I've only been here on AnimePaper for a few days now but i've noticed that a lot of the topics in General Discussion tend to ask questions that make actual discussion impossible. The ones that don't do this...well, the people posting seem to have no interest in responding to points other users bring up. I'm guilty of this myself in threads that have a huge amount of replies but I do try to skim through all the answers to respond to at least a few different viewpoints. I know this is primarily an art community but when I go on forums...i'm hoping for SOME kind of interaction with the people. Am I hoping for too much? It seems like most of the topics people reply once then never look at the topic again.

I'm not sure how the other boards fare on this matter but yeah, few questions;
-Do you read through the topic and it's replies before replying yourself?
-Do you only post for the paper?
-Do you think that there is too many topics like "french fries or cheese sticks?" that make any kind of real discussion impossible? By the way...seriously, french fries or cheese sticks?
-Do you prefer serious topics or casual topics?
-Would you like more topics that encourage actual discussion and debate?
-Will you ignore all of these questions in your reply?(this one will be answered if it happens, haha)

So, what does everyone think about this? Am I full of crap or is there really a severe lack of people interacting on these forums compared to other communities? If yes, how would you solve that problem? If no, explain why.

I don’t know about everyone else but I like to go to all the different topics and read them. I respond to them as if someone was asking me a question and wanted to know what I think. I do it for the paper but I feel I should answer that question as best as I can, and I do go back and at time I do post something else on that topic if it looks like it is going anywhere. I visit my own post to see what people have said and at times I try to enrages everyone to post more A little while back I visited this one post on this site, that wanted help in drawing his Mac girl better. I gave him the help that I could and every week he posted the results of his work and wanted my opinion. I gladly would tell him that he could improve on. Now he has a really nice drawing that he is inking in and I am waiting to see the end result.

OK. well. it is after all general discussion and yet not much discussion going on. mostly people just put oppinions in a topic and not really discuss it. I do it myself sometimes but I try to make discussions out of ppl's oppinions. This is a good way to keep a discussion going even though its just oppinions. Not all people that started a topic can immediately respond to reply but it is good to leave a response even though it would take a long time.

I've been staying in AP for a long time...and i notice most of the time, there are actually people spamming just to get the papers...such as posting unrelated replies etc.

i'm not saying that the general discussion's topic are not interesting enough...but i've found out that some of the topics here seems like the type of 'french fries of cheese sticks' kinda thing which is impossible for disscusion..
personally, i'll read through the replies roughly before i post any replies...
plus, i'll try answer the questions if there's any...:D
well...all i can say that we should try post some topics which are able to trigger discussion so that General Discussion will be alive.
that's my personal opinion...no offence.

I think I see your point. To be honest, the first time I came to AnimePaper, the first thing I noticed was the large amount of people in the community. This is different, compared to the tighter knit forum communities that I've been to before, since many threads receive 2x more replies and 2x the variety of posters I think we all give up in even to bother to refer to what people have wrote to before and just post our own opinion and get it over with. [run-on sentence, ehe.] Based on my previous experience, with the ability to recognize other users in a smaller community, people actually give in time to recognize each others ideas and refer to them even though the topic in particular is "french fries or cheese sticks." This I feel is the reason why many people here tend to just post in their answer rather than actually discussing the topic, [usually leading to "off topic"]

But I think its good that you came up with this topic since it seems to be a very crucial topic to this section of the forum. ;]

-Do you read through the topic and it's replies before replying yourself?
Mostly, unless it is a very long thread. I think its more important to reply to the original poster first and then move to replies to various posters.

-Do you only post for the paper?
Ha-ha! No. I've donated $350 to date.

-Do you think that there is too many topics like "french fries or cheese sticks?" that make any kind of real discussion impossible? By the way...seriously, french fries or cheese sticks?
"This or that" threads usually make my head throb, but I'll throw in a response every now and then. And I don't like french fries or cheese sticks: both make me want to crap my pants.

