In support of threaded discussions and blog comments
Stephanie Booth recently posted an argument against threaded conversations on blogs. I have to say that I disagree to a large extent with what she says as well as the people she quotes, although I don’t deny some of her points. I believe that there is a very good case for threaded discussion – that is, discussions in which replies are indented below the post to which they refer so that a conversation can look like a “tree” with branches, each a different but related conversation. I have used and encouraged threaded discussions in a variety of places and spaces – including communities of practice and online learning groups.
In a community you often WANT to start a lot of conversations and encourage community members to explore the issues in their own way. If such a community is built around a blog then threaded blog comments may be one way to encourage interaction.
If I’m exploring a subject for research or other reasons and want as much feedback as possible on all aspects, then threaded discussions/comments are good. In a learning context – if I’m using a blog to stimulate my students’ learning, it can be easier for them to respond to the stimulus in my post if they are able to continue to reply to one another in distinct branches of the thread.
An asynchronous online discussion is NOT like a pub (as Stephanie quotes ” five fresh fish” as saying): asynchronous online discussion allows time for reflection, editing, and measured response carefully framed rather than the off the cuff rapid-fire of a pub or synchronous online conversation – yes some discussion threads are like that – but it’s one of the great strengths of asynchronous interaction that it has these new features.
Therefore chronological and linear is NOT always – or even principally – the best format for such interactions – threaded online discussions have very particular affordances for interaction, sharing and learning that – skilfully managed and e-moderated – are not available in any form of live or synchronous discussion. We shouldn’t try to make online conversations replicate the methods of interaction already available – of course it is unlikely to replicate such interactions well – it’s a whole new way of interacting and we should explore the possibilities. I have seen some fabulously creative uses of threaded discussions (e.g., on the old trAce community Webboard) as well as spectacular examples of deep collaborative learning – some in my own classes.
Originally published on reachfurther.com