How to be a good Topic Creator?

[DrunkOnEstus]

In a thread I was reading earlier, someone was thanked for "being a good TC" by frequently responding to many of the responses within the thread. I was under the assumption that when I created a thread, that it would be polite to only respond to a select few and not hog the thread with a bunch of my posts.

When you create a thread, do you "nurture" it by responding to as many of the posts as you can, taking ownership of the thread and responsibility for encouraging the discussion further? Or do you propose your question/topic of discussion and leave everyone to discuss it among themselves? What exactly do you think a good Topic Creator should do?

 

[Nouw]

I reply when I feel I can get some good discussion going out of it. If the thread is already going well by itself, however, I let it be.

 

[Kae]

I don't really make threads often, in fact I've probably made around 10 in the entire time I've been here and only 2 made it past page one, in one of them I commented as much as I could because I had questions, the other one was fairly inane and after the opening post all I commented was something that was entirely off-topic which I eventually took to PMs, guess which one was the most popular?
Yes it was the one I didn't care too much about and mostly ignored, but really I don't like being in the spotlight, so I don't really create many threads, so I wouldn't know.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Depend on the thread I made.
Most of the time once I made the thread, I leave it be but I should quote certain people more if they ask a question of something like that. I bet my Jakie Chan Adventure would of gotten more view and comment if I had answers a few people questions. Granted I don't want to do that too much as if I'm trying too hard to make my thread successfful

 

[JoJo]

I think the most important part of being a good TC is making a good OP. That is, actually putting effort into writing a paragraph or two, checking the OP and title for spelling mistakes, and if you ask a general question for users like "what is your X?" then putting your own answer in.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

If a person posts something that I feel I can have a good conversation about,
I'll respond to it, regardless of whether I've created the thread or not.
Responding to posts in your own thread is a good way to keep it on the front page without "bumping", but I want to make sure what I say is at least somewhat meaningful. If all I can say in a response is "I agree" I just don't respond at all.

 

[Anarchemitis]

The context can vary a lot. If you have a thread that's about sex or the latest scandal, the thread will be "successful" (e.g. get many responses) all by itself. If it requires deeper thinking, it really depends upon if users around you care.

 

[tippy2k2]

This might be terribly cynical of me (probably because it IS terribly cynical) but I have found that there are only three topics that get high traffic and the rest fall apart with the barest of bare chances of surviving:

1. A hot button issue (also commonly a news article)...
2. Post your answer and abandon thread
3. An Escapist Celebrity posting about how they have 50,000,000 posts in the last month and every other Escapist celebrity comes in to congratulate them about it

Here's my 100% non-scientific way of proving this:
As of this writing posts with more than two pages of talk on page one...

Gaming:
How many people have you killed (2)
Halo 4 criticized for not having iron site (1)
What are your video game pet peeves (2)
Your Pokemon Dream Team (2)
*CANCELED EXPERIMENT

Alright, that probably was just cynicism because I'm seeing a few threads in there already that are not in my category but I still stand by the theory damn it! I'm not going to let facts get in the way of me being right!

As to your question, it all depends on the context. If there is something to be debated and no one in the thread will step up, I will happily chirp a response. If others have responded to the thread with the same arguments, I won't go in just to repeat what the other guy has said.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

This might be terribly cynical of me (probably because it IS terribly cynical) but I have found that there are only three topics that get high traffic and the rest fall apart with the barest of bare chances of surviving:

1. A hot button issue (also commonly a news article)...
2. Post your answer and abandon thread
3. An Escapist Celebrity posting about how they have 50,000,000 posts in the last month and every other Escapist celebrity comes in to congratulate them about it

Here's my 100% non-scientific way of proving this:
As of this writing posts with more than two pages of talk on page one...

Gaming:
How many people have you killed (2)
Halo 4 criticized for not having iron site (1)
What are your video game pet peeves (2)
Your Pokemon Dream Team (2)
*CANCELED EXPERIMENT

Alright, that probably was just cynicism because I'm seeing a few threads in there already that are not in my category but I still stand by the theory damn it! I'm not going to let facts get in the way of me being right!

