Quality Posting

[Cricket]

At times, I am as guilty as the next guy when it comes to leaving short unnecessary responses to a thread, but when these responses begin to outnumber the quality responses, it has a negative impact on the community as a whole.

Comments that do not add to a thread . . .

• Me too.
• I agree.
• I disagree.
• Welcome.
• LMAO.
• Thanks .
• Nice article.

Tips for quality forum posting . . .

Actually read the thread before responding, not just the title. Take time to read through the responses too.

A quality post is one that adds to the conversation, something new, a different perspective, another point, etc. It also clearly conveys your thoughts. If you state an opinion, explain it. If you state something as fact, back it up with a link to reliable resources.

If you agree or disagree with someone, explain why, and what you base that opinion on.

If you want to thank someone for their ideas, explain why you found the information to be helpful. Otherwise, just saying thank you (without adding more) might be best left to a private message or through our rep system.
http://www.v7n.com/forums/forum-lobb...read-post.html

And finally . . .

All of this is not to say that we don't want you to have fun or to be afraid to leave lighthearted responses to a thread. In fact, one of the things that makes this community unique is that we are not afraid to wander off topic and goof off for a bit, but we usually manage to bring it all back again. We are simply asking that all of us take more time to consider the quality of our responses.

Thanks for being a part of the V7N and for helping to make it a better community for everyone!

[Cricket]

As an added note, the quality of a member's post plays a big part in becoming a V7N Mentor.

[Cricket]

A quality thread is one that encourages interactive discussions rather than one or two word responses.

When starting threads, please do NOT post entire articles, even if credit is given.

If you would like to start a discussion concerning an article you have found (not one you have written) the best way is to first introduce the topic itself, then add a quote from the article (along with a link) that basically sums up the discussion. Then ask some specific questions that encourage members to respond with their thoughts.

Don't forget to ask the members to read the referenced article before responding.

Thanks!

[Cricket]

Added Note: If you are thinking about popping off 10 low quality posts in a row just so that you can receive PM privileges, I highly recommend rethinking that idea. The only thing you are likely to accomplish is getting banned from the community. We don't expect every post to be a work of literature, but we do expect you to take the time to actually read the thread before responding and to make sure your response is relevant to the topic being discussed, not just what you THINK is being discussed just by reading the title.

[Cricket]

I have this totally crazy idea for us to try. How about if we ACTUALLY READ the threads before we respond.

[Cricket]

Bumping this thread as a gentle reminder to us all.