How to start a great discussion

Victorine CourtoisVictorine Courtois
in About This Forum

Thank you for starting new discussions and asking questions. The more you contribute, the better this forum becomes.

Here are a few tips to help you create great discussions:

  • Make the discussion title or question as descriptive as possible. A good discussion title is a short preview of your post and is what gets people to click and read. A well written title is also going to help search engines better index your post which will bring more people into the discussion. For example, instead of ‘Won’t Connect’, try ‘Help, I’m having problems getting my Acme modem into bridge mode.’
  • Proof read. Spelling mistakes, typos, and bad grammar will distract readers from the point you’re trying to make. Vanilla automatically saves drafts as you type. If you’re writing a long post, save it as a draft and come back to it after a few minutes or as long as it takes your brain to forget what you had written.
  • Use minimal formatting. Overly formatted posts can also distract from the message and it encourages others to do likewise and you end up with a hard to read thread.
  • Put your post in the right category. The right category can be the one that has a relevant category name or it can be a category where this kind of post is often made.
  • Use tags. Tags are helpful for others to find keyword related posts. It also helps the site admins get a sense for what topics are popular.
  • If you want responses, ask for them. In marketing this is called a ‘call to action’. If you want others to comment, you can encourage them by asking them to do so. If your post is just an FYI then don’t.
  • Go easy on the insider jargon. Inside jokes and inside references can be fun and make the community unique but too much of it can turn off new members.
  • Add an image. Images add visual interest and make your post look great when shared to social networks. You can embed an image using the button bar or you can upload one from your desktop or phone.
  • Mention others. Credit other members if you are building off their previous comments or if you want to draw them into the discussion. Put the @ before a username to mention someone.
  • Take ownership. Most important of all, take ownership of the discussions that you have created. Respond to comments promptly and thoughtfully. Thank others for commenting on your discussion and help with moderation if things get heated.

Thanks for posting! Have fun!

Comments

  • Karen A. ThomasKaren A. Thomas

    Great stuff @Victorine Courtois, thank you for posting these helpful tips!

  • Rick DangerousRick Dangerous

    Is there an "Introductions" section anywhere, or one planned?

  • JessicaJessica

    I think you should start one Rick Dangerous- maybe in the General Skating forum?


  • DarknightatxDarknightatx

    How about a community section for city check-in and meetups. It would be nice to meet local skaters and skate spots.

  • Fierocious1Fierocious1

    The discussion lines is too light in color. Hard to see what has been posted under each subject.

  • JessicaJessica

    Thank you for the suggestions- I'm going to look into everything individually and see if I can come up with a solution.


  • JessicaJessica

    Darknightatx- I think that's a great idea! I added a discussion called 'Community by Location'


  • ese002ese002

    HOW do you include images? When I try to link to an external image, skatelog style, I always get "404". Even though the URL is exactly what is working on skatelog.

  • JessicaJessica
    edited April 2020

    Hi ese002- you don't need to link to images here, you can just upload them directly. Click on Attach a file right under the text box.

    Test


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