Memo to newbies. When your posts don't get responses, don't despair.

[Cyrano]

A moment of inspiration has struck and you share it on DU. You keep hitting the renew icon seeking responses that will recognize and endorse your brilliant insight. But, damn. Nobody answers you.

Breaking news might interrupt. You may post on a weekend on which everyone is either shoveling snow or at the beach. You may post something that is too sophisticated for people who work hard all week and are just too mentally exhausted to respond. You may have been smoking a joint and your "brilliance" might sound like "idiocy" tomorrow. Who knows?

I have read many outstanding posts that have received an answer or two, and I have read many posts that don't deserve the time of day yet receive countless K&Rs.

Go figure. DU is no different from the rest of the world. And it contains as much "justice" and "injustice."

So to go back to my headline. Don't despair. Keep posting whatever you think is important, relevant, interesting, or earth-shattering.

I do it, and whether or not I receive any responses, I always suspect that someone among the 100,000 plus people on DU read it and "got it." That's enough.

[Olney Blue]

1. Good advice.

Welcome to DU, newbies! :hi:

[demmiblue]

29. Glad to be here!

Thank you for the welcome!

:hi:

[liberal N proud]

2. I have had hundreds of original post that had one or no response

Hasn't stopped me yet, nor should it stop anyone.
You never know when something you posted is going to be important.

Don't let those who attack your posts bother you. Your opinion counts as much as theirs.

The only advice I have, is if you are reporting news or facts, back it up with links.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. My attitude toward lead balloon posts ........

..... fuck it. :shrug:

[Cyrano]

7. Hey, Husb2Aparkly, with that many Valentine hearts, how can you be so grumpy?

Or perhaps I'm just reading good advice as grumpiness. If so, my apologies.

And as long as I'm posting, doesn't sparkly question so many Valentine hearts to her husband? (That's not a snarky question, just jealousy.)

[Stinky The Clown]

15. It really was intended as sound, honest advice

If someone (or lots of someones) don't like my posts ...... its no skin off my nose. In other words .... fuck it. Who cares?

I'm actually a sweetheart. hence the valentines. :hi:

I am often mistaken for grumpy cuz I don't suffer fools gladly. I am often grumped *at* because I am often a fool.

But I'm happy nonetheless. :)

[billyoc]

4. The same applies to a thread that suddenly dies as soon as you post to it.

Take it from a long-time threadkilla. ;)

[bain_sidhe]

8. I am the QUEEN of threadkillas

So there! Bet nobody replies to this thread after my post!

Read it and weep, Cyrano. I just killed your thread. And it was a really good thread, too! I'm very, very sorry, but... I can't help it. You know how us serial (thread)killers are.

[Cyrano]

11. I've never met a woman who lives in Michigan whom I didn't love.

[bain_sidhe]

12. Oh dear...

Or, should I say, Oh! Dear!

But, you ruined my killing spree, you know. Ah, well, nothing lasts forever. Which is the best and worst thing about life, when you think about it.

[barbtries]

25. lol

i seem to have that midas touch as well. again, ah, well.

[BeFree]

5. Or

Send me $5 and I'll reply to even your worst gawd-awful post.

Can't always be free, ya know.

Anyway, newbs, buckle up and hang on, your in for one hell of a ride.

[bobbolink]

6. Yeah, just remember you're on DU, and being ignored by the "best"

:eyes:

[ThomWV]

9. If you want responses it is easy enough to get them, K&Rs too if you please

Its actually very easy to elicit a good response with your posts, here's how. Keep your posts short. Be very clear in what you say, leave no ambiguity and do not use meaningless jargon. Do not use acronyms. If you feel passionate about your subject let it show. Do not ask a question that you think you know the answer to - what will show too and it won't be appreciated. Be courteous if you are responding to someone else's post. Oh, and if you say something and a responder replies with better information that proves your point wrong step up and acknowledge it and thank them for making your revised opinion better informed.

[teacher gal]

10. Thank you for the advice

and encouragement. I have found that it is very discouraging trying to get some attention to the ongoing destruction of American public education. I have a thread up now, "WHERE THE HELL ARE THE HEADLINES, DEAR CORPORATE-CONTROLLED MEDIA?"

While I appreciate the recs and comments thus far, I really need more comments to keep the thread up there. For the most part, I'm carrying on a conversation with myself..haha...in my efforts to keep it up there where it might be read.

[Tindalos]

13. Thanks

I need all the encouragement I can get right now.

Can I just add a thank you to people who actually respond to newbies. Sometimes I feel like a social pariah. We're not all trolls y'know.

