Splat On! is dying. At least I think it might be and I know I’m not the only one.
Here are some of my observations:
- While the MMM and the FOF still get lots of posts, the often more interesting, well researched and more detailed posts in the middle of the week are lucky to get more than 20 posts these days. Although I have noticed a bit of an upswing recently. But, even though there may be a lot of posts, they’re from the same 10-20 people.
- We don’t argue much anymore. We seem to have become a community of agreers and patters-on-the-back. I want to have a fight. I want someone to violently, yet politely, disagree with me and be willing to argue it. (I have been pleased to see some actual differences of opinion this week. They give me hope.)
- With multiple people writing the blog, it’s necessary for us to schedule posts ahead of time. This has led to a distinct lack of comment on the media stories of the day (as Evan used to do) and which used to keep the blog fresh and engender lots of opinion swapping.
- We have become a community. Which is great, but we’re rather an insular community and I think it would be quite confronting for new people to join in, a bit like walking into a party where all the other guests are already there and are close friends and the new person is the only stranger. When was the last time someone new came out of the woodwork and actually stayed around? I’m sorry but, if we don’t encourage new people to join Splat On!, I think it’s going to die.
I don’t want this blog to die. So, for me, there are some questions.
Why don’t the lurkers post (and we know they are there)? Why don’t more people comment on the mid-week posts and why aren’t there more differences of opinion? Is it because those mid-week posts tend to be quite comprehensive? Are we writing too much on a topic; should we just sketch the issue and let the rest of the community do the discussion? Is it that people are too lazy to comment? Are they afraid other people will think they’re stupid? Are they afraid that their writing’s not good enough and I will pounce on any grammatical errors? Is it just that the bulk of people want to MMM and FOF and forget about the rest? I can’t believe that, even though we’re a community of people who are similar in many ways, there are not many many issues on which we have widely differing opinions.
I don’t know. I’ve loved the posts that have been on Splat On! so far. And what attracted me to the original Splat! was the range of topics and learning something new not the FOF which, to be frank, I can live without. Yes, I suppose it’s great to see what we all have planned for the weekend and to ask for and give support when needed (and I am very grateful for the support I received when mum was dying) but it’s not enough for me. I want debate, I want to have fun, I want to learn things, I want to argue for my point of view, I want to meet new people.
What do you think? Is everything fine and I’m deluded? Or is this something we should be thinking about? Agree or disagree, I want to hear your opinions.
Tweet this!
I’ve been feeling really bad about my lack of participation. I love Splat On but it’s getting too hard to post in the mornings. A receptionist can sit on the desk and type up a few paragraphs no sweat. A teacher, on the other hand, has to talk to people and at people all the time.
I have a long lunch but I tend to feel that posting after 12pm can be pointless. It makes me sad.
If you want arguing, here it is! Pokey, you split an infinitive so hard in your dot points… Grr! Ok, I fail at angry AND I’ve probably made multiple grammatical errors in the process.
I wasn’t trying to make anyone feel guilty. And I enjoyed writing that split infinitive
.
It was a nice, big split (three words, two commas). I wonder what the biggest possible split is?
You didn’t make me feel guilty, I’ve been feeling guilty all year.
The thing is that it’s natural that some people will drift off whether it’s because of work or family or some other pressure taking up time or because they just move on. That happens, it’s completely understandable and there’s absolutely no reason to feel guilty about it. But, if we don’t attract new people to the blog, eventually this attrition means that the blog will die.
Me too, but don’t feel guilty. x
Reports suggest that incidences of split infinitives are expected to more than double in the next ten years.
I feel so dirty
You should. Incidences? {shudder}
I’ll return my spelling comp trophy now. No wait it was a typo
I would like to honestly, humbly, frustratedly, immoderately and sleepily agree and I just realised that your split could be as long as the number of adverbs you can think of to completely and ultimately fit in your sentence.
The dirt won’t come off
That is one of the things that has spoiled it for me. Apart from Mondays and Thursdays I can only get a post or two off before I go to work, and before most people have started posting. It is totally pointless posting after 3.00pm and an exercise in futility to post when I get home after 6.00pm (although sometimes I still do, even if only to let the trickle of other late posters know that they have been read).
So, most days, for me there isn’t that interaction I used to have. My guess is that most people post only from work. When it was Splat! there were more people from other time zones and I suspect that is partly what kept it alive outside work hours.
I still read when I get home! Lets start posting late! I check back at the blog pretty much all day. Sometimes I don’t get on until after 12.
Same!
Can someone please explain Grammar to me??
My-backwards-overly-sporty-under-educated-public-schooling failed me!
Grammar is that old biddy who smells like eucalyptus and plays lawn bowls.
yo mama’s mama
I agree and disagree.
We were never going to be Splat! because we’re not experienced or paid writers. Many of us do not have the time to post during the day. There are not many with the experience he’s had. We also do not have the traffic of news.com.au.
That being said, we’ve had several new people join this blog, even a new poster this week (see the end of What Makes a Hero?). So Mel and Scoobs are new and post semi-regularly. We’ve also had several lurkers step out and become members of the community. And create well thought out posts that mean I am not scrambling for one the night before. We had a number of weeks recently where I’ve had to delay posts because they were already signed up for. Also, some posts will not have huge numbers because we agree with what the person has said, and Evan had those too.
This is not to say I don’t agree that we need fresh blood, more posters and to meet some of our lurking members. Or that it won’t contribute to the longevity of the blog. And debate is fun, but abuse is not – I do not want more Jack’s. I see enough of that crud elsewhere on the Internet.
Agreed. I think that’s one of the best things about this blog; disagreement without abuse.
Agreed. We don’t need that kind of abuse, but we do need to be able to disagree with each other and discuss why and perhaps illumine each other’s views.
I feel that my post contributed to the effort of agreeable disagreement this week. It makes me happy.
If I am lucky I get a couple of minutes to post before going to work. My posts are usually short.
If I post after work, it is just the usual crew who still read. That’s fine with me, but it reduces impetus a bit.
With apologies to Harls (definitely no insult intended) I do not have the mental capacity to answer his muses in any way effectively. So I do not post. It is not that I think people will think I am dumb (I get enough of that at work) but I cannot think of anything to say that would contribute to the conversation.
Pokelyn, you have a lot of valid points – I am afraid I cannot think of any solutions.
I will look forward to reading some after work today.
They are meant to be fun, not put-offs. For me at least, a joke on the topic is always acceptable, and a funny (even if tangential) post on the topic is great. They can often lead to interesting thoughts and conversations and there is no rule about staying on topic as far as I’m concerned.
I had the feeling the simulation post scared a lot of people off. It was meant to be fun. I thought there was scope for all sorts of discussion on religion and free will and a host of other things and that there would be plenty of scope for humour in it all. If you look at my responses you will see I was having fun with it much more than taking it seriously, but because these ideas are very interesting to me and may be to others I go to a lot of trouble to insert links with more information. That’s just there for those who may be interested, it’s not meant to make it serious and daunting and I apologise if that is the effect it has.
I have to admit, I thought that post had a lot of potential and it fell flat. I even delayed changing my avatar (something I have been meaning to do for months) until late the night before so it would first appear in that post. Then, if someone asked about it, I could claim it was always that avatar (the best bit being, it gets reflected back through all the old posts), in line with the concept of the topic. That’s my idea of funny. Mrs H keeps telling me I’m not funny, maybe she’s right.
I think the simulation post was just a bit heavy for first thing Monday Morning.
Just got in. Might do a bit of a MMM to see how people’s weekends were – OMG REALITY ISN’T REAL AND I AM JUST A FIGMENT OF MY OWN IMAGINATION… curls up in foetal position.
etc.
Plus I dont know about you all but my Mondays are too hectic to be able to post prior to the lunchtime dwindle of comments.
Which is sad because I would have really loved to contribute to that post but just didnt find the time.
It might have been a better post as a stand alone, away from an MMM too. I found it quite an interesting concept, but I think when there are substantial posts in an MMM or a FOF they can get lost in everyone’s day to day chat.
I quite agree. I post Monday because it is the only day that I can contribute/moderate/join in all day and I sort of feel obliged to on my own posts. Also, I like to join in the discussion on my own posts. However, I take your point.
If that’s the case, perhaps we could at the very least run two posts on Mondays and Fridays? We could have a straight MMM and FOF, as well as a actual post like on the Tues, Wed and Thurs. This way we have a general ‘chat’ forum, as well as a post with a bit more structure. I sometimes find it difficult to say what I want to say about both the topic and what’s happening in my life. By the time I finish, my comment is very, very long and then I think no one will actually want to read through all that!
Seconded!
That is a good idea.
Oh, come on, who doesn’t enjoy starting the week with a bit of existential angst?
Me. My brain is full of vegemite sandwiches, ponytails, signed permission slips, lost school shoes and someone smelly or loud on the train.
Yes, but that’s only in this version of the simulation. Maybe.
As one of the lurkers (and occasional poster), just thought I’d add my two cents worth. For me personally, I still read SplatOn most days but it tends to be in the evenings or sometimes even a few days later. Personal internet use is strongly frowned upon at my new job, so can only read posts in the evenings. Since most of the posts dry up by about midday, I don’t bother commenting at 8-9pm (except FOF sometimes as there are a few late posters on there such as Cazzy and Seashells). Only reading (and posting!) early today as had to send an email before heading to work
I still find SplatOn an interesting place to visit, and love many of the regulars’ sense of humour, and points of view. However, I think Pokey is correct in that there is a lot of agreement these days and very few debates. I do enjoy a healthy debate, so maybe some more controversial topics need to be introduced every now and again? I do appreciate that the regular main posters are busy people and write/keep this site going in their own time – so thanks to all of you. You all deserve a big pat on the back
Please bother to post later in the evening! Sometimes that’s the first chance I, and many others, get to read through the posts. The day we can post at 2am and get a response is the day SplatOn SplatsOnandOn.
