http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/suggestion-about-questions-to-mrfry Just another bbPress community en-US Wed, 22 May 2013 14:03:48 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/search.php http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/suggestion-about-questions-to-mrfry#post-270345 Thu, 19 May 2011 09:16:50 +0000 Mandala 270345@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ <p>I can see how someone monitoring a forum might grow weary of logging in, searching for new posts, clicking on them, scrolling down and finding them, and then having to read similar questions over again, especially if they fully realize the questions might create unpredictable, off message responses. If someone goes to all that trouble to visit a web site and click all those links, the end message had better be up to standard, not just another request for Fry. </p> <p>But do you really think the brand Fry is a man behind the curtain exactly like the one attracting these moths or that he is the thing they&#39;re even after? </p> <p>The question relies on the purpose of social media. I agree forums are not useful for sticking our foreheads to the ground in groveling. But the act of recognizing inspiration in somebody&#39;s work is not about Stephen Fry or groveling even if people are posing questions to him not realizing it&#39;s the brand they like instead of the stranger. If anything questions to Fry are an invitation that social brands are participatory. Literary brands especially are useful for tugging people together. It&#39;s probably the one valuable part of the whole process and not letting people in on the secret is the real crime.</p> <p>We either explore whatever house lands on us, or leave it as white noise and hope somebody else connects while we&#39;re off having our lives. That&#39;s the social part of social media. You can structure as much as you like, but people are still going to be a factor you can only channel to their chosen intellectual destinations. </p> <p>Figuring out how to engage and inspire people who ask the same question for the thousandth time actually solves three problems. A. What to do with them because they won&#39;t stop coming. B. What to do with you since your ennui is better served proactively. C. how to invite people to totally ruin any possibility of the human race becoming a mausoleum for the people who misanthropically want it silenced. </p> http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/suggestion-about-questions-to-mrfry#post-270339 Thu, 19 May 2011 03:12:14 +0000 Nitro 270339@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ <p>I&#39;d like to suggest that in the welcome area here or introductions or on some part of the site where it can be seen plain as day, that a little message indicating that Mr.Fry does not answer people&#39;s questions here might be a good idea. For one, I don&#39;t think he does and for two, it would, perhaps, prevent entirely new thread being created by new members or passersby that, from what I normally see, just sits forever and isn&#39;t responded to.</p> <p>I mean, if people knew in advance he doesn&#39;t do that then maybe they wouldn&#39;t waste their own time writing them up.</p> <p>Just a suggestion &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_smile.gif&quot; title=&quot;:)&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; </p>