Survival on an Internet Discussion Site Like TOL

Ask Mr. Religion

☞☞☞☞Presbyterian (PCA) &#9
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My Top Twenty for Surviving on TOL, in no particular order:

1. Pay for a subscription every year or more ;)
2. Don’t take the bait—ignore those that continue to annoy and/or provoke you
3. Start your threads with descriptive titles
4. Don’t tug on Superman’s cape—respect the Admins/Mods
5. Review a thread before jumping in so you understand the topic and contexts
6. Do your homework and get to know your opponent—review their previous posts
7. Cast pearls wisely, as the entrenched are not worth much effort, 2 John 1:10-11
8. Quote posts accurately—forging quotes is dishonest and a sure sign of desperation
9. Learn how to post content and get familiar with BBcode
10. Engendering strife is not Biblical, Phil. 1:15; 2:3; 2 Tim. 2:22-26; James 3:14, 16
11. Offer correction Biblically, per Galatians 6:1; 1 Peter 3:15-16
12. Don’t make drive-by posts just to get noticed or increase post counts
13. No gamesmanship—if you have a point, make it—versus asking vague questions hoping for a “gotcha!”
14. Never draw first blood in a discussion—mud slung first is ground lost
15. Be a good steward of your gifts and time—not everyone deserves it and you are not obligated to give it unworthily, Romans 12:6-8, Ephesians 5:15-17; Psalm 90:12; Isaiah 49:4
16. This is a discussion site, not a blog—master the difference
17. Confrontation is not a bad thing (but see #10 and 11 above), Ezekiel 33:6; 2 John 1:7-8
18. Obey the rules and get to know the biases of the management
19. Keep your post on point and try to keep its length manageable
20. Before you act, pass the “glorify God” litmus test, Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Philippians 4:8

As to the second part of the question, I will just say that those that have not or won't survive, typically trip over not a few of the above.

And lastly, since it has been deleted in a recent database purge, here are my Top 10 ignorable behaviors:
Spoiler
These persons exhibit the following Top 10 ignorable behaviors:

1. lying in wait to ensnare with parlor trick questions, e.g., "Can God make a new flower?" instead of describing a rationale justifying the question
2. being flippant and uncivil without provocation
3. pandering to the hoi polloi to puff themselves up
4. making arguments personal without provocation
5. applying sweeping generalizations for dramatic effect knowing they are falsehoods
6. purposefully mis-quoting as a baiting tactic
7. frequently posting one-liners or assertions that add nothing to the discourse
8. drive-by posters that won't engage in the topic under discussion
9. thread starters that are just quotations of bible verses, poems, quotes, etc.
10. frequently asking questions already answered in the thread

To claim ignoring such persons is intellectual cowardice or social prejudice is akin to saying one enjoys wasting one's precious time and indulging fools gladly.

If you fit the descriptions above please feel free to add me to your own ignore list, for I will most certainly add you to mine.


AMR
 
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