This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
I have to say, when Mark first called me to explain this idea, I was skeptical. I couldn't quite envision it. What, I asked, would distinguish it from any other right-of-center website with comments enabled? What would distinguish it from, say, my Facebook page or the page of any other contributor? Wasn't the Web already packed-to-bursting with idle political chatter? He talked me into it with a "What do you have to lose?" argument, and since the only possible answer--"my valuable time"--didn't really persuade me, I said, "Sure, why not." I figured I'd otherwise be spending the time on some other pointless pursuit, like trying to persuade the Turkish people that if you live in an earthquake zone, you might want to insist upon the enforcement of building codes.
I'm pleasantly surprised. Every time I visit the site, I find a thread that's genuinely interesting, and I keep coming back to see what people have posted in response to earlier threads that caught my attention. What seems to be making it work is the high quality of the member comments. Pretty much everyone posting sounds thoughtful, informed, and intellectually curious, and the civil tone is indeed--as billed--refreshing and unusual for the Internet. I'm noticing a lot of surprisingly good ideas in the comment threads. The comments on Emily's post about the Bush tax cuts, for example: Those are not thoughtless or blindly partisan observations. Every comment on the thread makes an important point and suggests serious engagement with the question.
This could actually work, don't you think? I'll be curious to see what happens when membership increases. Do you think it can scale up and still retain this level of intelligence, conviviality and congeniality?
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Jun '10
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
Good morning, Claire. Apparently Ricochet has found its niche. It might be interesting and useful to do a membership survey to find out why people come here. I would be curious to know what the ratio is of unique hits, to members, to members who comment for example. I'm guessing that the membership fee, which is a pittance, is effective in keeping the trolls out and the quality of the comments up.
No doubt the site will change over time. People will drop in and out depending on their interest and the time they have available to participate. One of the curious things that I've noticed his how the articles and the commentary that follows seem to arrive in flurries of activity followed by long periods of down time. Odd also how some topics will light up with activity while others no less profound will draw barely a notice. Ricochet certainly has some interesting internal dynamics to be considered. I suppose that's a job for your board of directors.
May '10
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
It seems to be coming along pretty well so far, Claire. Helped in large part by your awesome posts! I guess the one strange thing to me is that in most cases I prefer to sit back and read, rather than comment. In the long run I suppose that attitude is not helpful...
May '10
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
The civility doesn't surprise me as these are "family" discussions and in the rest of the inter-webby-connector world I find most of the nastiness emanates from the left. They are an angry group.
The quality of the comments is not surprising either. I think there is both wisdom and idiocy lurking in the greater whole of America. At some point our political class became overexposed to the idiots so they insulated themselves in a DC bubble of Ivy League educated elites with privilege and power. They did it so well they lost touch with the common goodness and intelligence of the rest of the country.
I've also noticed that almost no one is using the "like" feature. Not that bothers me. I do not expect a standing ovation over my humble missives, and the occasional "attaboy" I get from Claire or Ursula suffices.
Speaking of which, I love the term "follower." If you go to her profile page it says, "People Following Claire Berkinski" with 77 mug shots. I get this vision of her walking down the street, looking over her shoulder, following the followers. But that might be normal in Turkey...
Jul '10
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
i typically avoid blog and forum sites outside of those which provide support for specific activities (eg how-to do this or that). The two factors that made me try out ricochet:
1) Uncommon Knowledge. Peter always conveys a very level headed presence when engaging ally and opponent alike. That program made me believe that Peter "has it right" with respect to his journalistic approach. It reminds me very much of a television show in NYC called The Open Mind, a liberal leaning interview show that also contains the same even-handed qualities. Uncommon Knowledge has always given me value in consideration for my time and makes me disposed to try out whatever Peter had to offer.
2) The fee. Like the creators of the site, I can see an argument for claiming that a nominal fee can offer a means to keep out those inclined to easy invective. I would also like to see if these guys and gals can discover a sustainable business model.
All in all, at least for the time being it is worth three and a half bucks a month.
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
Attaboy, EJHIll! (If only I could so easily make everyone happy.) Most of my followers seem to be the same faceless cartoon character with the hat, though. The problem with that icon, by the way, is that I'm terrible with names, and I tend to conflate all the faceless people. Actually, it's worse: I think they're all etoiledunord. He kind of imprinted himself on that image early, you see. You all become much more real and distinct to me when you post a photo--and it need not be a photo of yourself, as EJHill shows. He's the cartoon character with a hat and a face.
