AbovePolitics.com: About Featured Topics

Some of you have already observed that I've recently started posting notices like these in certain threads:

Originally posted by Majic
Featured Topic

This thread has been selected as an AbovePolitics.com Featured Topic.

Applause worth 1500 PTS Points has been awarded for the original post.

This is an experimental program I'm trying out, and despite some concerns, I think the initial response is encouraging.

Because there have been some concerns, I want to explain what I'm doing and hopefully alleviate them.

What Being Chosen As An AbovePolitics.com Featured Topic Means

I choose which topics will be featured on the AP front page, and I choose them based purely on my own opinion of what a good topic to feature is.

That's really all there is to it.

I don't choose topics because I necessarily agree with them or have an agenda to push -- other than my oft-stated agenda of promoting candid, civil and lively political discussion on AP, of course.

The original post of a featured thread may be excellent on its own merits or it may not be all that great on its own. The topic may be of lasting significance or it may just be something I think my fellow members might find interesting -- or even amusing.

The topic itself may not even be what grabbed my attention, but the way the discussion has gone.

In all cases, the idea is to reward the member who made that first post for being the one who got things rolling. It's just another way to encourage folks to start good threads and bring up issues I find interesting and hope you will too.

Since I do want to keep things moving (and hand out plenty of points in the process), I may feature a given topic for only a short time and move on quickly to other topics.

The length of time a topic featured can easily depend on nothing more deliberate than when I'm able to log in or not, so please don't take it personally if your topic is featured for a short time while others might grace the front page for weeks. It's a rather casual, eclectic sort of process, really.

And hopefully the Amigos won't mind that I may tend to cheat a little and feature more than one topic at a time.

While I'm On The Subject

AbovePolitics.com is still very much a work in progress, and still has much to do to distinguish itself from the main ATS discussion board.

As things stand, there's still a lot more political discussion on ATS than on AP, and I'm sure it will be that way for a while, since there's still a lot of political inertia on ATS.

Over time, however, my strategy is to continue to try new ways of attracting political discussion to AP and make it worth your while -- perhaps with a little helpful push now and then from the ATS side of things as well.

Ultimately, whether on ATS or AP, the goal is the same: to give you, the members, what you want.

Since member opinions vary widely, that can be a tall order, but overall, I think we're moving in the right direction.

And if you think we aren't, we do appreciate it when you let us know.

since there's still a lot of political inertia on ATS.

Is that a subtle way of calling SO big-boned?

On a serious note, I think the initiative is a good one, I'm not exactly sure why there would be any concerns over it?

Politics In Everyday Life

Originally posted by Willard856
Is that a subtle way of calling SO big-boned?

Naww. It's a not-so-subtle way of pointing out the fact that separating political discussion from conspiracy discussion isn't as easy as it sounds.

A Going Concern

Originally posted by Willard856
On a serious note, I think the initiative is a good one, I'm not exactly sure why there would be any concerns over it?

Some members may be concerned that featuring a topic represents an endorsement of a particular point of view or of the person who started the thread.

I want to make it clear that by featuring a topic, I'm just featuring the topic.

I hope your strategy works out. My large-caliber guns will be at your service, if you should need them. I am, after all, harmless...

This is a good thing you've got going here M. When I venture to AP, the first thread I look to is Majic's latest "Featured Topic". The subject is always thought provoking and the discussion itself is second to none. In the thousands and thousands of posts that may of been submitted in our absence of a day or two, it can be frustrating to think of us missing that little "gem". Thanks to M, we can rest assure that we'll always have one waiting for us on the AP home page.

It was "extra" special the other day when I had noticed three featured topics!

I like this.

Majic, as you know, I support your promotion of Politics 100%. It's why I came to ATS and it's where I post the most!

Thanks for the explanation. You know we're all fairly nosey and when we see things like this popping up, we wonder, "Hey! Why wasn't I told about this"?

Ok, the truth is that I'm fairly nosey and I wonder why I wasn't informed...

Still, thanks for the explanation and good luck in your promotion of a great board that's getting better all the time!

better... better... be-e-et-ter... I used to be angry young man...