A sure sign that a comment thread is degenerating is when two commenters argue a point back and forth. From now on, before you enter a third comment that in such a sequence, I recommend taking the discussion off line.
A sure sign that a comment thread is degenerating is when two commenters argue a point back and forth. From now on, before you enter a third comment that in such a sequence, I recommend taking the discussion off line.
May 26 2008
From the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly:[S]ome producers fear that a strike is inevitable - especially since an estimated 80 percent of SAG members are unemployed and thus have nothing to lose by walking out.This is a cute quip, but it's off the mark. Actors could easily believe they have nothing to lose. But t...
May 26 2008
One of the examples that comes up in the Robin Hanson podcast concerns dating. If the point is to signal to the person that you are healthy, wealthy, and intelligent, why not just bring your health records, your bank statement, and your SAT scores? One hypothesis, which may be implicit in what Robin is saying, is tha...
May 26 2008
A sure sign that a comment thread is degenerating is when two commenters argue a point back and forth. From now on, before you enter a third comment that in such a sequence, I recommend taking the discussion off line.
READER COMMENTS
Jadagul
May 26 2008 at 9:10pm
I’m probably in the minority on this, but for the record I often enjoy reading long back-and-forths between two commenters. (As long as it’s an intelligent discussion and not reams of abuse, of course). Some of my favorite comment threads have been the results of two or three people batting a discussion back and forth, and I’m often disappointed when an otherwise interesting exchange gets taken offline.
That said, it is of course your blog and your rules.
Patrick
May 26 2008 at 9:53pm
I second Jadagul.
Just the other week there was a long debate in the comments thread about oil prices by two people who worked in commodities trading. It was some of the most intelligent commentary about the issue I’ve read anywhere, and it would be a shame to see it go offline.
Ajay
May 27 2008 at 12:13am
Let me third that. While I agree that these back-and-forths are more likely to consist of verbal abuse or nitpicking than reasoned debate, it is worth it for the times when it is the latter. Since the costs of having it online are minimal, as it costs practically nothing to publish them and readers can easily skip those comments, I see no reason to ask these people to go offline. Of course, you can always step in and ask them to keep it down if they start bashing each other personally or the rancor gets out of hand in some other way.
Robert S. Porter
May 27 2008 at 2:33am
This is just a continuation of Arnold’s anti-comment bias.
David R. Henderson
May 27 2008 at 8:37am
Arnold,
I second what the above commenters said. As long as the conversation is civil, I see no problem with back and forth. It’s easy for the rest of us to skip what we’re not interested in. I think it is a good idea–and maybe this is what you were getting at–not to just keep repeating arguments. Simple repetition doesn’t strengthen an argument.
Best,
David
Ted Craig
May 27 2008 at 11:36am
I’m with Arnold. The back-and-forth usually adds nothing new to the conversation and often turns nasty. It’s mainly an issue of people feeling they must argue until the other side sees they’re right.
Comments are closed.