I guess I don't use the "like" function that much because it seems a bit imprecise and impersonal. If I have something to say about a post or a comment, I say it.
May '10
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
That's not just a cartoon character, Claire. That's the Old Groaner, Bing Crosby. For some reason when I was growing up in the sixties I gravitated to my parent's music and not the rock'n'roll of my older sister. (That and I loved the persona he played opposite Hope in the "road" pictures.)
But getting back on topic, what is Ricochet? Is it designed to be a safety valve for us seething conservatives to blow off some steam and lower the pressure or is it designed to help move our real world thoughts into the heads of our aforementioned insulated betters in government? Or is it just hoped that this thing might turn a buck and keep Rob Long off the streets of Los Angeles?
May '10
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
To EJHill's question, for me Ricochet is an interesting place to read and comment about relevant topics of the day. Although there may technically be a hundred thousand other places to do this, the membership fee really is game-changing. I can post a silly comment at BigGovernment.com that 20 people "like" and get 40 "responses" because two people spiraled off into their own angry argument... or I can post a comment at Ricochet after taking a few minutes longer to think about it, and feel like I'm contributing to an actual conversation.
An opportunity for some virtual banter with folks I greatly respect like Lileks, Robinson, and Long is icing on the internets cake. Plus, I don't drink coffee, so the fee is easy to justify!
May '10
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
Jason - It is still awfully top-down though, isn't it? All conversations have to be initiated by the approved list of "contributors."
As Ricochet evolves I would hope it develops two things: One, I'd like to see sectional topics instead of the present "All Conversations" home. It would help both those who wish to seek out certain topics and those that wish to ignore them.
Secondly, I would hope that there would be some way for the "followers" to occasionally lead. We all have expertise in something. I have been in the sports media and television production business for thirty years. If I should have something to say that's worthy of initiating a thread I wish there was a way to submit those thoughts to editors James, Diane and Rob for approval and posting. (Then I, too, could feel like a real writer and get shot down, struck-through and ignored!)
May '10
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
I joined Ricochet primarily to have a chance debating with Steyn. That's obviously worked out well. But I've come to enjoy it for the thoughtfulness of many other contributors and members.
Sadly, I've followed internet forums for a decade, so my long-term hopes for Ricochet are limited. Other forums have begun so thoughtful and civil, but each inevitably ballooned into a chaotic and melodramatic mess.
Ricochet's monthly fee will keep many trolls away, but certainly not all. Some hellions are willing to pay for the opportunity. Membership will eventually swell to the point that the pace of posting will exceed the time constraints of most members. Sub-communities (like clans) will form and become somewhat introverted in "private" discussions. Antipathies and alliances will emerge.
If Ricochet can avoid the fate of every other forum I've seen, I'll be very impressed. I can only recommend quick and decisive action when someone eventually does cross the line. Everyone wishes a moderator won't be necessary, but we are human, afterall.
May '10
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
EJHill:
Secondly, I would hope that there would be some way for the "followers" to occasionally lead. We all have expertise in something. · Jul 17 at 8:43am
That contributors alone can introduce topics is an element that makes Ricochet unique and will prolong its quality. Perhaps they might eventually introduce a separate Members' Lead section, but I expect it would eventually dissolve into the usual mush.
I would prefer a means by which members could submit posts as guest contributors. To prevent the Ricochet administrators from being swamped with submissions, each member might be limited to so many submissions per week or month.
The limited scope of Ricochet is a reason for its success. I would try to keep it as focused and uncluttered as possible.
May '10
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
Aaron Miller
That contributors alone can introduce topics is an element that makes Ricochet unique and will prolong its quality.
I guess that may be the case if you only participate in bulletin board-type sites. But Ricochet is no different than your average newspaper site with it's com-box underneath the articles. So far, the uniqueness stems the contributors willingness to interact with their readers. I don't think a Washington Post or NY Times writer has ever responded and explained themselves in their reader forums. (Although, in fairness, I have received thoughtful replies from Jonah Goldberg, Kathleen Parker and Peter Robinson to e-mails. My crowning glory, however, will forever having been quoted as a source in a Mark Steyn "Song of the Week" column.)