As to your question, it all depends on the context. If there is something to be debated and no one in the thread will step up, I will happily chirp a response. If others have responded to the thread with the same arguments, I won't go in just to repeat what the other guy has said.

Pretty much. See that "On Fire" badge next to my name? I got it from posting a controversial topic. I think it had something to do with either the piracy debate or the price of games, although it's been so long I can't remember for sure. Now granted, I didn't start the topic with the express intent of having it blow up enough to get me that badge, but I don't see anything less controversial doing it. At least not without me venturing into the roleplaying board and starting a really popular RP.

Although I also tend to nurture my threads, replying people to keep the discussion going.

Edit: By the way, Tippy, your list applies much more closely to off topic than to gaming. If you add a fourth category "something that fits in with the current posting fad," you've pretty much got the majority of successful posts in Off Topic.

 

[tippy2k2]

Pretty much. See that "On Fire" badge next to my name? I got it from posting a controversial topic. I think it had something to do with either the piracy debate or the price of games, although it's been so long I can't remember for sure. Now granted, I didn't start the topic with the express intent of having it blow up enough to get me that badge, but I don't see anything less controversial doing it. At least not without me venturing into the roleplaying board and starting a really popular RP.

Although I also tend to nurture my threads, replying people to keep the discussion going.

Edit: By the way, Tippy, your list applies much more closely to off topic than to gaming. If you add a fourth category "something that fits in with the current posting fad," you've pretty much got the majority of successful posts in Off Topic.

Damn! I knew that theory worked out somewhere but I gave up on it too soon...

The Gaming Discussion thread seems to vary much better but I still stand by my theory

EDIT: Also, I believe you got your badge on a "gaming price" thread because I recall arguing about it. I'm pretty sure I won

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

If a person posts something that I feel I can have a good conversation about,
I'll respond to it, regardless of whether I've created the thread or not.
Responding to posts in your own thread is a good way to keep it on the front page without "bumping", but I want to make sure what I say is at least somewhat meaningful. If all I can say in a response is "I agree" I just don't respond at all.

I see this come up a lot, and it makes me think it'd be nice to have a "+1" kinda system. It doesn't have to have a minus, or even push that post higher up. There's just a lot of quality posts that don't get quoted, and it's against the rules to say "I agree" or "this". It would be cool to know that there were in fact people who agreed with you, as most of the time when I get quoted it's because someone disagreed and wants to refute my claim, or it's to start a discussion that would probably be more suitable for a PM.

I think the most important part of being a good TC is making a good OP. That is, actually putting effort into writing a paragraph or two, checking the OP and title for spelling mistakes, and if you ask a general question for users like "what is your X?" then putting your own answer in.

I'd consider that step one. Those are the steps to take when creating the OP to ensure that it's good and actually encourages discussion, then what I'm talking about- which is to ensure that the discussion continues and whether or not it's the right thing to quote a lot of responses and "take ownership" of the thread I guess.

Everyone is right though, context has a lot to do with it. And generally, if it's the crazy news du jour or hot button topic then everyone runs away with the thread and it doesn't make sense to keep replying to everyone.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

If a person posts something that I feel I can have a good conversation about,
I'll respond to it, regardless of whether I've created the thread or not.
Responding to posts in your own thread is a good way to keep it on the front page without "bumping", but I want to make sure what I say is at least somewhat meaningful. If all I can say in a response is "I agree" I just don't respond at all.

I see this come up a lot, and it makes me think it'd be nice to have a "+1" kinda system. It doesn't have to have a minus, or even push that post higher up. There's just a lot of quality posts that don't get quoted, and it's against the rules to say "I agree" or "this". It would be cool to know that there were in fact people who agreed with you, as most of the time when I get quoted it's because someone disagreed and wants to refute my claim, or it's to start a discussion that would probably be more suitable for a PM.

I've been asking for this pretty much since I joined the site, but I keep getting shouted down because "that would turn this place into reddit, where only the popular people are heard" and then when I say "no, not like Reddit, like Facebook" people go "gross, Facebook. Get that crap out of here."

