try and help you come to terms with your own issues on your own. They equip you with the knowledge to fix yourself.)

Seriously, if I could, I'd pin this to the top of the Counseling section. On more than one occasion I've caught people giving advice that is either damaging or outright potentially lethal. It's one of the reasons I tend to loathe the section myself.

So basically cite your sources, and don't try to give advice without a very solid understanding of the persons situation because of lack of training and lack of awareness of the whole picture?
But rather just try to have them work through it themselves?

 

[Brovo]

So basically cite your sources, and don't try to give advice without a very solid understanding of the persons situation because of lack of training and lack of awareness of the whole picture?
But rather just try to have them work through it themselves?

Yeah, you got the jist of it. Just ask them questions and listen. Let them work it through themselves. The best person to answer their internal questions is themselves.

 

[Kestrel]

As someone who occasionally tries to help in Counselling myself this is also something I feel would be helpful to me in case I end up making these mistakes without realizing it.

You can try to back up your claims with solid data and evidence, but I would typically avoid explicitly writing this down in counselling topics, because a lot of people will interpret that as cold and robotic. However, the concept itself isn't bad. What it comes down to is, as I see it, finding the root of your knowledge. This is also done by playing something I like to call the 'six year old game.' Keep asking yourself why you're saying something until you get to the root of what you're communicating. Is that root backed up by knowledge? Is it backed up by firsthand experience? What personal bias do you have towards it and does that influence your reaction?

Also don't make a five-step plan, but that's already covered.

As for the good-guy thing; would you still post it if nobody would ever see it or reply to it? Shove your chair back for a minute and ponder how much the post is meant for you and how much it's meant for the other person.