-Do you prefer serious topics or casual topics?
Equal diversity is best. Why are we here? Generally for entertainment. If someone says, "This forum should only have serious topics," they are engaging in self-righteous, intellectual masturbation. If you want to immerse yourself in a PRIME example of that, go post with the elitist snobs on the Anime News Network Forums. Most have such a high opinion of themselves, they think God created them solely as experts on ALL topics ever. If you DARE provide an opposing viewpoint that doesn't run their party line, you will be cyber dog meat. I'd love to meet most of them in the ring for a UFC/Pride fight. (Disclaimer: I'm a member of ANN.)

-Would you like more topics that encourage actual discussion and debate?
Sure, but with the caveat of above. Remember, we are here for entertainment. All of us have school, work, and this maddening thing called a life. It's nice to step away for a bit and enjoy a rambling nonsensical discussion or "throw-down" in a heated debate (I like them flame-filled, but that's just me).

-Will you ignore all of these questions in your reply?(this one will be answered if it happens, haha)
What questions? Where? I can neither confirm nor deny that said questions were answered by me...except by compensation or torture :)

Mmmm, the majority of the topics seem mostly trivial, but hey what is life without some fillers. Of course reading through the subject topic is what i'll usually do >_> and maybe the first 2 or 3 pages of replies. . . there's some really insane subjects that have dozens and dozens of replies.

I do like to put in my 2 cents in when i feel strongly about a certain issue. So i dont really tend to answer to many causal topics the bore i am. But having everyone conform and only talk about causal or serious topics would be rather boring wouldnt it? Mix it up a bit always works well, but questions that can be answered by a little research of thought kinda irk me. A few seconds of thought will take you a long way in some situations.


uhh... french fries or cheese sticks? pick whatever you like best?

I like to read all the reply in a topic but I cant coz lack of time and sometimes I barely understand what I read especially a deep english and my lack of knowledge and speech but I read like 3-7 replies of a thread. well back to the topic kurokaze hmm your right most replies are just for the sake of papers but not all though it doesnt matter if the is serious or not if one can reply and interacts with people and make friends well that ok.. gash runs out of idea again...

This is an anime forum, most anime forums have crappy general forums, though AP's is perhaps better than most in that at least there are actually occasionally proper discussions going on (even if they are just Christians and atheists trying to out stupid each other).

KuroKaze

-Do you read through the topic and it's replies before replying yourself?

Depends on the length of the thread, but usually yeah. If a thread is too long, I usually just think "tl;dr" and ignore it unless the topic is of particular interest to me.

KuroKaze

-Do you only post for the paper?

no, AP is not the only place to get highres pics, and the other places I know don't have anything like a paper limit so so paper is certainly not the reason for me; though AP is a good resource its not the only one for me. So. I actually only joined for one highres pic and after that I just started to swing by occasionally to grab some walls, which don't require paper iirc, and post in the occasional topic that grabs my attention. So I guess... I post out of boredom? I guess. lol.

KuroKaze

-Do you think that there is too many topics like "french fries or cheese sticks?" that make any kind of real discussion impossible? By the way...seriously, french fries or cheese sticks?

No. But some people obviously enjoy them, so meh.

KuroKaze

-Do you prefer serious topics or casual topics?

Depends on my mood, but largely serious, mostly because if I want casual I use imageboards or anonymous boards instead - which are boht vastly superior to forums btw ;)

KuroKaze

-Would you like more topics that encourage actual discussion and debate?

yeah I would, but as I mentioned at the start of my post, this forum's "serious" topics have a strong tendency to quickly devolve into Christians and atheists trying to out stupid each other, which is actually the reason that this forum is not one of my regular haunts. I guess what I'm saying is that more variety in "serious" topics would be nice.