That was kind of what I said in the first place.
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
At first I had Ricochet in my "Daily" bookmarks folder; took about three days before I moved it to "Hourly." It's the quality of the posts and the replies, the back-and-forth in the comments, the absence of it-and-run trolls who do not capitalize and have cryptic nicks and spend their miserable days lobbing stink bombs into the drawing rooms. It may seem a small thing, but the pictures of the contributors (and commenters) give the site a personal feel you don't get from most group blogs. It's what blogs ought to be - a conversation, not a lecture. (I think I stole that fm Jeff Jarvis, butI think he stole it from me.)
May '10
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
As an aside to James I once told my mother I was reading Lileks and she wanted to know if that was like reading tea leaves. "No, I said Lileks, not lilacs!"
May '10
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
Hmmm, I wonder: a typo, or an Addams Family reference? The former is more likely, but the image in the latter really works for me.
May '10
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
EJHill
That was kind of what I said in the first place. · Jul 17 at 9:33am
You're right! Sorry. I must have been on auto-pilot.
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
I can't say how grateful I am for all of these posts. And how amazing it is -- truly, amazing and humbling -- that pretty much every single post here, so far, has echoed (almost word-for-word) the conversations and debates and internal discussions we've had since this project first got off the ground. How do we grow? How do we keep it civil and interesting? How do we -- in James' perfect phrase -- make it a conversation and not a lecture? How do we organize the topics, so that the whole thing doesn't become an un-navigable mess? How do we keep it fun? How do we make sure Members are getting value? How do we make sure it's not just "top down," to use EJHill's phrase?
What we want to be, frankly, is the conversation place for the center/right web. A place to talk about things with friends. To debate big stuff and small stuff with civility, passion, and especially a sense of humor. What we want, ultimately, is to be a community where being a Member means something.
It's a work in progress, but it is progressing. Thanks for staying with us.
Jun '10
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
In the interest of repetitive redundancy, I most certainly agree with the major themes above: civil discourse, bi-directional dialog between contributers and commenters (and between commenters), and the thoughtful and deliberative nature of the conversations. I enjoy that average folks like me can sit on these "virtual panels" with experts and other interesting people in various walks of life. Without the civil discourse, believe me I would relegate myself only to the Steyn-less steel podcasts. (Although, a little less Steyn-less would be welcome).
In other words, add me to the "me too" bandwagon.
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
Yes, all: Thanks -- and stay tuned for updates as Ricochet develops and new features arrive. Lots of conventions on the web developed because they worked pretty well on the fly. But, oftentimes, bloggers talk to one another above the fold as if they're strangers, though they're far from it, while commenters who are total strangers trade insults and inanities below the fold with unearned intimacy. There's got to be a better way to have a conversation that's worth the while.
That's what we're up to at Ricochet. I like to think of us as helping point the way back to an everyday kind of friendliness -- something a little more human than the theatrical obsessiveness of BFFs or the calculated menagerie of social network 'friends'. Real friendliness is a good in and of itself, of course. But it's also a particularly good foundation for talking politics, from blowing off steam to chewing over a difficult issue to charting a way forward and all the rest. We don't have to invent or 'recreate' it. It's out there already, as you know and show. We're just giving it a place to grow online.
May '10
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
But I do have to say that sometimes you have to be like John Adams in the musical 1776. During the debate on the Declaration an exasperated Adams declares, "It's a revolution, damn it! We're going to have to offend somebody!"
Jun '10
Re: This Ricochet Thing is Working Pretty Well, Don't You Think?
Jim Chase: "I enjoy that average folks like me can sit on these "virtual panels" with experts and other interesting people in various walks of life."
While your modesty becomes you, sir, there is nothing average about you. And that goes for everyone here. We are an extraordinary people by any historical measure. I don't believe that even the Founding Fathers could foresee the success of a nation based on law and founded in liberty that would allow all people regardless of background to excel to the limit of their individual and collective abilities. We as a people are exceptional and extraordinary.
The foundations of our republic are under assault now by smug elitists who think they can do better. Ronald Reagan knew the truth when he said, "trust the American people." I can see quite clearly now that our republic is rising to meet the threats to our liberties and our way of life. We are privileged by history to play a part and bear witness to this event.
I think Peter in his most recent column has it about right. There is a shift occurring of seismic proportions. God bless our beautiful Republic!