We are now a national blog, not an international blog too
I’ll do my best to spread the posts to international friends. I see people reading posts that they see I’ve liked but they don’t post… but I know who they are…
I like the new avatar.
Agreed! Finally, an avatar
Haven Maven also needs an avatar – if only her current stock avatar didn’t look so much like real Haven…
Looks like Goku as a penguin
There are some great points there, Pokey. I also miss the daily “current affairs” posts that Evan would write on Splat!
I think the nature of Splat On! is quite different. Because posts are scheduled in advance there does seem to be some picking & choosing of topics that we all might find interesting or agree with. Maybe we need to choose some intentionally controversial topics (I know I’m not much help here, having only written two posts myself).
I know for myself, if I see an opinion I don’t agree with, I don’t necessarily challenge it. Maybe there needs to be more of that from all of us. I think the fact that we’re such a close knit group, we don’t challenge or disagree out of politeness or wanting to avoid offending one another. Maybe you’re right, Pokey, and we need to start doing that more (and commit to not getting offended if someone does challenge our opinion). I have no doubt that we can incorporate more healthy debate without falling into the trolling/abusive type situation of many online communities.
That has been my impression for a while. Stuff the politeness,let’s have a debate.
The beauty of a great debate between friends is that they can still be friends at the end of it. Bring it on, I say.
Oh god… I’m agreeing with you, aren’t I?!
To avoid the death of SplatOn!, it needs to become a 24 hour posting. Currently, a topic is discussed generally for a morning only (with a few of us readers later in the day), and people generally do not bother posting on previous days’ postings as they do not feel people will see their response. It would be great if, like a forum, topics with recent responses are included in a chronological list for readers to view (maybe most recent 5?). But then, I’m not the technological guru, we should leave that to the insect
That’s a good point. I’m sure that if we thought other people were still reading, debate would go on for more than half a day per post.
I wonder if not posting daily would actually help this? Don’t get me wrong, I love daily posts because it gives me something new and interesting to think about every morning. But if each day there’s a new topic to go on to, we forget about the old one straight away. If there was no new post, perhaps we’d continue debating the old one.
On the other hand, having a fresh topic each morning stops the last one from getting stale.
It depends – I think you still ned a “regular” posting schedule. If not daily, then on known specific days.
My experience on other blogs, forums, web comics, etc has been that if the updates aren’t happening on a reasonably known schedule, people tend to forget to come back and check.
Yes I agree, you certainly need a schedule. And its interesting, because on the one hand, we want more discussion on posts, so it makes sense to leave one sitting as the main post for a little longer. But on the other hand, we have so much to talk about, we want lots of posts. So scaling back the number of posts isn’t really practical – particularly for a community blog where everyone wants to contribute.
Maybe extend the Comments feed?
Try it, the one right up in the top right hand corner.
Great minds think alike.
Fools never differ.
Whoops, submitted accidentally. I meant to add that I always like to think I’m a great mind rather than a fool when I agree with someone.
Depends on who or what you’re agreeing with!
Isn’t the quote: “Fools seldom differ?” :p /argument
SplatOn Poll: Who among the posters is actually a registered member?
Some time ago, I found I was unable to post because the site kept throwing wordpress errors back at me. I wasn’t even able to register. At first, it was telling me that my email address was not a valid one. I thought it was because I have an underscore directly before the @ as this has happened elsewhere. Back in Yahoo! Mail’s early days, before you could even get a .au at the end of your address, someone had taken the one I wanted, and I didn’t want to be some bozo with a random number. So I just have an underscore. Anyway.
Trying with another email address with no underscores threw the same error.
Trying to register threw the same error.
Using different browsers on different computers at different locations threw the same error. (I don’t have access to a Mac anymore, so I couldn’t try that).
I missed the SplatOn Birthday FOF!
In the end, the benevolent Smocust registered me, now I can post again.
Perhaps the lurkers can’t post?
Please everybody, are you registered on this site? Or do you just put your details in (or have your browser remember them) every time you post?
Have you ever had an error thrown at you?
I had a few problems for a few weeks there, but being registered meant I logged in and fixed the issue. I would recommend doing it.
Hooray I finally registered!!
Bah, it was supposed to put that below my comment… grrrr
You can register…? Yeah, I’m pretty sure my computer just remembers me. Oops…
Registered I think?!
I use the login thing on the right hand side before I post. I don’t fill out that little form for every post.
I’m lazy <_<?
Not Registered, I get errors sometimes and cant post.
Its frustrating, but I figured it was ’cause my comment wasnt needed.
Yes, it’s the programmer of the simulation telling you to get up and mow the lawn.
Or do the washing – ’cause you know I’m a girl and S*it
Oh how traditional. Are you going to tell me that I shouldn’t be at home looking after my little man because I’m a bloke and crap?
(If your sarcasm meter isn’t going off, check it)
I iron my own shirts too.
I played netball when I was 8 years old simply because they told me it was for girls only.
I said mow the lawn to tie it back with the simulation post, as lawn mowing was mentioned. But hey if you have washing to do… actually I do… bbs
Heeeyyyyyy there’s a post… breaking down gender specific roles.
LOL
Agreed definitely think that one would be good for some banter!
Here’s the grain of salt to go with my previous post
Or here, perhaps
Mmm… Salty… *Licks*
Ugh! Jess and D@m0, I have washing to do and have been stubbornly avoiding it all day. You aren’t helping!
Hey Loller I have washing to do and stuff to pack for my trip but I’m stuck at work… If I cant do it, no one else should be able to do it either
My washing’s on
*Is jealous…. realises how sad that is… cries*
Don’t be. It’s just quilt covers with baby spew on them
What I have to look forward to!
Your comments are always needed! (As are everyone elses!)
If there’s dramas with the registration, drop me a line and I’ll look into it. I know we get a lot of automated spammers abusing the registration system (because they think it bypasses the filters – it doesn’t) so I’ve got a filter on there too. But if it misbehaves, I’ll remove the filter.
How about some opinions then?
Should Ernie and Bert get married?
If they were truly gay.. Yes!
Hmm. That reminds me. That was a post I wanted to do. Ridiculous foisting of adult values on to children’s shows/book characters.
I’m so glad you didn’t miss the o
LMFAO
(Also probably NSFW)
Wow, somehow I messed that up big time.
Maybe they need to have a discussion like Rod and Nicky? NSFW http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_Yp1nMMRWQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I thought Rubber Duckie was the one? Maybe Ernie is just a big slut.
I think not. Not because I disagree with gay marriage (I fully support gay marriage), but for two reasons:
1. Smoph’s point of putting an adult point of view on children’s characters – just let them be who/what they are and have been for decades
2. Even if we did put adult views on them, we all know that when the two main characters *finally* get together it spoils the tension and the will-they-won’t-they anticipation, the question has been answered and maybe we are disappointed.
I agree… And the point of Bert and Ernie (as said in the article) is that they are two friends who are polar opposites, teaching children that even though someone may be different, you can still be their friend!
Or maybe this Sesame Street?
Warning – Definetly NOT safe for work or children!
O
Well, that puts a different spin on it, doesn’t it?!
hee hee…
Sesame street is written in America. They’d go to jail if they got married.
It’s produced in New York isn’t it? Gay marriage is now legal in New York (thank His noodly greatness).
Definitely, they should not get married. But only because Bert is evil. (NSFW in some parts) and therefore not good enough for him.
Bert and Ernie shouldn’t get married because they’re not gay. When I was a kid, I just assumed they were friends who shared a house together. Nothing weird about that at all, it happens all the time. It’s only been as I’ve got older that people have tried to put the view that they’re gay onto me.
However I do believe the subject of homosexuality and gay marriage should probably be discussed in a children’s show like Sesame Street. I mean, there are probably more kids out there who are being raised in families with two mummies or two daddies, so there should be an outlet for them in a children’s show. Otherwise they’re probably going to wonder if there is something different about their family because they’re never shown on their favourite shows.
I agree with you Rydell, to a point.
Is there anything bad with being different? I dont believe so.
Sure it is bad to be made to feel that your family is “wrong” but that is not the same as feeling that your family is different.
Children are a lot more accepting than adults give them credit for.
Honestly I think the world has become too politically correct, how are you going to feel that your family is special / unique when everywhere you look you are being show that it is normal?
When did being normal become a good thing and being different become a bad thing, and is this really the way we want to raise our children??
The world is definitely way too politically correct. And yes, I get your point about being different isn’t a bad thing. But considering most kids growing up in those different families are probably made to feel their family is wrong, what harm could there be in having shows make them seem a little more normal?
*Trys to form a coherent sentance… fails… types anyway*
Who is making them feel wrong though? If they feel that their family is normal at home surely that feeling will translate to their school / work / life??
Why is “peer pressure” forming society? Because that to me is what is happening. We are so scared of people being victimised that we are letting that pressure form the basis of society. TV shows reflecting every kind of race / gender / lifestyle choice arent going to make people feel better about their family if their parents feel bad about it.
I imagine the family itself wouldn’t have a problem with it, obviously, because they formed the family. Unfortunately there are still some parts of society who would look at it as not being normal. And no matter how good that child feels about their family, when they go to school and they encounter the children of these other parts of society who are homophobic, well… kids can be cruel. And it would take a very strong child to stand up the kind of abuse they could cop.
But I agree that peer pressure shouldn’t be forming society. Or even that we shouldn’t be changing everything to suit the opinion of a small, yet vocal, minority. Political correctness has gone completely bonkers. But I think that having those TV shows goes that next step to acceptance by society as a whole.
I agree that there needs to be acceptance by society, but I dont agree with media ramming (In most cases the Media Mougals) point of view down the throat of everyone who just wants their kid to settle down and stop tearing the house apart.
It’s a similar situation to excluding minorities. Just saying…
I think that things won’t properly change until we have a new generation of kids where there’s more acceptance than fear in the community. Then maybe the media will be of more help than hindrance.
The problem then becomes how do we get that new generation without getting the molly-coddled generation we have now who are all to happy to shout social injustice at the drop of a hat!