KuroKaze

-Will you ignore all of these questions in your reply?(this one will be answered if it happens, haha)

haha I actually like these kinds of posts cos it helps to break my own post down :P

KuroKaze

So, what does everyone think about this? Am I full of crap or is there really a severe lack of people interacting on these forums compared to other communities? If yes, how would you solve that problem? If no, explain why.

well for me personally I prefer imageboards cos they're more laid back and there's not the e-penis faggotry associated with post count or mod titles or whatever. The problems you describe are not unique to AP, they're weaknesses of forums generally for the most part. AP exacerbates the problem somewhat because of the paper system; that said I have yet to see or think of a better alternative, so god knows really. Maybe the simplest answer would just be to split general discussion into two forums; "games, spam topics, etc" and "serious discussion" or something and just make posts not count towards paper in the spam forum. That way people that enjoy those topics can still do them without making everyone else think they're spamming for paper. Anyway I guess I'm kinda thinking out loud here so I'll leave it there.

tl;dr version: forums generally suck, imageboards are superior

Do you read through the topic and it's replies before replying yourself?
> I definitely would read the topic first. How could I give an answer without knowing the questions? About the replies, there're some different situation for this one :
1. I read it, but it has very long replies with so much words I don't understand, I try to, but since - as I say - I don't really understand, I couldn't give replies to other posters. I'm afraid that I'll make mistakes.
2. I read it and reply to other posters.
3. I read it but I think there're no replies that's needed to be replied back.
4. I read only some pages because some threads has more than 5 or 10 pages which I couldn't read one by one.
5. I read all of the replies because I interested and want to participate to give my own comment.
6. I don't read it because some threads, as you say, have no interaction. So every replies are like separated. But sometimes I'll also read at least one or two pages.

Do you only post for the paper?
Nope. I don't have any motivation and intention to do that. I like to play fair. When I get something, I want it's caused by a useful thing that I done.

Do you think that there is too many topics like "french fries or cheese sticks?" that make any kind of real discussion impossible? By the way...seriously, french fries or cheese sticks?
Maybe yes, maybe no. I personally don't want to give any further comment about this. Anyway, I prefer french fries ^^

Do you prefer serious topics or casual topics?
I sometimes like serious ones, but sometimes I prefer the casual ones. I don't have any preferences which one I like better.

Would you like more topics that encourage actual discussion and debate?
That kind of discussion would be nice :] Some threads have interesting discussions, but usually, since I'm not really understand about what reply should I give, I only read it.

Will you ignore all of these questions in your reply?(this one will be answered if it happens, haha)
No, I don't ignore it ^^

So, what does everyone think about this? Am I full of crap or is there really a severe lack of people interacting on these forums compared to other communities? If yes, how would you solve that problem? If no, explain why.
This is not a wise answer, I admit. But I think replies that's being made in the forum is really depend to each personal. Some people are only interesting to read the topic and reply without reading other replies because they don't have any time to read all of the replies that's being written. This is happened to me when I'm still using dial-up. Dial-up is pretty expensive, so I sometimes only read one or two replies, or sometimes copy it so I can print it out and read it offline. Some others don't like debating. Just telling what they like, answering simple questions. There're so many different types of people and each type will give different replies.

Regards, Yuki

Q : Do you read through the topic and it's replies before replying yourself?
A : It's obvious that I read through the topic before I post my comment, if I don't read them, what am I supposed to post then? For the replies, sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends on the topic, if it sounds intereting to me or at least I'm familiar with the topic, then yes, I'll read all those replies. However, everyone's their own things to do, it goes for me as well, so if I'm in a hurry or have something urgent to do, then I'll just tleave it alone.

Q : Do you only post for the paper?
A : No. Actually this is an art community so it's supposed to concern on wallpapers and other related stuffs not the discussions (this is only my personal opinion). I try to get papers from those wallpapers I made.

