A guideline for posting, seeding, and commenting on Newsvine

Seeding, posting and commenting are essential to how Newsvine works. As an avid reader (I have yet to post many seeds and this is my first post), I have been on the receiving end of seeding and posting. I am the target audience. Here are some of the guidelines I feel would help any reader in exploring more content relevant to their interests, in a quick and productive manner. I may (read: probably) have repeated what others have said, but this is an opinion post. It is something I think will help the community as a whole. These guidelines aren't all inclusive. Add to them as you will.

• What is this seed about? Headlines are designed to be short and grab attention. Sometimes the headlines don't really describe the article at all. When seeding, try to post a short, but descriptive, paragraph of the article. If it means that you have to write such a paragraph, please do. It makes it easier for readers to decide whether they want to read the article or not.
• Avoid duplicate posting. It's not always the easiest to avoid. Newsvine does a pretty decent job of finding duplicates. It wouldn't hurt for us to toss a couple keywords into the search box at the top of the page and see if someone else has seeded the same story. If you have something to say regarding the story, why not comment on that seed? If you have a separate link to the same story from a different source, post it in that seed. It will keep the information consolidated so that everyone is able to see all the available information with ease. If what you want to say is unrelated to the spin on the story, or the discussion currently going on in the comments, don't worry. Post it anyway. It will spark discussion. That is the point. By posting a duplicate story, you are reducing the readers to both seeds, since some will see your story and not read the other, and some will see the other seed and not read this one.
• Cross-post! If you are posting a story from your own blog, please don't link it. Post it in both places. I don't want to have to jump to a blog to read the story so I can come back here and comment on it. If I got to it from Newsvine, I want to comment on it in Newsvine. I want to talk to the people on Newsvine. I care about your opinions, but I also care about how many times I click on the page to read the real story. If I have to travel too far from where I have to backtrack to read another story, I'll most probably not read the story. In general, you want to keep the distance from the original link to the content, to the content as short as possible.
• Keep your opinions separate from the facts. When writing a description of the article, make it clear where you are stating your opinions on the article. This makes it so that should you take a stance on the article, I have a starting point for a discussion. If you mix the article's description with your comments, it may confuse the reader/commenter into misinterpreting something.
• Don't be afraid to state an opinion. That's is the whole point. Why do you find the article interesting. It doesn't have to be a lengthy discussion. It can be as simple as, "I thought that the way he stated his argument was provocative", or "I found it hilarious.". Why?
• Don't state opinion as fact. This is a no-no. It is easy enough to prepend a sentence with the words, "I think", or "It is my opinion that". These words will clearly identify what your opinion is.
• Check your facts. It helps if you can direct readers to the sources. If you can't point to them, make a statement that you were too lazy (nothing to be ashamed of), or unable to find clear information, but that you are "pretty damn sure" that this is true. If the notables from that source can be interpreted in a different way, the readers should have the opportunity to do so.
• Argument is the basis of discussion. We, as responsible voices, should be attacking an argument, a thesis, or an idea. We should certainly not be attacking the person. The statement, "You are wrong" is OKAY. But, it should be followed up by what is wrong, and an explanation of why. It is especially good if you can point out what you think is right, and why. "You are stupid" is not. That statement doesn't help at all. It is demeaning to the person and does not encourage discussion and learning.
• It's okay to be wrong. There is nothing wrong with being wrong. It is how we learn. How we are exposed to new ideas. How we foster discussion. If everyone were right, and we all thought the same, the world would be such a boring place. Discussion is that which makes this community what it is. Don't take offense if someone points out a mistake. Don't be afraid to point out a mistake if someone makes one. But, try not to be rude about it. We don't want this to devolve into another /. or digg where comments are just a series of insults.
• Format your post so that it's easier to read. Sometimes this means adding emphasis (using the strong or em tags). Other times it means breaking up a long post into paragraphs. I am a firm believer in the art of rambling. But temper it with paragraph breaks. It makes it easier for the reader to follow what you are saying.

Some other articles I think say what I am thinking.

• Suggestions Regarding Comment Quality on Newsvine - Brian Ford

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