Hey everyone,
This is a question I've been asked several times over the years and I'd like to ask all of you the same. I've been seeing a lot of awesome threads here lately (I'm sorry I haven't had time to reply to every one but I do try to read at least the original post of every new thread in Singles) and I'd like to see where you all come up with your ideas. Was it something you read, heard, saw, or experienced?
And, what moves you to respond to a post or thread? What convinces you to share, make a comment, or write about your own experiences?
I guess when you're writing down your own thoughts, you often can't see how you're coming across to people. It only recently dawned on me that because I ask a lot of questions, some people might see me as a helpless, indecisive person who can't do anything without asking someone else about it.
The real truth is that I have always enjoyed communicating my thoughts in writing, and in a way, my threads are like a journal of the various things I encounter or think about in my life. It can be anything from a magazine article I just read to a scene in a movie I can't get over to a conversation I had with someone this morning at McDonald's. The real secret is that the great majority of my threads are NOT meant to ask anyone's advice, but to get people talking to each other.
The goal of my threads is always to start a good discussion in which people feel comfortable to share and get to know each other in a safe, supportive environment. Many of my threads are not even about me. I often write about things I see other people going through, and there have even been a few times when people have asked me to write a thread for them but want to remain anonymous, so I tend to write it from my own point of view in order to safeguard my "ghost writer's" identity.
I also sometimes write about things that have happened in my own life in the PAST, which is why I ask readers not to get too caught up in the examples. In other words, I've often already dealt with the topic at hand so my purpose isn't to ask advice, but instead, I want to know how other people have or would have handled it.
The examples I use are usually just meant to be just an introduction and "welcome mat" that one can step over in order to join the discussion.
One of my other favorite past times in the threads is to look for cool people with whom to start running gags. I love it when people can get a good string of jokes going off each other's posts! (I suppose some might see that as a "friendly form" of trolling... But... It's just so much fun!!!
How about all of you? What inspires you to "ask questions" and "keep talking" to others here in the threads?
This is a question I've been asked several times over the years and I'd like to ask all of you the same. I've been seeing a lot of awesome threads here lately (I'm sorry I haven't had time to reply to every one but I do try to read at least the original post of every new thread in Singles) and I'd like to see where you all come up with your ideas. Was it something you read, heard, saw, or experienced?
And, what moves you to respond to a post or thread? What convinces you to share, make a comment, or write about your own experiences?
I guess when you're writing down your own thoughts, you often can't see how you're coming across to people. It only recently dawned on me that because I ask a lot of questions, some people might see me as a helpless, indecisive person who can't do anything without asking someone else about it.
The real truth is that I have always enjoyed communicating my thoughts in writing, and in a way, my threads are like a journal of the various things I encounter or think about in my life. It can be anything from a magazine article I just read to a scene in a movie I can't get over to a conversation I had with someone this morning at McDonald's. The real secret is that the great majority of my threads are NOT meant to ask anyone's advice, but to get people talking to each other.
The goal of my threads is always to start a good discussion in which people feel comfortable to share and get to know each other in a safe, supportive environment. Many of my threads are not even about me. I often write about things I see other people going through, and there have even been a few times when people have asked me to write a thread for them but want to remain anonymous, so I tend to write it from my own point of view in order to safeguard my "ghost writer's" identity.
I also sometimes write about things that have happened in my own life in the PAST, which is why I ask readers not to get too caught up in the examples. In other words, I've often already dealt with the topic at hand so my purpose isn't to ask advice, but instead, I want to know how other people have or would have handled it. The examples I use are usually just meant to be just an introduction and "welcome mat" that one can step over in order to join the discussion.
One of my other favorite past times in the threads is to look for cool people with whom to start running gags. I love it when people can get a good string of jokes going off each other's posts!
(I suppose some might see that as a "friendly form" of trolling... But... It's just so much fun!!! How about all of you? What inspires you to "ask questions" and "keep talking" to others here in the threads?
