
The Art of Hosting Good Conversations Online (1998) - kick
https://www.rheingold.com/texts/artonlinehost.html
======
cluse
In my opinion, based on 11 years of using Reddit, these things support good
online conversations. I'm of the strong opinion that social media platforms
should put less emphasis on general content aggregation (think of reddit's
"front page of the internet) and they should put more emphasis on communities
and specific topics. Twitter improved after it let you follow topics in
addition to people, because topics usually provide more reasonable, more
natural starting points for discussion than viral content does.

Here's my list of the best ingredients to facilitate good online discussions:

\- Smaller, niche communities that allow people to talk about common interests
instead of just scrolling through shallow, forgettable, crowd-pleasing posts
\- A voting system that lets better comments get more visibility \- A website
design that prioritizes discussion over pure content aggregation, which does
things like providing moderation tools \- A good headline for the discussion
to start with. The starting point matters a lot. It helps when there is strong
discouragement of editorialized and sensationalized titles. Good discussions
usually don't result from a post featuring a provocative or polarizing photo
or meme. A discussion is more likely to be good if it starts with a neutral
title or an open question. \- It's better when there is complete transparency
and openness about exactly what is allowed or not allowed, encouraged or
discouraged, and what gets you banned. People care more about a community when
the rules are enforced fairly and predictably. Otherwise they get resentful.

~~~
sidpatil
Reformatted for easier reading:

\- Smaller, niche communities that allow people to talk about common interests
instead of just scrolling through shallow, forgettable, crowd-pleasing posts

\- A voting system that lets better comments get more visibility

\- A website design that prioritizes discussion over pure content aggregation,
which does things like providing moderation tools

\- A good headline for the discussion to start with. The starting point
matters a lot. It helps when there is strong discouragement of editorialized
and sensationalized titles. Good discussions usually don't result from a post
featuring a provocative or polarizing photo or meme. A discussion is more
likely to be good if it starts with a neutral title or an open question.

\- It's better when there is complete transparency and openness about exactly
what is allowed or not allowed, encouraged or discouraged, and what gets you
banned. People care more about a community when the rules are enforced fairly
and predictably. Otherwise they get resentful.

------
dgzl
For myself, I can't flirt online unless I've met and felt out their
personality in person. I can send out official emails to strangers no problem,
and I can pick up women in person just fine. But dating apps drive me crazy
because I just don't care about you until I've met you.

~~~
graeme
The point of dating apps is generally to meet someone who _might_ be someone
you’re interested in, and then meet them in person as soon as possible to find
out. Talking online generally doesn’t reveal in person chemistry.

