- A 3 Legged Goat
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- Fabled Legendary Member
Join Halo Haven for all things related to Halo 4
Tell her that If you jingle my bells, Ill promise you a white Christmas - Call Me Venom
The world can't end next month. My yogurt expires in 2013 - Princess Cadence
If Apple invented a car, would it have windows? - Xxembers
I've only been a member for less than 3 years now, but during this time I've observed patterns and consistent behaviors associated with the posting style of this site. The way something is worded, as well as the content therein plays a critical part in the amount of attention a topic receives. Topic attention also depends on the original poster, as well as the reputation of those in the thread.
For example, a thread about the original poster themselves encourages people to read the original post. However, a thread asking a general question containing the same subject matter may not be directly inviting people to read the OP, thus people are more likely to post their own opinions and less likely to respond to the OPs.
Another example would be neutral, innocent threads as opposed to biased and opinionated ones. A thread that stirs emotions of its reader will garner more attention than one with a passive original post. This is most commonly observed with positive praise threads verses negative criticism threads. A topic of controversial subject matter naturally attracts more attention because people react to it faster, and are thus hastened to post their opinion. The media has been employing this tactic for decades, which is why there is more bad news than good news.
Furthermore, the creator of the topic may also influence its attention. A recognizable member of the community - whether they are respected or notorious - may attract more people to post therein. However, this is a double-edged sword, as one who is known among the community is expected to adhere to the status quo that they have established. This often leads to topics by said poster shifting discussion to the posters themselves rather than the actual topic.
In my opinion, a prominent and successful member of the community knows how to use this to their advantage. Unfortunately, most of these members resort to trolling, and they are inevitably fed by those who make it all too easy.
What do you think of my observations? Do you have any thoughts to add, or am I speaking gibberish?
I've always found the psychology behind this forum quite fascinating
[Edited on 09.11.2012 1:43 AM PDT]