That is a quandary, and unfortunately I don’t have an answer at this time. I have to believe that there’s a way to find a happy medium between the soft generation and the hard generation, but I just don’t know how to do it.
I seriously hope so! (and couldnt have said it better!)
I’m going to sort of disagree here. I think it’s up to a parent to decide if they want to educate there children on such matters and I don’t think it should be done through a children’s tv show or in schools for that matter.
Maybe that opinion is based on my upbringing. We didn’t learn about homosexuality in school, as far as I can remember, which is most likely because of being in Christian schools. (?)
The message can’t be controlled by the parent, that could be a positive or negative feature, and the point might not be anything like the parent imagined the child would learn.
I’m not saying it’s a completely bad idea but there will be MANY toes stepped on if such a thing were to be discussed on a children’s show.
There would definitely be a lot of outraged people.
I agree with you to a point Bubbles.
I think it should be up the parents until a certain age (say perhaps 10) Like Sex Education.
Parents should have right of first refusal so to speak, about subjects such as religion, sexuality etal. But there should definately be something somewhere to offer a different point of view so that the children can make an “informed decision” about their opinion and not live their lives by their parents bias. If that makes sense at all?
Makes sense to me. Maybe parents should be able to choose up until, say, 10, that their child only be ‘educated’ as such about the topic by the parents. Then there be a class in school that presents the topic in a completely unbiased fashion.
The thing that worries me about that though, is that you could have a bunch of kids being raised by parents who have homophobic views and so forcefully have that put onto them, that when they get into those classes, they don’t have an open mind to things possibly being a different way. Then you have a new generation of Fred Nile’s and I don’t know if anyone wants that.
The problem with living in a free society is that everyone else has the right to believe things and live ways that we don’t agree with. And so these parents have the right to raise their children in a homophobic belief, in the same way that parents have the right to raise their children to believe in a certain religion.
People have to tolerate, not accept differences. I have the right to teach my children what I believe, they have a right to do the same. We both have to tolerate each other’s opinion and way of life, not agree with it. We might say they’re damaging their children’s lives. But they’d probably say the same about mine.
Agreed HEA.
I dont think that main stream media has the right to decide what a parent teaches their child. I may not agree with what someone wants to teach their child but Its not my place to try to make them change.
Yeah Jess + Rydell! I think the age limit was what I was thinking.
It’s just I would rather my own kids be to learning how to count, know colours and general basic development before delving into the complicated relationships business.
I think the option and information should be easily accessible but not as such a young age.
HEA, I agree about tolerance. Maybe that’s the point most people are missing? Everyone seems to want to force acceptance, not realising that it’s more about tolerance than anything else.
And Bubbles, I agree that kids should probably be learning the basics of things, but maybe the basics of relationships does mean that you can love someone, no matter their gender?
(Hey look everyone, it’s a debate with differences of opinion happening!!
)
I hereby designate this post NSFFN (Not safe for Fred Nile).
No they shouldn’t.
I have never perceived them as a gay couple and I don’t think we should just all of a sudden make them gay to be all cushiony on society.
Two very different personalities but still friends. It’s a nice lesson to teach children.
I don’t know. It was always my opinion that they were just friends sharing a house. Not strange to me as a kid.
I just want to know why the Cookie Monster isn’t allowed to eat cookies anymore?!
Because cookies are a sometimes food! (And sometimes is now!)
I think it was about trying to make kids eat healthier and having Cookie Monster scoffing cookies all day wasn’t helping. Sucks.
I don’t care about that! I haven’t suffered from the cookie monster eating cookies. Sometimes food my butt! Parents need to learn to say no! My grandmother was the only one who ever got away with giving us cookies whenever she wanted.
Plus, there’s the whole thing where he is a cookie monster! A kid is a kid, if they want cookies all the time because Cookie Monster does, you just explain that he can get away with it because it’s what he is!
Another example of PC being censor
Mmmmmm. Cookies…
Unimpressed Cookie Monster is unimpressed.
*Giggles* Thanks for that!
Also leads to Rehab.</a<
And posting failure it seems
I just thought it was some kind of new smiley… I never quite understand any of the ones that don’t come standard.
Anyone see the episode of Cake Boss when Buddy did a cake for Sesame Street?
The moment Buddy presents Cookie Monster with a specially made cookie is priceless.
1:20 in
Hahaha oh that was pretty funny!
DIABETES! :p
Cookie Monster is diabetic now.
I’m one of the guilty who often don’t get the chance to contribute as often as I would like. Some days I don’t even get the opportunity to check in.
Pokey makes some good points but I don’t think it’s dying. As others point out, it is a different beast to Splat and news.com (oops.. agreeing here
)
Perhaps some of the longer topics that require contemplation should be reserved for weekends. Just a thought, which in itself is a miracle after only one coffee.
Given that the blog is dead after work hours during the week, I suspect it would be as dead as a doornail on weekends
Let’s find out. I just submitted one for review, perhaps the esteemed Editor could slap it up for some weekend splatting?
Prepare your opinions on teen attire and child smacking.
I’m going to answer this in two ways. Firstly, in my capacity as blog admin:
—————-
*puts on sparkly hat that says “Tech Dude”*
*gets on podium*
Ok
As far as I know, from the emails & from watching Smoph do her editing, we’ve never refused a post. Occasionally, a poster withdraws, and on more than once we’ve delayed a post because we’ve had two on the same topic very close, or out of of sensitivity to someone’s personal circumstances. If that happens, we try to get back to them later.
But, we’ve never refused anything, so if the posts aren’t controversial enough to generate heated debate, then it because we’re not writing controversial posts. Get you keyboards out and start writing. Especially the new ones (Hi!). If you’re not sure how to get started, email smoph-at-splaton.com or locust at the same place.
The posting schedule was started because, as Smoph said, we’re usually too busy in our day jobs to write posts during the day – we were worried that we wouldn’t have enough posts to fill the week. It’s only been in the last month or two where we’ve started the week with a full schedule, so thanks to all those who’ve taken up the challenge.
There’s no (technical) reason why we couldn’t also slot in topical stories as people feel moved to fo them. I have two slight, but relatively minor, concerns:
1) Would it detract from the “main” topic of the day to do so? I’d hate for someone to spend hours writing a masterpiece post, but have it only get 10 comments because everyone was commenting on a one or two line commentary about a news happening. (That said, we don’t do banner ads here and I hope we never do, so page impressions and high/low comment counts are relatively unimportant, aside from making the poster feel like a worthwhile person.
)
2) Are we happy with a (potential) drop in post quality? Most of you don’t see, as I do, how much time Smoph devotes to the blog. The posts are checked, and it’s a rare if she doesn’t fix at least 3 typos and a misplaced quote. Links get checked to make sure they work, formatting codes get corrected, etc. If we do “quick run” topical posts through the day, this won’t happen on those posts. Is everyone ok with that?
Provided we are, let’s try it for a time and see how we go.
————
*removes hat*
Speaking for myself, I agree with Pokey’s points. We need new posters in here. When Splat! was on the news.com.au site, there was front page advertising, and flow on between different blogs, so we had new visitors coming and going.
I even kind-of miss the trolls – the goat is doing his job too well, I fear.
In any community, even one of friends, debate and disagreement is healthy. The world would become boring if we were all the same.
I do enjoy the MMM and FOF, but I wonder if Twitter, and our face to face interactions, have supplanted it a little. But the alpaca don’t have twitter or Facebook (yet) so we still need to keep FoFfing!
We have had a few. There was the Euthanasia post that I think Pokey did… Religion, I think Pokey again…
I have asked a few people to post on topics that they are our resident expert for, on a few occasions. Maybe we should get folks to do posts on topics they know well, like areas of work. We don’t mind us some edumacations.
There are too many techies for me to do that
Funnily enough, Fashionista had a twitter account but she got very slack updating it and it just kind of faded away. Seems she prefers to spend her time rolling in dust pits.
FB and twitter are blocked here (although it’s effectively the same as painting the lines on the road to run into a wall).
I’m willing to give it a go. But, as there are multiple people with direct posting access, we just have to make sure we check no-one else has posted the same thing before posting. And I think we should use a bit of self restraint. If there are already a couple of incidental posts on a day, perhaps refrain from posting another one.
Well I certainly enjoy MMM & FOF even if, occasionally, I don’t post. I do not ‘twit’ and I rarely Facebook. Nor am I part of the face to face community.
I am also a notoriously late poster which is a bit frustrating for me because as people have said, everything seems to be done and dusted by midday and I rarely turn on my puty before then.
I enjoy the majority of the posts although the sci-fi ones are a little out of my depth.
As for getting more people to post, I understand that we don’t have the exposure of Splat and there is no solution I can think of for that problem.
Thank you AL and Smoph for all your work, I would hate this blog to fade away.
Maybe a few more adversarial topics would spice it up a bit but we seem to be a relatively like minded community in many respects but if someone says something I disagree with, I’m happy to put in my 10 cents <– inflation!
You’re not the only one who doesn’t use Twitter, and while I am on Facebook, I’m lucky to get on there once during the week.
Perhaps after this discussion, more of us may be able to make more time of an evening to check in, or may have had time during the day to think of something else they want to add.. I guess time will tell!
I hope that this does make a difference. It might be enough to see more of us come on at night. I know for myself I just never think of it. Now I will.
Hee hee. 10 cents. Love it!
While it could be said that I am an unconfrontational (is that even a word? maybe non-confrontational or a person with a dislike for confrontation (I could probably fill up this post with variations of a potentially fictional word however I think you will have gotten the point by now)) person, I pledge to make a point of playing the devil’s advocado where appropriate. I also am yet to pop my OP cherry so i’ll work on something to contribute when I have a free moment.
This is a fantastic blog and a wonderful community, one I hope to be a part of for a very long time.
Me too. That’s why I’m concerned that it might dwindle. Dwindle. Isn’t dwindle a fantastic word?
I like dwindle and I also like dawdle.
Thwindle.
