Anatomy of a Killer Post
Dear fellow Gulchers:
Often I get PMs asking about posting. Comments range anywhere from "I'm not sure how to do that" to "my posts will never get as many views as yours." I have enjoyed many high traffic posts in my 2 years in the Gulch, and thought it would be fun to discuss what makes an excellent one.
1. It does NOT have to be about Objectivism or Ayn Rand and we very much enjoy humor. Here is a great example of a post that was simply Mayo vs Mustard:
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/1b...
2: There is a myth that newbies can't break in with a Gold post right off the bat. This is simply not the case. Here are a few examples.
This post incorporated the ideas of Atlas Shrugged and challenged them. It brought in a TON of comments and got Gulchers who don't participate, in general, to join in the discussion.
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/ad...
Here is another "newbie" who hit it off with one of her very first posts:
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/21...
and another one:
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/25...
3. Gulchers like science. They just do. They also LOVE science fiction, especially if you mix in some Objectivism.
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/21...
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/10...
4. Gulchers LOVE politics. But they also want you to ask them a question about it. While we love hearing the latest in political news, we also want a discussion. If you can tie it to Rand or Objectivism, even BETTER.
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/23...
5. The posts that go wild are well tended. That's just a fact. If you start a discussion, stick with us. We want to know that you appreciate our ideas and we also want you to support your thesis if you make one. Some threads within the post will take on a life of their own ,so to speak, and you will find other gulchers tending those threads. Let them. As well, until we have another system for liking comments, give your commenters points! Here are a couple of examples of posts created by Producers jbrenner and non_mooching artist. Both of them are particularly skilled at encouraging their audience to keep the discussion going and their enthusiasm is infectious.
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/d9...
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/1a...
6: I can guarantee you that all of these posts made the Daily Digest. Anyone has a shot at it. Bring discussion, get some points for your post and you have a shot. Remember, admin want to see discussions- It is the most important purpose of the forum. Lots of interesting discussions bring people to the site. One more time: discussion. :)
If you haven't seen some of these posts before, dive in and comment. Great posts never die here in the Gulch. OK, dust off your ideas and post!
K
P.S. Thanks awebb and jbaker for helping me find some of these posts!
[edited to add cute cartoon]
Often I get PMs asking about posting. Comments range anywhere from "I'm not sure how to do that" to "my posts will never get as many views as yours." I have enjoyed many high traffic posts in my 2 years in the Gulch, and thought it would be fun to discuss what makes an excellent one.
1. It does NOT have to be about Objectivism or Ayn Rand and we very much enjoy humor. Here is a great example of a post that was simply Mayo vs Mustard:
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/1b...
2: There is a myth that newbies can't break in with a Gold post right off the bat. This is simply not the case. Here are a few examples.
This post incorporated the ideas of Atlas Shrugged and challenged them. It brought in a TON of comments and got Gulchers who don't participate, in general, to join in the discussion.
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/ad...
Here is another "newbie" who hit it off with one of her very first posts:
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/21...
and another one:
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/25...
3. Gulchers like science. They just do. They also LOVE science fiction, especially if you mix in some Objectivism.
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/21...
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/10...
4. Gulchers LOVE politics. But they also want you to ask them a question about it. While we love hearing the latest in political news, we also want a discussion. If you can tie it to Rand or Objectivism, even BETTER.
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/23...
5. The posts that go wild are well tended. That's just a fact. If you start a discussion, stick with us. We want to know that you appreciate our ideas and we also want you to support your thesis if you make one. Some threads within the post will take on a life of their own ,so to speak, and you will find other gulchers tending those threads. Let them. As well, until we have another system for liking comments, give your commenters points! Here are a couple of examples of posts created by Producers jbrenner and non_mooching artist. Both of them are particularly skilled at encouraging their audience to keep the discussion going and their enthusiasm is infectious.
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/d9...
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/1a...
6: I can guarantee you that all of these posts made the Daily Digest. Anyone has a shot at it. Bring discussion, get some points for your post and you have a shot. Remember, admin want to see discussions- It is the most important purpose of the forum. Lots of interesting discussions bring people to the site. One more time: discussion. :)
If you haven't seen some of these posts before, dive in and comment. Great posts never die here in the Gulch. OK, dust off your ideas and post!
K
P.S. Thanks awebb and jbaker for helping me find some of these posts!
[edited to add cute cartoon]
Good post.
This will be useful for many- "Posting 101".
I have yet to "Post" (except for a "Best of"), it takes a lot of time just to read, think and respond to the many excellent posts here in the Gulch.
Being on the road and out of the country often does curtail this initiative.
Thank you K and the many others that do such an excellent job in posting which makes the Gulch a prime place to rendezvous -for learning, sharing and conceptualizing.
(Gotcha!)
Let the great posts roll!
What I am posting here was there called a post.
What I am posting on--what k created--was called a thread.
You could say "Picky, picky, picky" as did Pat Paulsen on The Smothers Brothers Show just before I got drafted--but there you have it.
http://www.paulsen.com/pat/
(Psst, I edited in the above link after I posted my post and may have stumbled upon an alternative candidate for Bush vrs Billary)
When it came time for the kids (us) to need him, we took him to the local carnival and put him on the ferris wheel, drunk enough to zone out whenever he sat down, paid the operator $5 to stop the wheel when the drunk's chair was at the top. It made the chair swing back and forth and woke him up. When he looked out and down, the natural happened and he upchucked for a large radius around the base of the wheel as well as several of the wheel's chairs below him. It was truly epic.