[niyad]

14. welcome to DU

we don't regard all newbies as trolls. for the most part, we welcome all who find their way here, this island of sanity in a reichwing world.

[Tindalos]

19. Good to know

When I see people jumped just for saying "I agree" or something, I get nervous. Everyone seems especially skittish right now.

[provis99]

17. i tend to read newbies more carefully than old timers

Their words are generally more thoughtfully composed, and they seem to have some genuine enthusiasm at making a contribution to a site than some old timers who just blurt out 20 gripe messages a day in a series of drive-by insults (GD P, you know who you are). One thing I would like to see more of is the old timers who have garnered my respect around here take the time to drop a reply to a newbie. The longer a newbie stays on the board, the more they realize which of the long-term posters are worth listening to (NanceGreggs et al., if I may be allowed a plug spot here).

[Tindalos]

22. Heh! No kidding.

It's taken me 10 minutes just to type this response. To add to what you said, I tend to pay more attention to threads by people who've replied to me. A little kindness goes a long way.



btw. NanceGreggs is :loveya:

[wildeyed]

32. That is so true.

Newbies are often driven by a sense of purpose, they have something to say, and it is often more original and better written than post from people who have been around for a while. Once you get comfortable here, it is easy to get lazy. I should know :crazy:

There were a few long-timers who took time to talk to me when I first came her, and a few who beat up on me because they thought they could get away with it. I still remember who is who.

[CatnHat]

33. I am a semi-newbie

and was actually bashed for it couple of times from Obama supporters. Guess supporting Hillary Clinton doesn't sit well with them. Anyway, welcome.:hi:

[Tindalos]

35. Hi there

Welcome CatnHat:hi:

Sorry to hear about the bashing. It's a tough crowd some days. Hang in there.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

16. Wise words

we never know when the words we write may make an impact upon another. So always assume that someone read your post and appreciated it.

[Olney Blue]

36. So true. And you are one the voices I ALWAYs appreciate.

(even though I don't always say something) :hi:

[Cyrano]

18. I can't help but wonder if the net and Du had existed 100 years ago,

would Einstein's E=MC squared would have been just one more ignored thread?

Yeah, I know. This is a stretch. Nonetheless, too much noise tends to bury critical information.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

20. now that is some sweet sage advice....I like you

[The Straight Story]

21. Or they have ya on ignore like so many do me

:rofl:

[Prefer]

23. What I do is imagine the type of criticism I will face and then hit the back button

I probably cancel at least half of my posts. We should all try to edit out at least half of the stupid flame bait we spew. It makes the
site better.

Just last night I was going to post something and after I read the idiocy of what I had written, I thought to myself, "I am just so full of shit I don't even have anything good to say." So I spared everyone.

[barbtries]

24. i made my 1,000th post matter

or so i thought. 2 responses and no recs. ah, well, guess i'm still a newbie...

[Hissyspit]

26. I have been here over four years...

I can't count the number of times I have posted something and it dropped like a rock and then someone else posted it a few days later and it got 49 recommendations and 55 responses.

There's nothing wrong with kicking your own post at a different time of day if you feel it is worthwhile.

You just never know. Go figure.

[Tresalisa]

27. Thanks for the encouraging words!

This is the first internet site I've joined, instead of lurking. On one hand, I don't really care if people respond to my posts, but on the other, it's nice to get replies, and if appropriate, various forms of LOLs.

I don't have the fight in me to post on many candidates threads since my candidate dropped out, so I mostly just read the ones which interest me, refrain from posting and stick to replying to posts in GD, lounge and GLBT.

[demmiblue]

28. Thank you for the advice, Cyrano!

:hi:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

30. I have over 12,000 post on DU and I'm sure most of my OPs get little to no response

Obviously that hasn't deterred me in the least. :D I hope our new members also don't let it get them down either.

Some days a topic resonates with posters here and others the same topic will fall on deaf ears. Such is the nature of the beast that is DU.

[Demagitator]

31. Good advice

It is much to easy; to resign all ones politics, because they feel they are ignored.

[w8liftinglady]

34. ...especially on a busy news day...don't be afraid to "self-kick"

[kiva]

37. Another thank you!

It can seem like a minefield, but I've also gotten some welcomes. No threadkilling yet, but I did manage to post on two threads that were later locked--does that count?

[AZBlue]

38. Take it from someone who's not new and who's posts sink like the Titanic:

:hug:

I console myself by thinking that I'm just not as inflammatory or objectionable as other posters. Yeah....that's my story and I'm stickin' to it....