Dwindle is a great word, conjuring up images of delicate snowflakes in a scene of utter oblivion
For some reason I read dwindle and think of spindles. Yeah my mind works on paths even I don’t understand.
I love Splaton. I do. I have to say that I read the posts every day. It’s just that for me, I don’t often get time to post and even when I do, I don’t think that what I have to say is relevant or intelligent enough, or that anyone is really interested in what I have to say. I have this problem in real life too. I find it hard to put myself out there and feel that I’m worth it.
But perhaps you should disregard me today. I wouldn’t say that the Black Dog has descended, but the little Black puppy is certainly circling around my feet and tripping me at every opportunity at the moment.
I vow to try harder to comment more in the future and make my presence known
{throws stick so puppy chases it and leaves angelwings03 alone}
Thanks Pokey xx
What you say matters, and we always love to hear from you!
I second, third and elebenty-billionth that. It’s the diversity of posters in here that makes this blog work I think.
Elebenty-billion and one!
I do think you have raised some valid points Pokey but I am not sure I agree that Splat On! is dying. There still seems to be a lot of activity on here. I try and read every single post and comment every day, it is a rare day when I don’t manage this – it is a luxury that my work circumstances allows. I often find myself nodding along when reading the comments and find that someone else has already said what I was thinking (often more succintly than I would have). I have learned/am learning a lot from Splat On! although I do agree that the currency of the topics could be contributing a little bit. I also find that not *every* topic interests me (the ones that do are in the vast majority!), although I do read them all and often learn something, but then not all of Evan’s topics interested me either. I also think that blogs like this go through cycyles as well, people comment less when they are busy with work, family, commitments and will often come back and comment more as things settle down (such as the upswing in comment numbers we have seen recently). I don’t really know if this makes sense as I have lost my train of thought a little. I will be very interested to see the other opinions on this matter. Thanks for raising this Pokey
As a former lurker, I would just like to say to all the still-lurkers, come on in out of the cold! No-one bites, the banter is amusing, and the more the merrier! Come play with us!
+1.
We want more people to come forward. We are such an accepting community and love meeting new people.
Come on
Unless you ask nicely.
Are you asking? ;-P
I’ve no doubt that Smoph would bite me tonight if I answer. :p
*puke*
Well, if it’s conflict you want, she & I could have a domestic right here on the blog….
*Looks at smoph*
Should we bite him anyway just for fun?
Not fair! You two ganged up on me last time too.
Definitely.
And this right here is what people mean when they say this is an insular community that other people can’t approach. We have our in-jokes and connections that other people probably feel they can’t get past.
Good point, Rydell – did you want to bite me as well?
Agree Rydell, but should we sacrifice our in jokes and fun so that people might feel more included?
I knew this would be asked of me when I posted.
No, I don’t think we should sacrifice our jokes. I’m just saying that something like this is probably wants creating a bit of a barrier. I guess it’s just about trying to find balance between being a community that has a lot of fun and in-jokes and being a community that invites others to be part of that.
And Locust, no thanks, I don’t like insects on my plate.
Agreed. I do, however, think a Splat Up Glossary for newbies should be stickied somewhere.
I still have to explain the occasional dancing rodent or farting unicorn to Mel.
Maybe the FOF can also be the time to comment on the week that was, a sort of blog version of Good News Week, rather than having a feature topic.
Yes I agree.
I used to have a haiku for each issue of the week that was. It’s time for it to return.
Let the haiku lines
About our current affairs
Begin once again.
Well done ; ) and yes please!
I agree with some of the points you raise Pokey. I do read the posts everyday, but of course not everyone of them addresses a topic that interests me. If it’s about anything sci-fi, fantasy or language related then I generally don’t join in much…we do tend to talk about this stuff a lot. But most of people on here do really like those topics so you have to cater for the majority. Plus I’m not going to criticise anyone who writes a post because I am yet to pull my finger out and write one. Now that fundraising is over I will do that, I promise!
I really like debate too, but having said that I am also a non-confrontational person and sometimes bluntness/shutting peoples down makes me twitch a bit, lol. I would like to have some robust conversations though on topical issues! I too don’t want a community where we just go around giving splugs to one another and not daring to offer differing viewpoints.
Coming from Adelaide, where there are a limited supply of Splatters, you can feel a bit on the outer sometimes, but it isn’t so cliquey here that lurkers can’t join in. Everyone is generally very welcoming.
Oh and I do go back in the afternoons/evenings and read late posts, so they are being seen.
I do too. Don’t always post though. Will try more often.
I see your point Pokey, but would definitely disagree that Splat On is dying. Not dying at all, simply evolving. It’s certainly not the blog that it was at the start.
I take your point that we have a very strong community bond which would very likely scare newcomers away. If I stumbled onto this blog, I’d probably wouldn’t be commenting either. I think a lot of us have this “we’re not really interesting enough to comment” mentality when it comes to commenting. It took me a long time to begin commenting on Evan’s blog, and that’s when it was a far more open blog, being on the news.com.au website. But I think the best thing we can do is just continually encourage lurkers out their to comment. Make sure they understand that we WANT them to. They’re not intruding, they’re participating!
As for writing posts, I’ve only written one, but I’ve started MANY others that sit here on my computer. I often jot down a few sentences about something and then think I’ll come back to it. My biggest problem is that I edit myself so much that eventually I decide the post isn’t worthwhile after all. My posts rarely tend to be about current affairs – they’re far more dreamy. Even if I don’t send them in, actually writing them (or half writing them) helps my understand my own mind. So I suppose it’s useful for me regardless. But I will dig some of those out at some stage, dust them off and have another go.
As for disagreements/debates… well, I’m another that shies away from confrontation… sort of. I actually like to have useless debates with Mr Nerd and Mr Almost, even when I don’t actually agree with my own argument. But I find it more difficult in these situations. Perhaps it’s partly because in text it’s quite difficult to read tone. Therefore things can actually sound quite harsh without meaning to be. And if someone disputes a point I’ve made, I can find it difficult to argue back. I also do think a lot of the time we do agree with each other. And that’s ok. I don’t really think we’re being smug, or patting ourselves on the back. Yes, we can introduce more controversial topics, but I don’t think we should do that just to get a reaction. We cover the topics that people are interested in writing about. Sometimes they’ll be controversial, other times not.
Personally, my favourite posts aren’t about controversy, or about current affairs. Mine tend to be more about people sharing their own stories. And the posts that I have (half) written tend to reflect that. And that’s also why I really look forward to the MMM and the FOF. Its a time to give and receive support, but also just to hear people’s stories. I love reading about the pacas, and LiMP’s crazy weekends. I enjoy sharing achievements or disappointments with this group of people.
This blog is unique in that it covers such a wide variety of things. And I think the best way to turn it into something we all love is to make sure we all contribute to writing posts. If each of us write posts about what we want to talk about, naturally, it should have a bit of something for everyone, right?
I actually thought a while ago that as much as I loved Splat and love Splat On, its days were numbered.
As a result, I resolved to focus more on being involved and write some more posts. I actually was going to sit down tonight and work on one. It may be a couple now.
Having said that, in the last month or so I have been so impressed by the quality of many of the posts. Some from our regulars and some new posters have been brilliant and, I feel, have injected new life into the old girl (kudos!).
But the community is relatively insular. We do have little tolerance for the drooling masses that seem to make up the majority of the internet blogging community and that could be intimidating to new posters.
At the same time, the feeling of community has become so familiar or even familial that whenever passions rise in argument, our instinct is to defuse the situation.
Arguments are important. Ideas need to be challenged (such is the basis of our entire justice and governmental systems). However, when rational argument gives way to emotional, the point is lost. I have backed away from emotional responses to contraversial topics on this blog, or when threads turn defensive. Perhaps that is something we all need to consider when posting. And if we do go ahead and post emotionally, add a DARE tag at the bottom to say; ‘Yes, I feel strongly about this subject. If you don’t agree BRING IT ON!’. Intended to invite confrontation and perhaps overcome our tendency to walk on eggshells around those we care so much about.
Oh and huge thumbs up for continuing threads based on most recent comments made. Threads do tend to die after lunch. I still pop in later in the day but threads do feel like they have an best before date that seems to tick over about 2pm. Anything that will help extend that has my complete support.
Very true.
I definitely agree with many of the concerns here, but personally sometimes I don’t understand the topics which is why I don’t comment.
SplatOn has very much changed and is nothing like the old Splat which produced outstanding topics. We have evolved into more personal topics and relate a lot to personal experiences I think. (Make sense?)
For me yes.
I’m not an overly smart person and sometimes I just can’t comprehend the topic, therefor don’t have an appropriate opinion. I tend to give up and not comment on a lot of topics.
Instead of posting one topic a day perhaps we could do multiple ones or just post whenever, rather then limiting it to the one a day which is scheduled in at a certain time.
We generally wake up and post on the topic in the morning, drift around for the rest of the day or come back after work.
Maybe if we had another article or two a day it would bring about more posts. In reality that would require a lot more contributions from the community, including myself.
I have noticed a few different posters lately and it’s been very awesome. I think it definitely brings out a lot more comments when someone new is posting an article.
I have had a few ideas myself but again lack of confidence is an issue for me. I’ll get working on those. Had a few topics which might ruffle some feathers
Then run them by someone you trust before you post or even before you write them. There must be someone you can trust to give you constructive feedback {raises hand if a volunteer is needed}.
But I doubt *very* much that your posts wouldn’t interest people. *You* interest people. I rest my case.
Pokey is right Bubbles. Run them past someone you trust. It’s damn near impossible to edit your own work anyway, so you can get some proof-reading at the same time as feedback.
When D1 was living at home I never ever scheduled a post without running it past her first. I still email them to her for proof-reading and feedback if I haven’t written them, at the very last minute (as a few recent ones have been, and possibly have suffered for that lack of feedback).
