On Internet message boards, blogs, mailing lists, and even news sites where comments can be posted, there may be discussion threads, sometimes also called threads or threads. A discussion topic refers to two separate but related things. First, they are the act, which can be handled by software or a moderator, of grouping all comments or discussions on the same topic. Second, a discussion topic can be defined as a topic that is being discussed by a group. The topic is a single focused topic, in most cases, and all comments related to the topic are listed with it.
Woman doing handstand with a computer
For the first definition, there may be several ways to group a single discussion topic. Each post can simply appear in the order it was received. On moderated sites, posts on the same topic may not appear for a while until someone reads and approves the reply. Other times, the most recent post appears first and the initial comments are grouped in reverse order.
In threads, people can have the option to reply to a single post in the thread, which can then be listed just below the post, usually indicated to show that it is a reply by tabbing replies lightly or by the thread title . If you don’t agree with someone’s point of view or want to praise something said by another author on the post, you can reply directly to comments. This raises an interesting question regarding each unique discussion topic.
Netiquette dictates that you really understand how to post and how a post will appear in a discussion thread. If posts are displayed in order of receipt or in reverse order without a reply feature, you can reference the post of the person you’re talking about so people understand what you’re talking about. It can be easy to miss the meaning of your post when you can’t seem to reply in a thread. You should also make sure that if you’re just adding new thoughts to discussion threads, you don’t use a reply function to reply to someone else’s specific comment unless that’s your intention.
Another problem with netiquette occurs because a single topic of discussion often requires you to stay on topic. If you have a new issue that isn’t related to a particular topic, you can post it elsewhere on a website, possibly as a blog or new post. Essentially, you need to look elsewhere to come up with your own “new” idea instead of adding it to an unrelated topic.
There is one exception. Sometimes an article, blog, or topic is big and encourages an open thread, meaning you can discuss anything related to a much larger topic or make little negative or complimentary comments as you see fit. An open thread isn’t subject to the same netiquette rules, though you’ll still want to follow the advice for replying to specific comments as suggested above.
