Let's Try Something New

Independent Thoughts has observed that the popular local discussion board Questioning Everything, Always has closed shop. This is a pity because QEA often had very lengthy discussions on local matters involving a variety of people. So to fill the void, I've decided to attempt on a trial basis to offer the same service here at the Chief.

Here's how it'll work:

I'll maintain a link just below The Chief's header that will lead readers to a discussion area pertaining to a pertinent local issue. Readers and potential commentators won't have to scroll down or anything -- the link will be located just the right of the main blog thread and will always be the first item displayed on the "sidebar." The topic will change as circumstances dictate, meaning according to news events or the rhythm of the conversation.

Suggestions for improvement will always welcome. Please use the comment section of this post to make any recommendations. The most pressing issue right now is a name. What should this little forum be called? I'd like to think that the collective brain power of the Oshkosh online community can come up with something better than OshKonversation.

At the moment I have very few plans to "edit" the conversation thread on a regular basis. I may skim over the dialog from time to time, but this will be on no fixed interval. So everyone's on their own. It's just not something I enjoy doing. Plus, I'm kind of interested in seeing what a "Lord of the Flies" internet atmosphere looks like. All of this will change if the discussion becomes abusive. I do not mind filthy language, so long as it is not directed at specific individuals (fellow commentators or otherwise). Racist and/or bigoted language will not be tolerated. Again, I do not plan on monitoring the discussion religiously so I will hope users will maintain a sense of decorum and etiquette.

This will be an experiment. We'll see how it works.

Here's some basic advice. These aren't rules, per ce, more like guidelines:

* Anonymous comments are OK, but if you plan on making multiple comments on a single thread come up with an alias so that other readers know which comments are yours. You can change aliases from thread to thread, but please be courteous enough to let others reference what you have said recently with regard to what is being discussed. I would like to avoid having everyone refer to each other's time signature as a means of identification.

* It's a good idea to learn the basic HTML language that Blogger allows for in the comments box. Try to learn how to link to other sites without having to write http://www.... yadda yadda yadda. You can learn to do this here.

* Site your sources. Fair warning: I tend to be very anal about this. A link isn't always necessary, but at least make an effort to back up any claims with some authority. This is particularly important for statistics and or other numbers.

* Be respectful of the people you are critiquing.

* If you think you have a choice between being insightful or being funny, go for insightful.

The first installment will begin here.

Enjoy!