The problem with TBL, LP and many of the other sites that have gone off on their own is they think they can succeed by being an open debate society. This is like running a successful bar by getting everyone drunk and opening the cash drawer. You can ‘debate’ on millions of sites on the web. What sets successful sites apart from failures like TBL is unification of purpose and goals. Everyone doesn’t have to agree, it would be impossible to all agree on everything, but if they are working towards a common goal, they will be successful.
TBL & LP just thought they could be successful by having JAF (Just Another Forum) where people can yell at each other with little or no vision or moderation. That is usually boring when you are sober and people get frustrated fast as soon as they think they can be doing better things.
I’ve seen a few spin off sites that have done well. DC focused on science discussions. GOPBR seems to focus on social media activism. Other than that, the rest seem to be just an excuse to yell at each other like a bunch of drunken Irish.
Hey! I resemble that remark.
Great post.
I see real discourse here. Most other places are the equivalent of people talking with nobody listening.
Hahaha...maybe that is part of the reason FR isn’t for everyone. Some people don’t really want people to analyze what they say. They just want to say it.
Personally, I have found FR invaluable in formulating and sharpening my viewpoints, because anytime you post something, it can be the equivalent of the analysis Dan Rather got with his fake but accurate documents. And it is one of the reasons I enjoy this site.
When a lot of people on here put their minds to analyzing an issue, the area under the bell curve of logical thinking gets expansive. Heh, it is those fringes that are two standard deviations to each side that can get both funny and bizarre, though...:)
Hey, I resent that. We aren't all, all the time.