Small steps to reduce confusion here on WP.

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22 Sep 2021, 2:39 pm

Posts with 100 words (or less) with three paragraph-breaks are more likely to pique interest than wordy posts with very little in the way of paragraph-breaks.

Wordy content might even discourage readers from otherwise important content!

JustFoundHere
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23 Sep 2021, 2:50 pm

JustFoundHere wrote:

ADDENDUM: It can be difficult to organize posts - hence it can be natural to develop wordy-content. It's best to organize posts based-on the gist of what previous posters are communicating - hence guidance on posting content of 100 words or less.

mohsart
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23 Sep 2021, 5:00 pm

I can second the aversion of long/wordy posts. I tend to not read them. In particular if they are just a massive chunk of words without line breaks.

/Mats

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JustFoundHere
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27 Sep 2021, 2:40 pm

One of many approaches to reducing confusion here on WP might come from scrolling back a few pages to evaluate the gist of months-old discussion threads.

The purpose of evaluating previous discussion threads is to spot important issues which have abruptly lost interest - that is important discussion-threads abruptly forgotten.

Why does the collective conscious of WP "drop the ball" on such important issues??

I draw from personal experiences regarding High Functioning Autism (HFA) - that is too little emphasis of those of us with HFA whose experiences can be described as "not being able enough, yet not being disabled enough." In short, being "caught in that "loudly quiet" overlooked middle" - being at those odd, awkward ends of everything, and just about everyone.

Anyways, spotting forgotten discussion threads on important issues, and deciding which threads to bump-up is more of an art than a science - an art-form which must be learned!

JustFoundHere
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08 Oct 2021, 5:00 pm

One step to curb confusion might be to 'Private Message' (PM) an original poster of a discussion thread esp. if the progress and dynamic of a thread increasingly overlooks the original purpose of the thread.

mohsart
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19 Oct 2021, 4:00 pm

Not to reduce confusion, but to keep the place better:
DON'T USE AVATARS THAT FLICKERS!! !
Movement is OK, but when it's like a stroboscope...

/Mats

cyberdad
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19 Oct 2021, 4:26 pm

Joe90 wrote:

I'm not going to lie; I do get a little frustrated when people can't spell or write out their posts properly. I know they probably don't mean it (although some people do actually have their own way of spelling certain words even if they know it's not spelt that way, and I'm not talking about American-English). And I try not to be rude to them.

I think it's fair to have minimum standards but it's unrealistic to demand this of all members. Many of us take short-cuts and frankly sometimes I'm just too lazy to word-check my writing.

Secondly we need to be culturally tolerant as English is not the first language for everyone on this forum.

And (yes of course) third some users have communication/education deficits.

I know there are a few budding writers on this forum, may I recommend starting a sticky thread for those of us who profess to be amateur writers, where those who are "boffins" can provide feedback on anything ranging from simple grammar, punctation, spelling (English/American) all the way to content advice.

JustFoundHere
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19 Oct 2021, 4:46 pm

Reassessing...........this discussion-thread (thread has two-dozen responses as of this writing) provides a good refresher on the several steps we can apply to reduced confusion!

ADDENDUM: Reassessing this discussion thread offers that refresher to the "collective conscious" of WP to reduce confusion!

Last edited by JustFoundHere on 19 Oct 2021, 5:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Fnord
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19 Oct 2021, 4:49 pm

Who is this "we" of whom you speak? Are you a business associate of Alex Plank?

HeroOfHyrule
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19 Oct 2021, 4:55 pm

mohsart wrote:

Not to reduce confusion, but to keep the place better:
DON'T USE AVATARS THAT FLICKERS!! !
Movement is OK, but when it's like a stroboscope...

/Mats

Avatars like this disorient me and make me nauseous. I don't think I've seen people with GIFs as avatars on here, but when I see those specific types on other sites I have to click off the page.

mohsart
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19 Oct 2021, 5:27 pm

HeroOfHyrule wrote:

Avatars like this disorient me and make me nauseous. I don't think I've seen people with GIFs as avatars on here, but when I see those specific types on other sites I have to click off the page.

I've seen it and it really disturbs me.
If you dislike me and don't want me to reply, a good ol gif will do the job

/Mats

JustFoundHere
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17 Jan 2022, 7:40 pm

JustFoundHere wrote:

Lengthy WP content is difficult to read. Understanding the gist of content is most difficult of all - esp. on account of no paragraph breaks.

Paragraph-breaks alone can boost interest - which can subsequently be reflected here on WP!

Hence proofreading before posting content might just make all of the difference!

Nemesis2k7
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30 Jan 2022, 5:47 am

JustFoundHere wrote:

Decided to place this discussion thread in the 'In-Depth Adult Life Discussion' Forum - on account of getting older wiser, and needing to slow-down. Hence, reassessing roles here on WP.

By the very nature of the Autism Spectrum, it is common to express things in tangents; it is what it is.

It's best to be mindful that too much confusion might discourage people concerned with Autism Spectrum to overlook important discussions here on WP!

Potential steps to reduce confusion here on WP:

* Reconsidering the 'QUOTE' option (the 'REPLY' option is fine to a point) to respond to discussion threads might help curb cumbersome discussion threads, maintain continuity, and reduce confusion.

* One step is to reconsider how to maintain discussion threads to around a maximum of twenty-five posts (which seems optimum).

* Limiting post sizes might better invite users to apply the 'QUOTE' option. With up to twenty-five posts to scan through, one can readily decide which posts to 'QUOTE' within managed-sized discussion threads - again maintaining continuity, and limiting confusion.

Anybody have additional ideas regarding small steps towards curbing confusion here on WP?

i have not noticed anyone being confused, here yet. i find the quote function is actually good. as you can easily keep track of the conversation and replies

Nemesis2k7
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30 Jan 2022, 5:50 am

Fnord wrote:

Who is this "we" of whom you speak? Are you a business associate of Alex Plank?

OP is refering to themself. and for some reason, generalizing that to everyone else. and it simply is not true

JustFoundHere
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30 Jan 2022, 7:09 pm

Nemesis2k7 wrote:

Fnord wrote:

Who is this "we" of whom you speak? Are you a business associate of Alex Plank?

OP is refering to themself. and for some reason, generalizing that to everyone else. and it simply is not true

Clarification: Best to refer to the collective conscious (mentioned as 'we') of the WP community in order to encourage consensus.

Twolf
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24 Sep 2023, 4:14 am

Quote:

By the very nature of the Autism Spectrum, it is common to express things in tangents; it is what it is.

I do this. Some don't. Some are very concise and precise in their linguistic abilities. I am a creative type, so my words will meander.

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