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<blockquote data-quote="Pielorinho" data-source="post: 155387" data-attributes="member: 259">Magus, there are a few things you could do to lend weight to your arguments:1) Don't exaggerate.&nbsp; Nobody called you a devil worshipper, directly or indirectly; no Big Brother is policing your thoughts; nobody was giving you a grave insult; and nobody is lynching you.&nbsp; It is very difficult to take an argument about a rule in a game seriously when it's couched in such grandiose inaccuracies.2) Respect the intelligence of your opponents.&nbsp; At least some of the people arguing with you are very smart people who have studied these rules for years and thought about them extensively.&nbsp; They're not afraid of dissent -- given the history of their posts, that's even more ludicrous than it sounds at first.&nbsp; If they disagree with you, it's for well-thought-out reasons.&nbsp; Even if you think their reasons are wrong, respect that they have a legitimate position.3) Use dashes and quotation marks correctly.&nbsp; This is more than a pet peeve:&nbsp; when dashes litter your posts like discarded burger wrappers, they impair your communication and give your posts a choppy, disjointed feel.&nbsp; Similarly, when you put quotes around words that aren't actually quotes, it sounds as if you're not taking responsibility for your claims.&nbsp; Granted, when you suggest that someone is threatening to lynch you, I can see why you wouldn't want to take responsibility for the claim.&nbsp; The solution, however, it to refrain from making unsubstantiated claims.4) Stay nice.&nbsp; It's only a game, and if you disagree with folks, you can do so in a polite, friendly, respectful manner.&nbsp; You'll generally find that people will respond in kind.5) Proofread.&nbsp; Especially when you're making complicated arguments, typos can really mess things up.I'm not trying to be a smartass; I really think that if you (and everyone) tries to keep these guidelines in mind, the debate will be much more constructive.Daniel</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Pielorinho, post: 155387, member: 259"] Magus, there are a few things you could do to lend weight to your arguments: 1) Don't exaggerate. Nobody called you a devil worshipper, directly or indirectly; no Big Brother is policing your thoughts; nobody was giving you a grave insult; and nobody is lynching you. It is very difficult to take an argument about a rule in a game seriously when it's couched in such grandiose inaccuracies. 2) Respect the intelligence of your opponents. At least some of the people arguing with you are very smart people who have studied these rules for years and thought about them extensively. They're not afraid of dissent -- given the history of their posts, that's even more ludicrous than it sounds at first. If they disagree with you, it's for well-thought-out reasons. Even if you think their reasons are wrong, respect that they have a legitimate position. 3) Use dashes and quotation marks correctly. This is more than a pet peeve: when dashes litter your posts like discarded burger wrappers, they impair your communication and give your posts a choppy, disjointed feel. Similarly, when you put quotes around words that aren't actually quotes, it sounds as if you're not taking responsibility for your claims. Granted, when you suggest that someone is threatening to lynch you, I can see why you wouldn't want to take responsibility for the claim. The solution, however, it to refrain from making unsubstantiated claims. 4) Stay nice. It's only a game, and if you disagree with folks, you can do so in a polite, friendly, respectful manner. You'll generally find that people will respond in kind. 5) Proofread. Especially when you're making complicated arguments, typos can really mess things up. I'm not trying to be a smartass; I really think that if you (and everyone) tries to keep these guidelines in mind, the debate will be much more constructive. Daniel [/QUOTE]

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