If you can’t understand a post of mine, then it is me who has failed. Get on the blog and ask me WTF I’m on about. Then anyone else who didn’t get it might do the same thing. Then I might remember to make the post clear to everyone, not just the demon in my head who has been thinking about it for weeks and hence knows it inside out and upside down. It is actually quite hard once you have done a lot of reading on any topic to remember what is obvious and what isn’t, what is common knowledge and what isn’t etc.. Hence why I normally get some feedback and must revert to doing the posts early instead of just on deadline.
You *are* allowed to ask questions on topics you don’t know well…
Posting doesn’t always have to be an opinion or anecdote.
And just for the record, I think you’re plenty smart.
Part of the trouble for me in commentng is that I just don’t have enough time in the day. I’m able to read posts during my work day normally which is 9-2pm. But then its the “mummy” work that starts with the picking up from school, sports, dinner, bath & bed etc. Plus now I have TAFE 3 nights a week, so I find that by the time I’m able to sit down properly and read the post and comments again with my full attention, it feels like the “conversation” is over because it’s often 9.30ish at night.
I would love to be more involved and I will try harder. I think sometimes I find it a little difficult also because alot of the regulars know each other outside of Splaton in the real world, so sometimes it feels a bit like intruding on a private conversation. Maybe it’s just me that feels that way? As HEA said above, I really enjoy reading everyone’s MMM & FOF’s and hearing about what’s going on in their world.
I think sub-groups know each other (or have met at least) but we don’t all know each other in the real world. Anyway, it still wouldn’t be an intrusion.
Noone knows me, not even me.
And though we’ve met, some of us haven’t progressed to best friend stage…
When Splat On first started I had a very vivid dream.
I dreamt that we all worked in an office and that Splat On was a newspaper type thing instead of just a blog. I dreamt that Locust and Smoph had let the power of being editor go to their heads and that Harls, Rydell & Myself were all really upset that we werent getting our columns approved. I was the called into the head office where Locust and Smoph sat upon big thrones… I then woke up… Interesting, no?
I think that Splat is dead. We are new. We are different. We are not splat on, we are are ‘splat different but with the same people’ (just doesnt make for a nice title)
We are a community and a community that I am addicted too but I dont think it would be the end of the world (like it felt like when original splat finished) if we were to be no more. Why? Because we would still all keep in touch and we would still all see each other when we travel to different states. We would be fine. We just wouldnt talk everyday. It would be like graduating school.
I agree. There are no healthy debates any more and I miss that. I try and ruffle feathers only to find people agreeing with me (accept when talking about heros
)
I do find the grammar Nazis annoying because im often rushed (and blonde) and make a lot of mistakes, but at the same time they teach me a lot.(I just think sometimes it could be done in a nicer, less making fun of, way).
Like films, sequeals are never as good. We have to accept that a move on.
Great post Pokey!
I’m with you on the grammar thing. I often write on here quickly and don’t always have time to go back and correct stuff or worry about whether I put the comma in the right place, made a typo etc. I have to worry about that enough at work when I’m writing documents! So yeah, I don’t welcome being corrected. I can’t help but think that it is being used (anywhere on the net, not just here) to show superiority.
Yes, if this was an english blog id make more of an effort but its not, so I dont, therefore I can kindly say, ‘Bugger the hell of’.
Right. I am making a pledge. I will not correct nor comment on grammar, syntax or spelling in other people’s posts from this day forth.
I have never done it to be ‘superior’ although I can see how it might be construed as such and for that I apologise. I do it because I think grammar, spelling and syntax are important. Very important. Getting them wrong can change the meaning of what you’re trying to say. And also, for me, reading something that is full of grammatical errors is really difficult. I’m just as likely to give up and not bother. IMO, when communication is in writing, time should always be taken to check for errors, whether its a PhD thesis, a newspaper article or a blog post. (Of course *everyone* makes typos, that’s not what I’m talking about.) But I have also come to realise, quite sadly, that other people don’t think this issue is as important as I do and I just have to accept that. I’m not perfect either (shock horror!). I make mistakes as well.
That’s all I shall say for now. However, I do have a post about grammar etc up my sleeve which may make its way here one day.
Wanderful!
Pokey, trust me, I’m like you. I find it hard to read things where there are glaring errors. It drives me crazy. I have to resist very hard not to correct them.
I shall be very impressed if you manage to stick by your pledge.
Pokey,
I humbly request an exemption from your rule.
I feel that my schooling failed me and I *know* that my spelling / Grammer etc is bad.
Please correct me, but in doing so explain what I have done wrong so that I may learn from it?
Pretty Pretty Please!
Totally agree grammar is very important. It is particularly important in my job. The reason correcting grammar/spelling on blog comments (like I said, all across the internet, not just here) rankles me is because I liken it to being called out in front of the class for making a mistake, which can be embarrassing. As others have noted, what scares them from contributing sometimes is the fear that they will look unintelligent. Or being pedantic when someone corrects what is an obvious typo (that is defintely not in reference to you Pokey or other people on Splaton!, I just see that happen on other blogs a lot) and belittles the person.
In general though I do like language and am always keen to learn more. I just did a writing for effective communication course a few months ago which was very interesting! So I would not have a problem with a post on grammar from you
I do agree to a certain extent that it holds some importance but I often feeling blogging is my lazy kind of area.
My mother picks on me all the time when I send her emails which I don’t mind so much.
It’s like Dog mentioned, when someone corrects me I feel like I’m being embarrassed in front of the class.
One of my major dislikes is being made to feel uneducated, however I have learned that it is important to some people and I have accepted that!
I’m just lazy.
I just think; ‘you wouldnt correct my language if I were speaking to you, why do it on here where we are so colloquial?’
It does make me angry and I am sorry to all the people who dont like it but as dog said its like being called up in front of the class and told off…
I think grammar is important. I hate it when you have teenagers writing things on FB like ‘Mdog waz hawt luvs him, xoxo<3 lmfao' but I dont think that what we write on here is like that. Its translatable.
Now now, you know I would correct you in person!
But I see where you’re coming from. We’re very lucky that we don’t have a lot of l33t sp34k around here, so we are able to understand what we’re all saying.
Shall I change back to an a and an o?
Oh definitely, you’re deeply offensive to my sensibilities.
I do that… Hey I think I just figured out why I was such an outcast at every school I ever attended…
Doing maths with y5s in y1, and beating them
English with y6s in y4, and being laughed at for reading with intonation!
Getting dux in y6 while spending 75% of the time ‘sent out’
Winning a whole school spelling comp in y8
Creating an unordered list without dots
Ghryswald caught me out
I don’t feel inferior
Miffed that I missed one
amg babez i wuv u. cant wait 2 c u tmr.
Uz iz lyke hawtest pewson i no. <3 u hpz.
I like my Pokey lessons. If not for you, I would still be posting alot more grammatical errors. I think they help me be a better writer.
Every time I post on this blog or on my forum and go to type “alot” I think of that and correct myself once I stop giggling.
I loved the ‘alot’ post too. I always remember that, and it started me reading Hyperbole and a Half, which I love.
I see both points. I’m not good with criticism, I don’t really like my mistakes to be pointed out to me (even if it’s in my best interests) and in a forum like this, I generally like to type what I’m thinking at the time. Realistically we don’t generally speak with exact grammar because often ideas are still coming to us as we’re speaking, so it’s quite difficult. And while the advantage of writing it down like this is that we could go back and restructure it so it makes sense… frankly, this isn’t school and I don’t wanna!!
If I’ve made a mistake in my post, I’ve probably already spotted it straight after posting.
However, if I didn’t even know what I’d written was a mistake, it can be nice to learn new things. I actually used to write ‘alot’ (like a lot of other people I’m sure) because I saw that post, and as I said, I’ve never forgotten.
Again, I think it also comes down to tone. Tone is very difficult to convey through text, so someone making a friendly joke or simply pointing out a mistake can feel like an attack, or at the very least, can make you feel a bit lousy.
If we’re being 100% honest here, thats what I felt like on yesterdays post.
Glad you could get out
From under the quite large pile
Of apostrophes
*confused* What would be the other reasons for have power?
Now, back to work, peasant!
OK so the a lot thing trips me up dam everytime but can someone please explain thank you to me. When I went to school it was one word. What happened?
The truth is with my shit schooling, the odd aspergers style tendancies, american written software, auto correct, fat fingers on tiny touch screens and god knows whats next on the instant knows what you are going to type technology front I have developed almost phobic tendancies when it comes to my grammer and spelling. I’m shit at, I know it. Text, twitter, social blogs, facebook are not the magna carter, if I get it wrong, I get it wrong, I do not want to be corrected. One of the reasons it takes me hours to write a an actually blog post is because I spend hours freaking checking everything from sentance structure, punctuation and grammar even knowing full well I have a team of acutally qualified people who are my friends who I am going to send it to edit and check. And don’t start me on what I go through when sending work emails and the like.
In the professional arena I hate bad spelling and what not. If you are not good at it get someone to help/check. The truth is I’ve become so paranoid about my bad english language abilities combined with technology that it has started to take the fun out of my social media contact and why I no longer comment on some other blogs outside of Splat On. Yep the grammar police won there.
And now just to really screw with my head I have just typed this straight onto the post without doing it up in word first, so I could at least check the spelling and nope, I am not proofing before I hit send.
You have become one of…me… Lol… Yay!
I really value your input soul owl and I think that you shouldn’t fret on here about grammar/spelling.
If I want help or advice I will ask (which I often do with an (SP?) next to what I have written)…
I’ve always considered it to be two words – “Thank” is the action, and “You” being the one being thanked. There shouldn’t be any gramatical difference between “thank you” and “thank him/her/Smoph/God/Allah/FSM”.
At least, that’s the way I was taught it.
Same here, but I think these days either way is considered correct.
Do I read every post every day? No.
Do I want to read every post every day? Sometimes.
The main issue for me is my busy level at work goes up and down depending on the week. The last few weeks for instance I’ve had basically no time to even think about coming here, let alone reading and posting. Other weeks I have more time, so you’ll see me about more.
