Suggestion: a 3rd way of posting, besides 'self post' and straight link: link with context

BossHogg2020
Tue, 22 May 2018 08:36:06 +0000

Hi,

One thing I really missed on Reddit was that there were only 2 possible ways of posting : self-post (text) or straight link with nothing else. I would often have an intermediate 3rd way: a link, but with an associated short text.

Motivations:

1. Being able to add some context for the link: where does it come from, why did I post it, what did I post it for, what is special about it, what part of it do I intend to discuss, how does it relate to a personal experience, and so on.

2. Adding other links in the text, related to the main link (previous history of the same subject, link in another language / translation, counter opinions, ...).

3. Avoiding misinterpretation; do I endorse the link content (in full, part of it?), do I criticize or condemn it?

4. Doing the previous 1-2-3 points, without giving up the advantages of straight link: being still able for the readers to click and jump to the link straight from the group post list, possible thumbnail/preview/embedded display; and without resorting to a self-comment which will look awkward and get lost in the other comments after a handful of those comments are made.

In fact, if the goal of Tildes is to force a certain quality of post content and discussion, this mode may eventually be set to replace completely the 'straight link only' posting mode; in that case the following extra motivations come into play.

Extra motivations:

1. Mitigate stupid and low effort posts by forcing the poster to explain/describe in at least n character/words his link. If the poster is not able to spend 2 minutes thinking and writing a description, his link is probably not worth the effort of reading.

2. Mitigate trolling and malicious posts by forcing the poster to motivate clearly his posts, and not insidiously disguise his intent behind a fake innocence.

The accompanying context text should have a minimum and maximum length, for it should not replace well-developed 'self-posts'.

What do users and admins think about all that posting mode I sorely missed on Reddit?

Comments URL: https://tildes.net/~tildes/nv/suggestion_a_3rd_way_of_posting_besides_self_post_and_straight_link_link_with_context

Votes: 9

Comments: 19