Town Magazine / Review?

[Tim Lund]

somerandombloke's objection to me posting at excessive length in the Town Pub makes me wonder if I would have done better to put in the Café - thinking of it, maybe like the what I've written about gardening these last few weeks, as the sort of thing you might see in the magazine or review section of the Sunday papers, but wouldn't expect to bother about unless it interested you. If it does interest you initially - somerandombloke said he "loved the Dam" - but it annoys you, then it would be fair enough to have a go at it in the Pub.

Is that reasonable, or am I being over sensitive?

[admin]

Tim, one way to sneak something naughty passed me is to bung it near the end of a long piece. Unless you captivate me in the first para than the eyes glaze and move onto the next.

IMHO its a function of the medium. Forums are like pubs - fast snappy interaction between the participants. Somebody who leans back and starts pontificating is taking control of the discussion and, unless its is compelling to ALL concerned it can kill or derail the discussion.

Whereas I do enjoy reading lengthy, well thought out and referenced articles that appear in blogs. The comment section at the end can also be very fulfilling. That is a different dynamic. One person defines the conversation, others accept that implicitly by commenting.

I'm already getting too long here. All I'll say is that if your missive fills more than half the screen consider putting it in your own blog and just put a précis here. Yep, précis - a fine old underused English concept

Admin

[somerandombloke]

Yep I agree if I have to scroll to finish it on the lap top I aint gonna read it. Do a 4 line summery and a link to you blog. An forget about the pictures they just take up space.

[admin]

I think I should add one way to keep a post short and tight is to keep to a single point and make it clear. Juggling ideas with external links in the text just doesn't work for me. The forum format, unlike blogs, means you can add other points later. Answering multipoint postings is like swatting a swarm of midges. Much flailing, few hits. Waste of time.

Putting links as sources or further reading at the end works best for me. And then a max of two or three.

Admin

[Rachael]

I did wonder whether Tim's gardening thread would be better posted on a personal blog than here. How does admin feel about 'hosting' Tim's gardening blog? To be clear, if admin's happy, it doesn't bother me, but it seems like an unusual use of a discussion forum.

To answer the OP about lengthy posts, I have to be REALLY interested to read anything at length online (although not in other media). A long posts doesn't seem to invite discussion, and I very quickly lose interest.

[Robin Orton]

I think inserting hyperlinks as references to one's sources should rarely be necessary in the pub (unless someone challenges one's facts.) We're not writing academic papers or giving lectures or participating in a seminar. We don't come here to be educated (although that may be a benign by- product). We want an argument. We don't want to know how well-read you are but what you think, so that we can challenge and, if possible, refute your views, and, hopefully, send you off with your tail between your legs and howling with shame.

[leenewham]

It's more effective to say more with less.

In todays Twitter age, fast fashion and texts, our attentions spans are shorter, so I'd make the first paragraph riveting.

And then stop.