A secondary issue I have is I find most posts are too long for me to read. Being that I’m usually fitting it in around other stuff, if I have to read a long post, I’ll usually either give up halfway through, or I’ll read so much, have to do something else, then by the time I get back to it, I’ve forgotten what I first read. I think the reason we write such long posts is because we’re so passionate about the subject we want to get all our thoughts in at once. But I don’t think it should be like that. I think instead we should have shorter posts that more outline the topic, then the poster can shape discussion via responses to the rest of us. I understand this can be time consuming for the poster, but I honestly believe it would make it easier for more people to comment.
And like many of you, I sometimes don’t comment on something simply because I either didn’t understand the topic, didn’t connect with it, or can’t pull my brain together enough to post a response that would make sense. I’m also one who often feels like my posts aren’t read, usually because I’m coming in after that perceived used-by-time.
Do we scare off lurkers? Probably. We’re very much a connected community. But to be totally honest, sitting here saying ‘come on lurkers, come talk with us’ isn’t really going to make that much of a difference (in my opinion). If a lurker wants to post, they will, and it will probably be on a topic that interests them. I doubt they will post just because we ask them too. We’re not that powerful (yet!).
I tried that. It didn’t work.
Although, to be honest, they probably weren’t what you’d call short posts. Shorter than I originally intended, yes; short? possibly not.
I like Harls Long posts!!!
Just picking up on a bit of a theme where people haven’t responded to topics because they didn’t feel they had enough to say, or were worried about the quality of their posts.
The first things that attracted me to Splat was that it was meant to be a big messy SPLAT of ideas. I liked jumping in with half formed ideas and posting them – SPLAT. Its messy and all over the place, but thats my 2c.
Often, I would have said something incorrectly or inferred something I didn’t mean, which created contraversy. But at the same time, that is half the fun of it.
Don’t be afraid to treat your ideas like spaghetti. Throw them at us and see what sticks.
Hear hear!
I like this idea!
I was gonna say that if they don’t stick doesn’t that make them half baked?… Then I realised spaghetti doesn’t get baked and half boiled doesn’t sound right.
Yes!
I arrived after Splat! ended, so I can’t say a whole lot about it.
But I can say that there is a world of difference between a regular blog which has daily posts by one person (and maybe an occasional guest poster) and a community blog with dozens of people who can post.
Having to schedule posts does reduce the freedom to post about current events. And even if there were more freedom, I suspect people would be reluctant to step on someone’s toes to get their post about some recent news story on the site.
And what if we all wanted to post about something on a particular day? We might end up with 5-10 posts! That could get a bit overwhelming.
I think the concept of a daily post is a good one. Folks know that there will be something up by a particular time and they can plan on popping in on their lunch break, or when they get home. Because face it, we’re all really busy and popping in 5-10 times a day isn’t something we can all do. But it does have its limitations.
Blogs take a lot of administration. Especially WordPress blogs. Thankfully the admin console for WP is exceptionally well designed. I get several hundred spam comments a week on the Cubicle Lawn blog, and it’s not even an active blog! “Some of these replies seem to be spam. You should moderate your blog better.”
+1 for this. Would you like to borrow the goat?
Nah, I’ve got it covered. I just skim through the replies, look at the URLs folks use for their websites, and delete based on that. No need to read the post when the URL contains “handbags_for_less” and “cheap-rolex-watches-4u.”
Frank! Can I borrow your goat?
hehe
My everything is telling me not to comment today for fear of upsetting. But here’s my view.
Not many comments midweek? How quickly we forget. Splat!’s midweek posts were regularly short of comments.
Not enough debate? Ok sure. Now for my pre-comment disclaimer: I really love that we have so many great members of our community taking their precious free time to write for us and I do want you to continue to do so.
Disclaimer over. The posts are too long. They’re too encompassing. Too many people create their posts into a fully-fledged thesis discussing everyone’s point of view, every angle, every nuance of their topic. And so all that’s left is for us to agree. It’s rare that there is something for commenters left to add. Splat! did not do that. Splat!, more often than not, introduced a topic then let commenters run with it.
Here’s the difference:
* Splat! was written by someone paid to encourage comments.
* Splat On is written by people with passion for their topics.
* Splat On is written by people who fear their thoughts will not be well received so they do extra homework. They polish and refine. They perfect.
As a Splat On poster, you’re not being graded on your research. You’re not being marked on your spelling. And no one gives a damn about your grammar.
And finally, if you don’t think your posts are creating enough debate, perhaps try something a bit more topical than a request for jokes.
Completely agree with this.
For fear of being accused of not creating debate, I must say, I agree with you. Like I said above, I think the posts are too long and try to include too much.
I think we can afford to change. And I think this might be a good starting point for it.
If you are talking about my posts, I leave heaps out so that there is room for comment. As I said about the simulation post, there was scope for discussion on all sorts of things – none of which I mentioned in the post, deliberately. The posts on computers and perception, while interesting (to my way of thinking) in their own right, were done as background information for the simulation post to keep it short but still arm people with some of the ideas behind it. In the end, the simulation post was one of my shorter efforts.
If you are talking about other posts, I can’t recall any that I felt that way about . There were some I agree with so totally that it didn’t leave me much to say, but that wasn’t because they contained too much information.
I suppose you could set a word limit, but you be too brief and leave people wandering what on earth was the point.
Never underestimate the power of humour. I will never apologise for making fun of or in posts, be they mine or someone else’s and I think Pokey’s Jokies are a good, once in a while, way to kick back and relax.
Harls, I really really enjoy your posts… Yes they are slightly more difficult to read than the average poster, but who doesnt like a challenge?
I just like that you are *so* passionate about what you write. It makes me happy when I see one of your posts because it just goes to show how much you care about what you are writing!!!
I wish I had just a quart of the passion you do!
Thanks for picking those two out of the 25 posts or so I’ve written. I guess my writing’s not to your taste which is fair enough. Don’t worry, you won’t have to endure any more of it.
Wait a second Pokey, I for one really enjoy Pokies Jokies and just because one person says that they dont it doesnt mean they should stop. I think Jen was just offering critisism, it just could have been worded better. I dont think I speak alone on this matter, I believe PP and Harlequin would agree…
and thats at the very least!!!
+1 More jokies
I agree slightly Popppppit but like Pokey said it’s pretty rare for us to have full posts dedicated to jokes and I believe Pokey was talking as a general statement and not JUST her posts.
Please correct me if I’m wrong!
Agree with Poppit. I absolutely loved the joke posts. I regaled friends with many of them.
But I think the point is that the blog is communal, and we get what we put in to it. So if you want a bit of controversy, write a controversial post. Clearly this one’s getting a bit of debate going.
You wanted an argument? Oh, sorry, this is abuse. You want 12A, just along the corridor.
*After he leaves*
Stupid Git
I enjoy ‘Pokies Jokies’ as well, I think they are a really good change of pace and often get a lot of responses because everyone loves a good joke right? Not every post is going to resonate with every Splatter so please don’t be disheartened
I think your post today has been brilliant – it has certainly generated a lot of debate and comment (some good, some less so)and I think some very positive and worthwhile changes can come out of it. Everything needs to be freshened up at some point … Hope Splat On! is around for quite some time!
I like this comment, a lot.
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
I don’t think it’s hypocritical to for me to write a couple of light posts now and then. I didn’t say I wanted the entire blog to descend into a morass of seriousness all the time. I was questioning why the serious posts didn’t seem to foment more discussion than the MMM and the FOF. Many people, including you, have given very valid reasons for this and reasons why I shouldn’t expect this blog to be Splat! I have learned quite a lot today.
You, however, took a cheap shot. Which you have every right to do but don’t expect me to sit back and take it.
It wasn’t intended as a shot so much as a pointing out of the obvious. But take it how you like it.
It also struck me as a cheap shot whether you meant it that way or not.
What you ‘pointed out’ certainly wasn’t obvious to me. Whatever your problem with the joke posts is, it has no relevance to Pokey’s post which was simply saying in quite a general way that a higher level of discussion would be nice; it was not saying every post had to be serious and/or full of discussion.
It was very snarky just like your responses now.
I see no hypocrisy.
Nor need for validation? WTF is happening here?
I’ve loved your joke days – not all the jokes appeal to me but I have had some extraordinary belly laughs and run in to tell mum some of the gems that crack me up. Keep them up Pokey.
Nooooooo!
/Vader
That’s a good point Jen. Evan was paid to create debate, and we’re just writing about topics that mean something to us. That means we’re automatically going to search for weak points in our own arguments and block those against attacks. That’s certainly how I was taught to frame an argument when debating at school!
I agree with you on some points Jen, but I think the last sentence was well… uncalled for?
*shrug*
I think you have some really valid points here Jen and it was what I was trying to highlight earlier in my post. We arent a carry over, we are different.
I do think that you could have perhaps avoided a very obvious ‘personal attack’.
I guess you could say the statement you refer to was an example of what not to do in a debate? Like was said earlier, it’s about not letting it get personal/emotional. And unfortunately the statement that was made did come across as an attack.
Im feeling a bit daunted by this thread, but I just wanted to point out the following;
I agree that some of Jens post could be read as an attack, however, I’m not sure that that is the way Jen intended it when she wrote it.
*starts singing why can’t we be friends*
I think so too.
And this is the trouble with debate in text. It is often mis-construed as an attack, and escalates.
It seems that we have had a little of that today, on many sides, where we’re all making valid criticisms and suggestions.
It may not have been an attack, but I think that everyone else managed to say what they wanted to say without targetting someone. Our blog is about being a community and showing each other respect and kindness. We are allowed to disagree, but I would think, that highlighting someone so obviously would be considered something that is frowned upon.
I think Jen has some very valid points to share, but now someone is upset (well, actually a few people are), which unfortunatley means that those valid points would not have come accross as well.
I think we can all use a bit of humor once in a while. And being a foreign correspondent, I like reading jokes from folks who grew up on the opposite side of the planet from me.
Not every post needs to be a deeply philosophical one. Sometimes it’s good to hear what folks have to say about peeing in the shower.
Brilliant!!!
