Your buddy, ShashiJapan4, here again to bring you tidbits of information to help YOU- And, more specifically, help the community flourish by having more thought-provoking, interesting, clever or funny threads. No, I'm not taking shots at anyone, nor am I taking a shot at the community as a whole. Any help is always good help. Let's get on with it.
First point: Grammar is key.
By having at least decent spelling and syntax, you can help the overall aesthetics of your thread. More people will be inclined to reply because they automatically see it as "Not spam". That, as well as the fact that it's easier to read and easier to get a point across and connect with a reader if you have more legible grammar.
Second point: Don't even think your thread idea is original.
Just don't do it. Most chance, someone has already thought of the same thread idea; whether it be in the same forum or another. This is why you have to go through a few measures to make it original. Take a step back and look at the general idea of the thread. Now, look at it from different perspectives. If you ask a simple question like "Do you like the hot or cold?", most chance, it'll be a thread full of pointless two-word posts. That's never good. Never keep it simple. Complicate it by putting the reader into a different state-of-mind so they can see things from another viewpoint via your thread. There are other techniques but I don't feel like typing that much. Just try feeling around for very interesting, fun ideas.
Third point: Srsly, don't ask simple questions. It's kind of a waste of space.
Self-exclamatory.
Fourth point: Speak your mind, but also go against yourself.
My point here is to tell yourself to shove off. Be the Devil's Advocate sometimes. This can make debate threads VERY interesting. This goes hand-in-hand with point two.
Fifth point: Walls of text are really horrible.
Do you see how I'm separating out each point in my thread? Try doing that if you have lots of text. Make paragraphs. There's a reason they taught you to make paragraphs in English class- It makes it easier to read. If you have a huge wall of text without any spaces between points, it can seem like a daunting task to a reader to read it all. They just plain out won't read it most of the time. It can be as legible as the best writers out there but it also has to be readable.
Sixth point: Always keep your personality.
Yes, I did say to play the Devil's Advocate sometimes but that doesn't mean you can't keep your own personality. Be yourself and keep your demeanor. Nobody likes someone that's fake. I am who I am and I do what I do- You should do the same. It's easier to connect with someone that's showing their personality via text. And, yes, it is possible to show personality/demeanor via text. Try it sometime. People love human interaction. Let your readers get involved with an actual person, not just some automaton that copy and pasted from a Wiki page to make their thread. Make your thread YOURS.
That's about it for now. If anybody else has something to contribute, do it. Lots of new people may not know the finer points of making good threads as much as others. So, let's give them the courtesy of knowledge to help out the whole. :3
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