 

[Kragg]

If a person posts something that I feel I can have a good conversation about,
I'll respond to it, regardless of whether I've created the thread or not.
Responding to posts in your own thread is a good way to keep it on the front page without "bumping", but I want to make sure what I say is at least somewhat meaningful. If all I can say in a response is "I agree" I just don't respond at all.

I see this come up a lot, and it makes me think it'd be nice to have a "+1" kinda system. It doesn't have to have a minus, or even push that post higher up. There's just a lot of quality posts that don't get quoted, and it's against the rules to say "I agree" or "this". It would be cool to know that there were in fact people who agreed with you, as most of the time when I get quoted it's because someone disagreed and wants to refute my claim, or it's to start a discussion that would probably be more suitable for a PM.

I've been asking for this pretty much since I joined the site, but I keep getting shouted down because "that would turn this place into reddit, where only the popular people are heard" and then when I say "no, not like Reddit, like Facebook" people go "gross, Facebook. Get that crap out of here."

pretty pointless though, no? and would be mostly for your own ego boost then? cause it has no real worth in the convo or argument that you are having.

i actually like seeing 2 peopleargue back and forth a bit

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

I've been asking for this pretty much since I joined the site, but I keep getting shouted down because "that would turn this place into reddit, where only the popular people are heard" and then when I say "no, not like Reddit, like Facebook" people go "gross, Facebook. Get that crap out of here."

I thought of Reddit when I suggested that, which is why I said "a +1 doesn't have to push the post up". The popular stuff gets attention on Reddit because the +1s push that post up to the top. And regardless of all the problems one could point out about Facebook, that doesn't mean that the setup isn't for the most part mechanically sound and that using some of those mechanics wouldn't turn the place into Facebook.

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

pretty pointless though, no? and would be mostly for your own ego boost then? cause it has no real worth in the convo or argument that you are having.

i actually like seeing 2 peopleargue back and forth a bit

If you really think about it, in many cases most of the things people do on forums or on social media is for an ego boost. It's why the "what's your favorite x" threads are so popular, because they stuff ties into their identity and it's an opportunity to share it with the world and have validation of it. I'm sure Facebook has a "like" button for that reason, so when someone decides to tell the world that they're eating their favorite sandwich it can be agreed upon, you get likes that make you feel good and acknowledged and you have motivation to continue doing that.

I don't get the whole "ego is a bad thing" claim. Many humans are like that, they like to be agreed with as much as some like to argue and have a back-and-forth. Some also feel good when they know they're making someone else feel good by "liking" or giving a "+1". There's a thin line between confidence/self-esteem and inflated ego, and if someone is waving it around and acting superior like they do have an ego problem then I'm sure it wouldn't get +1s.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

If a person posts something that I feel I can have a good conversation about,
I'll respond to it, regardless of whether I've created the thread or not.
Responding to posts in your own thread is a good way to keep it on the front page without "bumping", but I want to make sure what I say is at least somewhat meaningful. If all I can say in a response is "I agree" I just don't respond at all.

I see this come up a lot, and it makes me think it'd be nice to have a "+1" kinda system. It doesn't have to have a minus, or even push that post higher up. There's just a lot of quality posts that don't get quoted, and it's against the rules to say "I agree" or "this". It would be cool to know that there were in fact people who agreed with you, as most of the time when I get quoted it's because someone disagreed and wants to refute my claim, or it's to start a discussion that would probably be more suitable for a PM.

I've been asking for this pretty much since I joined the site, but I keep getting shouted down because "that would turn this place into reddit, where only the popular people are heard" and then when I say "no, not like Reddit, like Facebook" people go "gross, Facebook. Get that crap out of here."

pretty pointless though, no? and would be mostly for your own ego boost then? cause it has no real worth in the convo or argument that you are having.

i actually like seeing 2 peopleargue back and forth a bit

Not really, no. It's a way to say "I agree" when you have nothing to add beyond that. I like seeing people argue back and forth too, but sometimes people fully agree with you, to the point that they have nothing to add. And since this site has a low content rule, they're left out of the conversation entirely. I mean, for example, where DrunkOnEstus quoted the same thing from me that you quoted? I have nothing to add to that, but it'd get a like if we had a like button.

