I’ve just had a like for a topic I created sometime ago: offtopic/i-should-be-on-jury-service-in ... ml#p928320. It’s a topic that only got one reply, not that I particularly care but it does leave a question. What actually makes for a good topic of conversation for you?

jkbarnes wrote: ↑Fri Dec 23, 2022 10:19 pm I’m not sure what it is that stimulates my interest enough to engage with a post.

Of late, there have been a few topics on which I’ve written a line only to delete and pass. Not because of disinterest, but the thought I will not be making a useful contribution. Other topics, are just way out of my league.

Well, offers of free property would get my attention quickly..

Richard D wrote: ↑Fri Dec 23, 2022 10:33 pm

jkbarnes wrote: ↑Fri Dec 23, 2022 10:19 pm I’m not sure what it is that stimulates my interest enough to engage with a post.

Of late, there have been a few topics on which I’ve written a line only to delete and pass. Not because of disinterest, but the thought I will not be making a useful contribution. Other topics, are just way out of my league.

I often pitch in, with one liners, sometimes short is sweet, so I'd encourage you to post them Richard.

Regards Steve

For me, a good conversation must generate an emotional response - happiness, sadness, empathy, laughter, even anger - and must provoke some brain work. Something to get the cerebral juices flowing. I think you *can* have a conversation on a forum, but it is a challenge, as the immediacy of one’s response is usually missing, and a watch forum is a limiting sub-set of the genre, due to the primary subject matter. What’s engaging in a real-life, in-person conversation is a point well made, which causes the other participants to pause & ponder, while they take in new information, and assess against their standpoint, and deliver a response. Religion, politics and philosophy are rich topics for lengthy conversations, and while I haven’t checked the forum rules recently, I assume at least 2 of those are out of bounds.

Incidentally, I have just read the thread referenced in the OP, and its solitary reply. It obviously took a lot of thought & time to write it, it must have been disappointing to see such a limited reaction. I wonder if the length of the post might have worked against it. I usually check the forum daily, scan through the topics, pick off the most enticing headlines, and then skim through the General Discussion & Other Brands. Sometimes I spot a lengthy OP, decide I don’t have time to read it there & then, and then completely forget to go back.

We live in a time where our attention spans are diminishing - consuming 90-second news rather than The Economist, listening to podcasts as background, watching TV-series rather than movies, multi-tasking on Teams & Zoom calls. Busy, busy, busy, must get on….

Circling back to the question, in addition to the point I made at the top, I think a good conversation starts with a succinct opening salvo, and on a forum that’s as important as it is in person.

In my view posts on an internet forum can sometimes appear to have some features of conversation but can never be the 'real thing'. Paralinguistic features - body language, facial expressions, pitch and tone of voice for example, cannot be conveyed successfully by words alone. Emojis are an inventive and sometimes useful aid to making meaning clearer. Which is why sftware is developed so people can talk face to face online. How long before it is incorporated into forums? Which would then incur other problems for the developers.

Richard D wrote: ↑Fri Dec 23, 2022 10:33 pm Of late, there have been a few topics on which I’ve written a line only to delete and pass. Not because of disinterest, but the thought I will not be making a useful contribution. Other topics, are just way out of my league.

Same here, Richard

Sometimes the wealth and breadth of knowledge on here leaves me languishing in their wake.

Firstly Richard can I just say after having revisited the thread you’ve referenced, it’s sometimes about the quality of the repose rather than the quantity.

I’m often surprised about what posts take off and what sometimes flops so to speak. Posts I sometime consider very interesting and often well written tend to quickly disappear down the list while others can completely take off. There seems to be no pattern either as to why this is although going off topic and people posting quick one liners can actually help keep a thread alive I find so please do contribute even if you don’t feel you are adding much in terms of depth.

I’ve written long posts myself and having taken the time to go to all the effort, it’s nice to know it was read and appreciated. I think the like button helps here as people can click that if they don’t feel they can add anything to the conversation, but on the other hand this is also an easy way out of engaging which could be limiting our interaction. I also think some of my more liked posts are the quick jokes rather than anything deep and meaningful so perhaps people aren’t yet stopping from fully engaging when it is warranted.

I did try to make a thread pointing people to other threads worth reading.
offtopic/thread-reference-thread-t58235.html
I was quite clear in my OP that it wasn’t intended to be a discussion thread but one people could use as a reference for good reads. With hindsight however this means that whenever I add anything, it quickly disappears down as no one comments. Also those really worthy threads only come up every few months as I don’t want to fill the post with just any old post. I’ve not updated it for a while and it might be one that becomes extinct unless I revisit the OP and modify the rules next time something comes up worth adding.

iain wrote: ↑Sat Dec 24, 2022 8:56 am I’m often surprised about what posts take off and what sometimes flops so to speak. Posts I sometime consider very interesting and often well written tend to quickly disappear down the list while others can completely take off.

Likewise I’m often surprised, especially when it’s nothing to do with horology. All credit to the mods allowing this because some other watch groups would be reaching for the delete button.

I was checking my WhatsApp and noticed that a lot of my messages to friends, which include jokes, photos, link and general chit chat, are read but receive no response.
When I ask in person"Was that funny, interesting etc"
They say "Oh yeah, great or No what a load of rubbish"
But i rarely get feedback to the message, on the app.
I myself, usually respond, with a minimum of an emoji.

I also find it quite difficult, when messaging someone, to break off from what feels like a conversation to me.

I think this could be because, I'm more comfortable chatting, communicating by written word.
I have a terrible memory, so it's nice to have it as a reference.

Or I just have rubbish mates !

I do like a chat in person, but I think I'm a better writer than talker.

Regards Steve

I have learned not to take anything for granted as far as forum topics are concerned. I have started topics which I thought might be quite interesting and they have bombed; I’ve sometimes ended up deleting them before any replies were made. Equally, I have seen some pretty frivolous topics that seem to have taken on a life of their own.

Basically, if it’s something I’m interested in or I feel I can learn from it or contribute to it, I will probably participate. Otherwise, I will just let people get on with it.

One thing I love debating is not permitted on the forum, and it’s not politics, off-colour humour or weapons. Such is life.

Good question!

I missed the thread about jury service and would have replied.

I'm not sure what the answer is to the title of this thread.

It depends on how much time I have and if I feel I know enough to contribute. I've learnt much about subjects of which I knew nothing thanks to posts here - especially watches.

Very occasionally threads become unexpectedly heated which is, thankfully, rare on this forum and allows folk to post happily.

My more political rants I save for Twitter as here is definitely not the place for politics I feel.

Posts on real ale and trips to Wales have been popular lately and I've contributed to both of those.