Never let it be said that I don’t listen. The simulation post was too heavy, especially for a Monday morning. Other posts were daunting. Some were only of interest to a subset of Splatters.
Hmmmmmm. What’s light and frothy, not daunting, and of interest to everyone, as opposed to the ,i>Simulation Post?
I know!!!!! The Stimulation Post. The post on Songs About Masturbation is back on the agenda!
Speaking as a Splatter who felt a bit useless during fashion week, that should NOT be cause for excluding those posts.
You can only make some of the people happy some of the time. Attempting to make all of the people happy all of the time is an exercise in futility.
Have at it. If anyone feels left out they should sit down and write an enormous post about their particualr passion. Nobody should feel their passions aren’t relevant because they aren’t universally shared.
Well said!
I don’t want… anybody else….
That was playing in my office today. Awkward…
Whoa did I pick the wrong day to come on late. At the risk of not having this read, I agree with a lot of points here (and disagree with some others – you’re right this is fun!). I love to see a “Stop the presses additional post on the odd day, although there are a couple of hurdles to this:
1. As Ghrys pointed out, someone has to be in charge of the scheduling to prevent a dozen posts on a quick news day. Maybe having an optional secondary spot in the post schedule for news or spur-of-the-moment announcements and whatnot. First come to stick your name in, first served, but you’d better post it PDQ.
2. Sometimes to encourage myself to post something I’ll just schedule myself in with absolutely no idea what I’m going to write about. Almost inevitably I’ll jump on some news article I’ve spotted a day or so before the post is due. However this is my problem, not one for the blog.
Plus if Splaton died I’d miss the Splatups. Speaking of which, who’s south of the border next week for the Ghryslyn flying visit?
I like the idea that you just schedule yourself in sometimes. Perhaps that would help me write a post too. And perhaps it would help others? If a bunch of us who were interested in writing a post simply nominated a date and had a deadline, we’d get a big variety of us posting, and this again would help the tone of the blog naturally assert itself based on what people were interested in writing about.
Oh and yes I should be around for a Splat Up next week. It’s been forever!
We’ll be there too!
I wasn’t suggesting it in that way, but I’m glad you see it a constructive. I just do it because if I didn’t I’d hardly ever post because I’m a lazy turd.
lol but that’s exactly why I’ve only posted once. I start a post, I think about it, I write a bit… and then I give up.
Me too
Don’t worry PP, today seems to be a day where we’re all sticking around to talk. Instead of being the death of Splat On, this post seems to be reinvigorating it!
I think it’s fantastic. Been some interesting topics put forward today.
Good, healthy debate is always awesome.
In
Mental note: bring one Leroy Jethro Gibbs special for PP when I see him in Melbourne
I request video documentary evidence of that… please?!
Pokelyn can record it with my iPhone.
If I can get Jonathan Frakes or Mike Rowe to narrate, that would certainly be a coup.
Just wanted to drop in & say hi.
I don’t post much, but then again I didn’t post much on Splat either. I keep in touch with everyone more on Twitter or Facebook, even if it’s just me reading what everyone else is doing. I feel more of a community there (Twitter) to be honest.
Plus it is much easier to read quick little snippets on my phone then to have to sit down and read a long post and hundreds of comments.
Plus after spending the day wrangling an energetic (currently sick) 18 month old and trying, and failing, to keep on top of the housework, I don’t come on the laptop to think. It just takes too much effort for me to sit down, think out a response and then type it.
I used to like the FOF & MMM because I didn’t really have to think but just parrot out what happened. It also made everyone seem really more personal. But I haven’t even read many of those lately as I just don’t have the time.
I am currently typing this with one hand, I’m sitting cross legged on the couch and Lily is asleep, laying across my lap. My hips are aching and my feet are going numb. I need to go upstairs, wash the dishes, mop the floor, do the washing, clean the fridge, clean the cupboards, make the bed & vacuum.
I just don’t have enough time anymore.
You don’t have the time NOW, but you will from time to time.
And you’re always welcome here.
Who has time? Who has time?
But then if we do not ever take time, how can we ever have time?
At least take some time over the weekend (if Smoph publishes it) to see my post about the best job in the world. You have it too.
It hasn’t arrived!
Check pending. I didn’t email it this time.
I have to ask, Im not a fan of the like and dislike buttons.
Is there any way we can get rid of them? Or am I alone in my feelings toward them?
The dislike is a bit meh. But the like button can be validating to some. We should probably have Splugs and Rodents buttons instead. Far more practical in this blog.
That’s what I was thinking too. I like the ‘like’ buttons, because I don’t always see the point in 30 of us commenting to say “yes, this”. Also when someone does something good, or has a great day, or whatever, ‘liking’ the comment allows me to say “yay for you!!” without clogging up the comments just to say that. Obviously if I have more to add, I do, but it’s a useful tool.
Not really a big fan of the dislike button because it seems harsh, whether intentional or not. If you dislike it, I think you’re better off commenting and arguing your point than simply indicating you dislike it.
Splugs and rodents buttons would be awesome though
Totally agree HEA
Quite right. The like button I normally take in the wya you describe, as a ‘yes, me too’ without clogging up the works. The ‘dislike button’ really annoys me because I usually don’t know what it is that is disliked, or why, so can’t respond or explain or elucidate.
I think that the like/dislike buttons come as a pigeon pair sadly. Don’t know if we can customise…
Ah well, we can’t have everything. Perhaps we should just try to create an environment where the dislike button isn’t used. If you take issue, its better to address it with a comment than simply to click dislike.
To be fair, I don’t think we generally use the dislike button very often anyway…
Unfortunately, (I think) they come as a job lot. I can’t keep the Like but remove the Dislike button.
The general concept of them is that on “open comment” blogs where we’d have a lot of trolls, posts that get a lot of dislikes and no/not many likes are hidden from view (you get a message saying there’s a comment under there that you can see if you wish). It’s effectively a way of the popular masses shouting down a comment they really don’t like.
Likewise, a popular (many likes) comment gets a highlighted coolour. We see that a lot around here, but the “hiding something away” hasn’t happened yet as far as I know. We’re too nice.
If wishes were horses, we’d all be eating steak!
Mmm, Jayne Cobb quote.
I like them (lol) but I guess it does make me lazy, if someone else has already said something similar to what I was going to say I tend to just click ‘like’, not entirely sure if I have used ‘dislike’ …
Hahahahahahaha you ‘like’ them…. Im so easy to humour!
I get what you are saying. I think I dont like the dislike button.
Its obvious that the above post has struck a chord with some people, I dont think there needs to be the colour of shame placed upon it as well…
And I think herein lies part of the cause for a lack of comments. People no longer feel the need to comment (even just to say ditto, I agree with you), instead they just click ‘like’ and be on their merry way.
I just liked this because I agree with it!
But Rydell, when there are 100 or more comments and I’ve coming back to the topic to try to see what’s been said recently, seeing 30 posts saying “yes, I agree with this” isn’t really that useful to me. The like button can be used as a way to show support. Then if you have something to add to that point, by all means, add it.
yes, I agree with this!
Is there a different colour if more than 5 people dislike a comment? Dislike this comment and see!
D@m0 off memory the comment get hidden from view, not highlighted in a different colour.
I also use the like button for late posts as well – sometimes just simply as a way of letting people know they have been read …
I am very upset this week about other stuff so I’m not entirely sure I should be commenting but I do want to say the following:
I am possibly one of the worst offenders when it comes to trying difuse tension etc but I think that one of the things that makes this place valid for me to spend time on everyday is that it feels like real connection and something other than just a message board for posting ideas.
I love the long posts Harles and I always find them incredibly interesting and thought provoking so if they get less long in future I hope that the debate that ensues gives you a chance to bring some of the other things that you have found out to my attention at least.
I also really enjoy the jokes days, I’m pretty sure the second one was a result of a popular request, I liked that we had a chance to share so many of them.
I know I love seeing comments on my posts and I am sure that mine are not the most interesting one to everyone, so I can only assume other people feel the same…
I am looking forward to meeting some splatters this year and I am grateful for the friendships I have found here. I don’t need more debate to feel that this place is alive, but I can see that it wouldn’t hurt either.
Oh and re: grammar – I am also terrible with typos and mistakes due to not taking enough care but I like the idea of a grammar post. I’d see it as a way to open it up and I am never adverse to learning something.
Splugs against upsets
Thanks Beez, I am just grateful that this post forced me to look outstide my very insular world view today.
You.Are.Amazing…
I like everything about what you have just said because it is so very true.
And we did amazing things….
Thanks, it’s good to know.
As I recall, that was indeed the case.
I like to think that we are evolving, not dying. I love reading Splat On, but unfortunately I don’t have much time at work to post, so I am always late, and (like most latecomers) think that nobody will read anything I post.
I also don’t post to some topics because I ain’t very smart and sometimes I just am not on the same wavelength as others. There is an old saying that I tend to live by, something along the lines of ‘better to remain silent and be thought a fool than speak out and remove all doubt’.
I love reading MMM and FOF because I like to hear about peoples lives and share stories. I have learnded* alot* from Splat On!
*misspelling intentional
If it helps, I read this.
And I know what you mean about not feeling smart, but it seems a lot of us feel this way. So I guess that means it’s ok to post on something, even if you’re not sure you’re on the same wavelength, because chances are there’s a few more of us out there who have no idea either.
Yes, it’s OK! One of the things I used to love about Splat! was the way it could go off on total tangents at the drop of a hat. Mind you, I didn’t write them, so I didn’t care if they went off on a tangent. I’m not sure how Evan felt about that, but his writing was so eclectic I’m fairly sure he would have enjoyed it.
I suppose it would have been a bit irritating though, if he’d spent ages writing a thought provoking post, and we all started talking about something different…
Keep commenting. There are a few of us who do read, we all seem to think no one is about. So keep commenting!
Ok!
Your Honor, I change my plea to Guilty of Being a Pedant.
I will try to change my ways, as I didn’t realize it came across as an attack.
