Smiles and paragraphs in forums

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How do you get better with using smilies and better paragraph formatting in forum posts. Does this even vary for different forums?

I feel like a social outcast on forums because I rarely keep track of other people's online names, similar to being face blind when physically interacting. I only once used smiles and i am not a give-and-take on forum conversations.

Pay attention to how you feel when you post. Pick a smiley that matches your feelings.


I was taught that a paragraph should be about 5-10 sentences long. I make mine shorter if I'm discussing something complex, or if I only have a little to say (just a few sentences) before I go to my next point.

Also, you can do it visually: Look at what you typed before you click "Submit." You can use "Preview" if you like. If some of your paragraphs look like one huge blob of text, split them up.

I feel paragraphs should reflect SPECFIC, INDIVIDUAL thoughts. We Spectrumites tend to express single thoughts in sentences.

The best thing: present the thoughts, then synthesize (compare, combine, and contrast) the thoughts during the final paragraph (this would serve as the conclusion of your idea).

All this would serve you well when you're doing papers for college.