Q : Do you think that there is too many topics like "french fries or cheese sticks?" that make any kind of real discussion impossible? By the way...seriously, french fries or cheese sticks?
A : Yes, I do think so. But it doesn't mean that I detest those topics, sometimes those-like topics can't be called a discussion since it only refers to vote and survey. After all, I prefer french fries :)

Q : Do you prefer serious topics or casual topics?
A : I'm a balance kind. There're times when I want to drown myself in a serious topic because I feel that I have to answer my best if it's really important for the poster to know my opinion. Too many serious topics might give me dizziness and make me stressed so I'd like to flip over some casual topics randomly.

Q : Would you like more topics that encourage actual discussion and debate?
A : Debating is nice as long as it doesn't violate others.

Q : Will you ignore all of these questions in your reply?(this one will be answered if it happens, haha)
A : I answered them :)

Q : So, what does everyone think about this? Am I full of crap or is there really a severe lack of people interacting on these forums compared to other communities? If yes, how would you solve that problem? If no, explain why.
A : I'll keep this answer for my own or if you read my previous answers carefully, you might be able to get the answer :)

Good day~
-Breezie-

theironwarrior

-Do you read through the topic and it's replies before replying yourself?
Mostly, unless it is a very long thread. I think its more important to reply to the original poster first and then move to replies to various posters.

-Do you only post for the paper?
Ha-ha! No. I've donated $350 to date.

-Do you think that there is too many topics like "french fries or cheese sticks?" that make any kind of real discussion impossible? By the way...seriously, french fries or cheese sticks?
"This or that" threads usually make my head throb, but I'll throw in a response every now and then. And I don't like french fries or cheese sticks: both make me want to crap my pants.

-Do you prefer serious topics or casual topics?
Equal diversity is best. Why are we here? Generally for entertainment. If someone says, "This forum should only have serious topics," they are engaging in self-righteous, intellectual masturbation. If you want to immerse yourself in a PRIME example of that, go post with the elitist snobs on the Anime News Network Forums. Most have such a high opinion of themselves, they think God created them solely as experts on ALL topics ever. If you DARE provide an opposing viewpoint that doesn't run their party line, you will be cyber dog meat. I'd love to meet most of them in the ring for a UFC/Pride fight. (Disclaimer: I'm a member of ANN.)

-Would you like more topics that encourage actual discussion and debate?
Sure, but with the caveat of above. Remember, we are here for entertainment. All of us have school, work, and this maddening thing called a life. It's nice to step away for a bit and enjoy a rambling nonsensical discussion or "throw-down" in a heated debate (I like them flame-filled, but that's just me).

-Will you ignore all of these questions in your reply?(this one will be answered if it happens, haha)
What questions? Where? I can neither confirm nor deny that said questions were answered by me...except by compensation or torture :)

Make a very good point, and I am just posting to show that some people do come back that’s all.

I've also noticed that the topics are usually stupid questions, and have 'txt sp34k" all over them, as well as incoherent conversations.

- Of course. Otherwise I wouldn't know what to say, right?
- I've already got a lot paper (3100+), so I don't really worry about it.
- The AP Guidelines wouldn't allow that. Cheese sticks FTW, by the way.
- Both ways are fine.
- Just as long as it's not the same religious and political controversies.
- Apparently not.

Do you read through the topic and it's replies before replying yourself?

Sometimes I do read through them all, other times I just skim, it's pointless saying basically exactly what other people say, plus I like replying to what other people have said



Do you only post for the paper?
I'm sorry to say this, but sometimes yes sometimes no, when I notice I'm low on paper I start talking in the forums and such, but lately, I've just been talking on forums for the fun - not for paper


Do you think that there is too many topics like "french fries or cheese sticks?" that make any kind of real discussion impossible?

nope I don't thinks os..


Do you prefer serious topics or casual topics?
Both. A forums can't be all serious, whats the fun in that?


-Would you like more topics that encourage actual discussion and debate?
Would love a debate section, it's great everynow and then. But for some reason on forums people take things way to seriously and think that everyone is personally picking on them..people need to realise that it's a debate! no one is attacking anyone personally, it's the topic


-Will you ignore all of these questions in your reply?(this one will be answered if it happens, haha)

of course I will :P