Ode to a Spell Checker
I have a spelling checker
I disk covered four my PC.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye can knot see.
Eye ran this poem threw it.
Your sure real glad two no.
Its very polished in its weigh,
My checker tolled me sew.
A checker is a blessing.
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right awl stiles two reed,
And aides me when aye rime.
Each frays comes posed up on my screen
Eye trussed too bee a joule.
The checker pours o’er every word
To cheque sum spelling rule.
Bee fore wee rote with checkers
Hour spelling was inn deck line,
Butt now when wee dew have a laps,
Wee are not maid too wine.
And now bee cause my spelling
Is checked with such grate flare,
There are know faults in awl this peace,
Of nun eye am a wear.
To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should be proud,
And wee mussed dew the best wee can,
Sew flaws are knot aloud.
That’s why eye brake in two averse
Caws Eye dew want too please.
Sow glad eye yam that aye did bye
This soft wear four pea seas.
Love it!!!
May I please copy and email around to some friends??
The author is unknown. This has been floating ’round the Intarwebbies for some years.
So copy away!
Oh, that is great! I love it too.
Hi everyone,
I am late as usual – but pleased to now know that there are many other late readers not just Cazzy, Seashells and myself. I am always late because I work stupid hours, can’t post from work and then have uni till 9pm 2 nights a week. This week I have been home and have commented more frequently. Now that I’m aware that there are plenty of splatters around late I will make more of an effort to contribute.
I agree that this is a different community than the original Splat but that doesn’t mean it’s not great. I have met some of you in real life and that was fun, but it’s not all about that for everyone. I am always prepared to disagree with someone and can be pretty blunt but it doesn’t necessarily mean that I think you’re in league with the devil (although spometimes I might). That said, personal attacks are unnecessary. IMHO if you have to resort to attacking the person rather than their argument you have already lost the debate.
I don’t correct grammar or spelling (although I think spelling errors tend to be typos) but do find some errors very irritating – my team at work has felt my wrath regarding apostrophes! I have a somewhat irrational aversion to their incorrect use and would love to see a post on grammar. If anyone didn’t learn it at school (as Jessmeca mentioned) why not take this opportunity?
I applaud the efforts of the many people who make this blog work by writing posts, administering the site and posting, and I sincerely hope we are able to continue.
I’m looking forward to the grammar post as well.
Me three! I’m in a similar boat to others in that my education was sadly lacking in grammar. Through reading a lot (see I can learn!) I quite often know that something doesn’t sound right but wouldn’t be able to say why. A post explaining some of the most common grammatical errors would be great.
Having had time to think about this, I am even less sure than I was this morning.
I like healthy debate, but think it is difficult to do so on paper without watching expressions, nuances etc.
It just comes across as sniping and I find it unpleasant to read.
Harls, I have nothing but awe of your ability to analyse things from the meaning of life to Nick Cave’s lyrics. I do not want you to stop or to change – I was just explaining my inability to do justice to your posts.
For isolated people like me, I find splaton a great place to meet like minded people. Sometimes having something ‘like’ something you have said can give you a lift. Indeed, I would miss it if it went away but can also understand people wanting more.
My brain works a bit better in the evenings (after several coffees) so I had a couple of ideas that we could think about.
1. Ask for ideas (brainstorming for posts and request volunteers to write)
2. Can we have an icon (a devil?) for when we wish to say something outrageous (or are playing devil’s advocate)
3. How about special ‘no holds barred’ blogs where you only participate if you wish
4. Most of us are frustrated writers – how about a long running writer’s blog where we post paragraphs (or sentences) and write our own story with multiple authors (it could be a comedy!)
5. Monthly news blogs where it is open slather and we can provide opinion on what has been happening in the world.
That is what I can think of quickly – I am sure there are others you can come up with.
ooops ‘someone’ like something you wrote
Those are some great ideas Seer they might even take some pressure off the people who currently make sure we are chock full of content. If every one knows the second wednesday of the month is joke day for example the post really only has to be a small joke to get the ball rolling.
I like the idea of getting creative with the “buttons” we have access to on each post! splugs, devils advocate, rodents
Aw, shucks!
I felt the same way, and I agree it is nop reason to exclude them.
I just had a look at my earlier response (to your earlier post, not this one) and I did go on a bit. I was just trying to say, don’t let my posts put you off. No matter how long or ‘serious’ I make them (Mrs H would tell you there isn’t a serious bone in my body) they are meant to be fun and to be enjoyed by all Splatters.
I LOOOOOOVE THIS IDEA! I’ve been on forums where we have had 4 or 5 word story threads. Doesn’t have to be a full sentence but each person adds to whatever the last person said and as you can usually only get half an idea written in 5 words if you are lucky then you end up with some amazing stories and ideas.*
*I take no responsibility for ninja star throwing, force wielding pirate monkeys.
Very successful post Pokey – it sure did raise a few hackles and stimulate a lot of conversation. I made a smattering of splattering replies up there.
Can someone tell me how to become a registered member? My browser just remembers my name and email addy.
Hi Cazzy.
You should be able to register by clicking on this link:
http://www.splaton.com/wp-login.php?action=register
So put in your Username/email address and then a password will be e-mailed to you.
Might have further instructions but give that a go.
Hi lovely. On the right hand side of the page, scroll down to the RSS & Log-Ins box. Register should be one of the options.
WOW Pokey – 288, including this one, today. Record Thursday for Splat and Splat on. I think you must’ve scared the living shit out of everyone on this topic. Well done.
To Poppit’s comment about not really missing Splat on because of Splat ups, twitter and the like – for me it would be horrible. Splat on is my daily bread, even if I don’t post, which is relatively rare except for recently.
Although I do feel on the outer at times because I don’t get involved in the other social aspects and I generally post so late, I think if I was brave enough to join this community, others could follow.
I genuinely love all the personalities and discourse here. As for grammatical corrections – bring them on, I’m getting a bit fuzzy in my old age and can always use a bit of a nudge in the right direction.
Fashion and Sci-fi are not my thing but I still enjoy everyone raving on about what they are interested in and I often find myself Googling sites to get more info.
Lets keep it up and any changes for the better will be welcome.
I agree. Everyone saw the topic title and freaked out. I know I did when I saw it this morning!
Not just you! :p
I always read your posts Cazzy, no matter how late.
You are a jewel. I look forward to everything you have to say.
H, I’m not massaging your ego, I love your shit. Even if I can’t relate to it. xxxxx
Me too : )
This is one of the great things about Splat On!, we encourage each other to learn more about the world around us
My registration is not working. Someone please help me.
SMOPH please help me xxxx
I need some help too – how do I change my pic? I’d like a change from an insane triangle…
I asked the same question and someone should be able to help you. I got Hairy on my avatar and I can’t remember how to do it but, with help, it’s easy. Just hope they come back to this post to fix it because I have a problem too.
If you click on the Your Comments tab up top, Jen has some very helpful info on creating your own avatar. If you follow that through & still get stuck, shout out, I’m sure someone more techy than me will be able to help you.
All good, finally figured it out thanks to my better half (he is good to me!) Thanks for the help though
Hey, pretty cool!
One more post, to beat The Don’s score.
Here is one more post – purely to make up the numbers
Naughty!
But naughty is so much fun!
Numbers!
*performs a perfect backflip*
Should the posts be longer? Should the posts be shorter?
Yes.
Sorry, but I don’t think you should be setting a length for posts. (And don’t get me started on length vs word count.) A post should be as long as it needs to be, and no longer.
If you want to debate an issue, then the post might need to short, not only to give people room to debate, but to also give them time to do it. (“Dogs are better pets than cats. Discuss.”)
But if you want to grab a topic between your teeth and run with it, then please do it. You may not get much discussion, but that’s not always a bad thing. And we all get to learn something new about the world (or at least the one in your head).
And now I’ll finish off with a quote from J. Michael Straczynski:
“Pets is okay. Ah lahkes pets. Pets be cool. And cats be coolest.”
Bill.
Hi Bill! Welcome!
Thanks for joining us.
Very late to the party, but here’s my honest 2 cents:
1. The sci-fi topics don’t interest me, so that’s why I’ll never comment on such posts. However, I get that it does interest most of you, so I have no right to sit here and bag out other people’s loves and interests.
2. I have considered writing a blog post many a time…in fact, I did come up with a few ideas in my own head, but never took the chance to jot down the few sentences I came up with sadly. Might get around to it again one day, although I don’t think I’ll reach the dizzying heights of intelligent posting tbh. The intelligent stuff scares me sometimes…I tend to use the internet as a tool for escapism, a way for my brain to drift off and not have to think so hard about things. Like some of you, I too get/have had this feeling of “everyone’s so intelligent, I’ve got nothing really to say”, hence why I won’t comment on those days – or if I do, I usually add a “this post is too intelligent for my feeble brain” disclaimer beforehand.
3. I’m all for the whole letting people comment longer thing. I do feel that the large majority of posting goes on in the middle of the day and by the time I post, nobody really cares or comes back to look (although I know some of you do, which is great), which makes me feel as though I’m posting my comments or opinions for naught. The times at which I’m on the net have been erratic of late and I do tend to be of a nighttime, which makes me feel like I’ve missed out on all the action/good stuff that goes on during the day.
4. I perhaps feel like we may be running out of things to talk about. Shock horror I know, but surely we can dig up a lil’ inspiration somewhere? Yeah, I know, guilty as charged here, gimme the dunce’s hat now and I’ll go sit in the corner.
5. Like Cazzy, I would also feel a bit lost without Splat On. It’s all fine and dandy for those of you who keep in touch away from here, but what about those of us who don’t? There’s a lot of detritus out there on the ‘net and I like that we have a microcosm of goodwill here. I do like the fact that we can get along and debate without tearing each other apart, but I don’t know…maybe we do need to take the gloves off a bit more than once in a while? *shrugs*
I do like the fact that this post has generated a lot of debate though – I think most of us don’t want to see this blog fall by the wayside. Gotta admit I freaked out a little reading the title tonight!