A Swords Crossed Co-Diary Idea?
Promoted by Brendan
They say people speak (or write) when they cease to be at peace with their thoughts. So let me get this out
I've been throwing around this idea on how to further increase the uniqueness of our niche here at Swords Crossed. In keeping with the name of the site, I propose that we have a internal (fencing-themed) debate among ourselves in a "co-diary" format. We'd have two of our fellow "Swordsman" do and 3 point back-and forth (opening point, rebuttals, and closing point) Here's (roughly) how it would work:
Once a week (or so), two of our fellow Swordsmen will have a brief point-counterpoint debate co-diary about a topic. For example, a sample co-diary would be titled:
"The Federal Reserves New (Proposed) Powers Are Warranted"
Swordsman ENDER* Vs. Swordsman TLALOC*-
*Note: Names are used for illustrative purposes only.
In the co-diary, each Swordsman would dedicated a (brief) defense or support against said topic, and would get a brief rebuttal:
Swordsman ENDER, against:
Blah blah The Fed... Blah Blah free markets... Blah Blah...
Swordsman TLALOC, for:
Blah blah The Fed... Blah Blah about time... Blah Blah more regulation ...
Swordsman ENDER - Rebuttal
Blah blah regulation kills markets..blah blah makes it worse
Swordsman TLALOC- Rebuttal
Blah blah regulation improves markets..blah blah protects Americans..
Swordsman ENDER - Close
Blah blah Socialism..blah blah US like Europe blah blah US pastime becomes soccer?
Swordsman TLALOC- Close
Blah blah socialst..blah blah better blah blah I hate sports..
- Or whatever. You get the idea.
I think it would add some uniqueness to our site after a while, and we would encourage others to debate (to keep the same folks from debating all the time and getting burnt out.) We would most likely have the debate take place separately from diaries initially (Maybe through a few e-mail exchanges), and then one our the other Swordsman would post it in here on Swords Crossed as a diary entry. After the two Swordsmen have their say, maybe the crowd here could assign "points" to each section (who had the best opening point, best rebuttal, and best closing point). Or we could then dive into our usual commentary. I can leave the marketing/naming to you Big Wigs who run the site.
Your thoughts?
- Charles J's diary
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Comments :
I like it
Sounds sort of like the "Thunderdome" idea we tried out once
. I think it could work.
The key, IMHO, is consistent scheduling. It would be nice to have the slots filled up ~1 month in advance so everyone would know what to expect.
I like your example exchange =P
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
Structure and immediacy
I usually share diaries I have written for Dailykos. I actually use their template, even when I am only posting to this site. I find the utility of blockquotes and links more accessable there (I don't know how to do it there)
Dailykos has vastly more traffic, which gives it its quality. Much of the traffic is from angry minimally articulate people, but there is a core, I estimate at 10-20% who are open, thoughtful and stimulating.
Of course, there is the mob mentality of Dkos, that is generally absent here. Yet, it is that very mob mentality, the other side of group cohesion, that makes for conviviality and a club house feel.
I'm not sure that the Dkos phenomenon can be replicated. When I write a serious analysis of the mortgage-housing issue, it is simply too dense, too lengthy to be widely read. It is sad, because so many of the issues that face us as a country, are complex, and simplification transforms the issue and fosters solutions that make the problem worse.
Said another way, Dkos comment threads is engagement in real time, which is pretty unique. The occasional dialogue is rare and valuable. When it works, there is mutual respect, and the discussants learn from each other.
Just don't know whether this can be replicated
primer
for blockquotes here you use
(blockquote) stuff (/blockquote)
except instead of ( and ) you use < and > (shift-comma and shift-period respectively)
A link is (a href="www.whateverurl.com")text(/a)
again using the angular brackets instead of the curved ones.
I came. I saw. I posted.
Veni, Vidi, Bitchy.
You mean...
you mean <blockquote> text here </blockquote>
To actually make angled brackets like that you have to type in the html code for them:
& lt; -- for <
& gt; -- for >
(without the space after the ampersand)
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
It's worth a shot. -nt.
I came. I saw. I posted.
Veni, Vidi, Bitchy.
I would love to give this a shot,
especially since as mentioned above it seems to be reviving and improving an idea that we liked before, but I think we need enough commitment and specifics ahead of time.
So, I can participate. If we get 5-7 more people who can definitely participate then I think we should launch this. Charles, you want to organize and run the whole thing? You certainly don't have to but you sure are welcome to =)
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
I wouldn't mind doing it..
Just give me little time to get these nagging work assignments under control, and I'll try to come up with some workable topics that would generate some good discussion. I'll try to come up with ideas that don't fit so neatly into ideological bounds of liberal and conservative, democrat/republican viewpoints.
http://wealthweekly.blogspot.com
Wii FC:2805-8311-8040-2678
Brawl: 2277-7051-2186
Anyone want to commit to trying one of these?
I can take one side depending on scheduling. It would be preferable to have a few people willing to participate before we (re)launch this feature.
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
I'd be glad to try it, but...
...I haven't participated in the organized debates in the past, because the topics weren't to my tastes.
It seems to me that topics for debate could flow from existing diaries and comment threads. I'd be interested to beat some existing topics of discussion into the ground a bit further, but in a format that would encourage better writing and editing, and more developed arguments.
skymutt: wise and powerful... enlightened...
Interesting idea, although
I don't have nearly the experience or the debating skills it would take to pull it off.