NationStates Jolt Archive

I didn't realize this. In this thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14639640&postcount=22), I was under the impression that blog threads were discouraged but allowed.:confused:

not a mod.

I think it's the fact that it didn't encourage any form of discussion. had you asked something like say... Have you been fired? for what? or something... then maybe it would've stayed...

NSG is not anybody's blog, despite the remarkably persistent efforts of some players to make it so.

We recognise that the development of an online community means that sometimes players will simply want to share feelings with friends, and we don't usually hammer the occasional OT post of that nature,
but there's IRC and other forms of instant messaging, TGs, PMs and offsites for detailed chat.

JuNii's right, threads have to have some debate topic, and thread-starters have to put some effort into their OP to relate their individual experience to more universal themes. (Sounds like an English essay, doesn't it? But it can be done, and you're expected to make the effort.)

JuNii's right, threads have to have some debate topic, and thread-starters have to put some effort into their OP to relate their individual experience to more universal themes. (Sounds like an English essay, doesn't it? But it can be done, and you're expected to make the effort.)

Debate? or would discussion be ok?

I mean a "were you ever fired?" thread would invite discussion but not necessarily a debate...

Debate? or would discussion be ok?

I mean a "were you ever fired?" thread would invite discussion but not necessarily a debate...

I'm not sure the distinction is an important one, given that in NSG, a discussion generally turns into a debate at some point anyway. :tongue:

... I mean a "were you ever fired?" thread would invite discussion but not necessarily a debate...

I dunno, this is NSG we're talking about. If you interpret "debate" as "taking sides", almost everything turns into one. :tongue:

But, yeah, discussion's generally okay, otherwise we'd probably have to can most of the religion threads. I think you'd have to go further than this contribution of Wilgrove's, though:

Eh, I figured out a way around that. If you tack a question at the end of it, it's not a blog, it's an invite for discussion!

That is, it depends on the question (and the topic). Sometimes good threads develop from just (summary of event) plus "What say you, NSG?", or even the total cop-out C&P + "Discuss".

It's Interviewing 101: questions that invite only a Yes/No, A or B, answer usually get less interesting responses than open-ended ones.

The "firing someone" thread, for example, might have had more mileage with one or two of these in it: "How would you fire someone? What would you do: be harsh (so they don't come back)? Detailed (so they can improve)? Or stick to weasel words (so they don't sue you)? Other approaches? Why would you do it that way? How can you do it so you don't feel like crap?"

(Only you wouldn't shove all those in, because this is a forum, not an interrogation. Mostly.)

(Only you wouldn't shove all those in, because this is a forum, not an interrogation. Mostly.)

*hides waterboard materials*
err... yeah.. it's not an interrogation... just us being friendly here... :p