 

[shrekfan246]

3. An Escapist Celebrity posting about how they have 50,000,000 posts in the last month and every other Escapist celebrity comes in to congratulate them about it

Actually, those posting milestone threads usually die pretty quick.
My own one only got to 3 pages, and was well short of 10,000 views.

Also, I already have the 10k views and 1k replies thread badges, so I can (thankfully) no longer be accused of badge farming.

But there is that 100k views badge...

OT: I don't know, depends on what you mean by "good"? I've only made a few threads, one was about a mildly "controversial" topic ("We should forgive Bioware") and made it to about 7.5k views before dying out. In that thread I would generally respond to the people who had quoted me about something, since most of the other people were just making a response for the sake of it and then abandoning the thread. If you don't count User Reviews, then my second thread was just last week and it made it to about two or three pages with relatively little input from me, and my third thread I made just a few minutes ago, and I imagine it to go just swimmingly. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.393097-Metal-Gear-Rising-Demo#15875326]

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

One does not simply be a good topic creator.

 

[Kragg]

pretty pointless though, no? and would be mostly for your own ego boost then? cause it has no real worth in the convo or argument that you are having.

i actually like seeing 2 peopleargue back and forth a bit

If you really think about it, in many cases most of the things people do on forums or on social media is for an ego boost. It's why the "what's your favorite x" threads are so popular, because they stuff ties into their identity and it's an opportunity to share it with the world and have validation of it. I'm sure Facebook has a "like" button for that reason, so when someone decides to tell the world that they're eating their favorite sandwich it can be agreed upon, you get likes that make you feel good and acknowledged and you have motivation to continue doing that.

I don't get the whole "ego is a bad thing" claim. Many humans are like that, they like to be agreed with as much as some like to argue and have a back-and-forth. Some also feel good when they know they're making someone else feel good by "liking" or giving a "+1". There's a thin line between confidence/self-esteem and inflated ego, and if someone is waving it around and acting superior like they do have an ego problem then I'm sure it wouldn't get +1s.

That doesn't make it a good thing though, I for instance really dislike most of those topics. They add nothing of value to anyones life. Does anyone really honestly care what noname avatar guy x from place y likes? People in usergroups sure, or people that are actually friends, crossover with people who for instance met at the expo. Is it cynical to believe that most people making those topics just do it for the views, the badge and the people posting just inflating their postcount?

Imo, if you have nothing to add, don't add anything, simple, +1 to that.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

pretty pointless though, no? and would be mostly for your own ego boost then? cause it has no real worth in the convo or argument that you are having.

i actually like seeing 2 peopleargue back and forth a bit

If you really think about it, in many cases most of the things people do on forums or on social media is for an ego boost. It's why the "what's your favorite x" threads are so popular, because they stuff ties into their identity and it's an opportunity to share it with the world and have validation of it. I'm sure Facebook has a "like" button for that reason, so when someone decides to tell the world that they're eating their favorite sandwich it can be agreed upon, you get likes that make you feel good and acknowledged and you have motivation to continue doing that.

I don't get the whole "ego is a bad thing" claim. Many humans are like that, they like to be agreed with as much as some like to argue and have a back-and-forth. Some also feel good when they know they're making someone else feel good by "liking" or giving a "+1". There's a thin line between confidence/self-esteem and inflated ego, and if someone is waving it around and acting superior like they do have an ego problem then I'm sure it wouldn't get +1s.

That doesn't make it a good thing though, I for instance really dislike most of those topics. They add nothing of value to anyones life. Does anyone really honestly care what noname avatar guy x from place y likes? People in usergroups sure, or people that are actually friends, crossover with people who for instance met at the expo. Is it cynical to believe that most people making those topics just do it for the views, the badge and the people posting just inflating their postcount?

Imo, if you have nothing to add, don't add anything, simple, +1 to that.

The thing is, just agreeing is adding something to the discussion. Have you ever seen a thread where it looks like one side has more supporters than the other because there's more people on one side actively arguing, when in reality it's more balanced, it's just that the relatively small number of people on the seemingly weak side are doing a good enough job of arguing their side that those who agree don't feel the need to add anything? Because I have. That's a textbook case for a like button.