Uneven Treatment on WP

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This is what I worried about.

For example, some members seem to have more credence then others and our views aren't shared equally.

I hate comparing myself to other members, but for this example, I have to.

If Greentea writes the same topic as I do she gets three pages worth of responses. If I write the same topic(provided she dosen't write it first) I only get 15 responses..

I feel shortchanged.

I think that changes (evolves) as you become more familiar to the regulars. I still don't get tons of responses (but then I rarely have anything I want to go so public with). I'm more of a drive-by commentator. Common Tater? Common Tah Toe? (Let's call the whole thing off)...

never mind-

Nice!


I think a lot of it has to do with who is seeing what when. Like, for instance, sometimes I see the most current posts listed on the main page and just jump to those. Other times, I look through each section for anything I should respond to. So sometimes, if someone has posted the same thing as you but people see theirs before yours, they jump to that one. You know?

It's nothing personal, I'm sure.

I'm pretty indiscriminate with my comments chiefly because I get all my WP Feeds via RSS. This means that I get the subject and one or two lines of text. Since WP has a lot of postings (my WP RSS Feed has 182 unread items in it right now), you've only got a few lines to grab my attention.

A catchy subject title, or an interesting (but short) first paragraph will usually do the trick.

The older members are probably a bit more experienced in writing intros which catch attention but that is really all there is to it.

There's no conspiracy.

Dude, it is only the Internet. You are delving into the realms of taking it far too seriously.

I've noticed it myself.

The internet is serious business!! !!!11!!11!

Srs bsns.

But really, WP is like any community you encounter. It takes time to be accepted. I've been here a while and probably still am not really a "regular." Just get to know people and don't worry about it too much.

I experience the same thing, but just take it easy

bolding added by me

Views aren't shared equally. If one poster has a viewpoint that is shared by many, many will respond.

well when i first came here about 1 year ago, i expected to be taken notice of because i thought my ideas were valid and would deserve a response.

when i got no responses, i got a bit annoyed and thought that this forum is like any NT meeting place where the loudest and most confident and "friendliest" (socially conducive) people are the dominant speakers and definers.

i tried very hard to write posts that were from a "unique" perspective" that was not otherwise referred to in the thread.

when i posted, i felt like it was my turn to talk, and i put much energy into framing my thoughts, and the next poster after me seemed to just "step up on a box" and "talk over my head" to some poster before me.

i thought "uh huh. i get it. they are all old friends of each other and they are not interested in new people".

i was wrong. i asked my friend sonia to read my posts and assess why they were ignored. she is bi-polar, but otherwise very NT and aware of social protocol, and she told me that my posts came across as proclamatory, and they did not invite replies.
like.. i did not say "what do you guys think?" or include other "hooks" on which to draw peoples consideration to respond.
she says i am too locked inside myself, and just state my case as a proclamation, and not in the manner of a reciprocative debate. i think she is correct.

i know this is not relevant to your personality, and i do not suggest you suffer the same problems as me, but what i have seen is that the people who are very curious as to what others think about an "easy to talk about" issue will get many replies.

people who are less affected by autism will be more easy to reply to, so they are the ones who get most of the replies.

there are some posters here who should be in the advertising and marketing industry.
they can start a thread from a simple idea that takes off and spawns a 100+ page thread.

what about the "count to a million" thread? that was obviously a genius genesis, but i never would have thought of it myself. i would have imagined that that idea would be howled out with derision, and the thread would contain 4-5 supercilious replies before it died. but the author of that thread had the magic ability of "social prediction".

anyway i am rambling now so i will go and find another thread to dress myself in.

So much hinges on how you write your thread.

For example; B9's post was so well considered that it seems that all bases are covered. There's nowhere else to go with that post, no reply makes sense other than a one liner "well said" or QFT.

Sometimes you're better off leaving some holes for people to respond to;
examples:
- Raising an idea but not clarifying it
- Making a deliberate mistake, omission or generalisation
- Posting media or a web link and asking for comments/feedback
- Asking direct questions
- Saying something controversial (but not insulting)

I once asked on another AS forum why that my posts never seem to get responded to like other people's, and they told me that it was because my posts are so thorough, and well written that there's really nothing left to add. It does seem like I'm getting ignored sometimes, but I've been told by several people that my input is appreciated. I guess sometimes, no one really thinks to let others know that they appreciate their posts. I know that some of my favorite posters don't know that they are. It never occurs to me to tell them so.

Gbollard made some good suggestions. Numbers 3, and 4 are a good way to make threads, and get responses. The other ones kinda make me mad when other people do them, and I generally avoid such topics, but that's just me. Just post, and try not to worry about how many responses you get. Easier said than done, I know...

If everyone posted a response to say they liked the previous response, threads would be full of compliments.

I used to do that; on other forums, I would comment to say I agreed or just laugh at something humorous. But I'm trying not to be annoying anymore, because people make fun of me for talking/posting a lot... I only respond when I have something useful to say now. Or I try to be useful, anyway.

Is there anything that's easier done than said?