While we’re at it

Locked

Let me divulge, that:

I sit on Discussions. I don’t venture muchly to the Front Page. When I open TR first thing, I open to Discussions. At length I may click to the Front. That’s only when I find in Discussions nothing but the unremarkable. That’s not often, Discussions being what I find remarkable about TR.

The remarkable, of course, is comprised of authored Blogs and the uncommonality of interactive comments. Of course, there is also the great mass of the common. They entertain.

Of the Blogs, I take on faith that most other members do open, do dwell on, and do evaluate Blogs on the Front Page. Of the Blogs that appear in Discussions, I take on faith they were remarkable enough for members to remark and to introduce. Members are useful. They are my frontline. They relieve me of work. I have come to trust them.

Invariably, however, a Blog comes “Started by” in Discussions, as in, started by a remarking member. Begins, then, a guessing game.

Instantly I open when I recognize certain member names. Specially when I know them for the choice and the delicious. Other times, it is Staff. They typically “host” a Blog. They peddle it. They are unhelpful. Other than cachet of name, I have to guess, Who. A title that piques is not always there.

Excepting Toni Bowers. While her titles do not always pique, I’m getting good at, “I’ll bet..,” drab intro notwithstanding (Gun piece excepted).

This brings me to my request: That Blogs making it to Discussions be branded first by author; only then, “Started by”, if at all.

That is, unless “Started by” is a member known to our PTB for the choice and the delicious. Which would prefigure, Community.

Topic

I knew it…

In reply to While we’re at it

When I looked at the list of discussions, one caught my eye as “Startled by Santeewelding”… I had to rub my eyes, then saw I was mistaken.
Then I read the piece – and noticed I had been right all the same.

I wish more bloggers would start the resulting Discussion.

In reply to While we’re at it

Like you, I open TR to the Discussions page. I visit the front page less than once a month.

When a blogger self-starts the Discussion, it provides me two benefits. One, it brings the article to my attention via its appearance on the Discussions page. Two, it lets me know the author of the blog entry, one factor in my decision whether to jump to the original article.

I’d like to see an indicator on the Discussions page to show whether an individual discussion was spawned from a blog entry, or if it was started by a member as a standalone topic independent of TR-generated content. Right now, if the first person to post to start a discussion is a member, there only way to tell if there is a corresponding blog entry is to click the title link and see if it leads away. An indicator on the Discussions page would be good; a link directly to the related blog entry would be better.

We’ve been here before.

In reply to While we’re at it

This was discussed a bit around two years ago, I think, between some peers and powers. There are/were only a handful of writers we could count on to start a thread on their articles. Yes, Toni Bowers does. M. Kassner is another you can count on to do this. Chad did, but I’ve not been seeing any articles from him. If Chip starts a discussion, I figure it will be interesting even if it isn’t his own article.

I use Discussions as my landing page. It used to be more useful. It was usually the best doorway to finding what I wanted to read. So I’m all for bloggers staring their own threads. Palmetto’s idea is an interesting one as well.

Further benefit:”Started on” date will reflect the article’s publish date.

Another benefit.

In reply to While we’re at it

Those authors who don’t start their own discussions are invariably those who don’t participate in the subsequent discussion either. Jack Wallen and that one ‘Leadership’ blogger (his name escapes me) are prime examples.

Jack does occasionally pop in…

In reply to Another benefit.

but he’s very light-weight and blows away quickly.
Busy writing other blogs most likely.

Deb doesn’t, but then she says “I read feedback by sent by email” … Stick your hand in La Bocca della Veritá. Bare your TR membership email to say your piece.

[Author]

Replies