Conversing in Writing
Find a listerv or blog whose topics interest you. Spend a few days following the exchanges on it. Note down those moments at which the members of the list or board really seem to be "conversing in writing" with each other, and also note points where they seem to be doing something else (forwarding, flaming, digressing, whatever). How useful is the metaphor of conversation in describing the exchanges you've observed? What does the metaphor distort or fail to describe?

The prince.org message about is a message board with dedicated forums for Prince-related topics as well other discussions. It often descends into chaos. Few and far between are thought-provoking conversations. The Prince: Music and More forum is often full of terrible threads, along with a few good ones. There are a lot of threads that fall into that formulaic "What Is Your Favorite ."

There is, at the moment, a discussion going on about just how the hundreds of readily-available bootlegged outtakes, concerts, and demos get released. The thread starter, VinnyM27, explains his knowledge of rappers releasing bootleg-like "mixtapes" and major label artists getting their albums leaked because "they have a bunch of assholes working for them." Prince is suspected to be very paranoid and a bit of a control-freak over his material, so VinnyM27's question is definitely of value. Lastly, he states that he "expect(s) a few joke responses but does anyone have any real theories about this."

I doubt VinnyM27 read Joseph Harris' Rewriting, but he does seem to be making every effort to spur a thought-provoking conversation. Posts that follow include lots of tongue-in-cheek statements and jokes. Some repliers give brief answers along the lines of "Someone that works for him probably leaks the tracks." A few posters including 2freak4church1, ernestsewell and squirrelgrease provide more in-depth responses. They contribute what they have heard on the matter, and even cite interviews with people who have worked with Prince: "According to the recent Q&A with Prince's engineer ChronicFreeze, P just misplaces rough mix CDs, which would help explain some later bootlegged tracks even though he clamped down on leaks. Prince also keeps a close eye on soundboard recordings - the reason why live boots these days are audience sourced."

FunkyStrange provides a reply: "But the question is: Did he hand out this stuff [to his friends] with intention of it getting out?" The poster goes on to list a few different scenarios and then provides their own opinion. So, here, we find that the thread has become a conversation. People are posting replies detailing other sources' reports. Others, content that part of the original poster's question has been answered, begin to post more in-depth questions to further the discussion with. To use Burke's metaphor that Harris utilized, the thread has become a parlor. Guests are coming and going, and many aren't aware of what has been said before they arrive. In fact, many people on message boards simply hit "Reply" to talk to the original poster without ever reading what anyone else has said. As people log off or lose interest in the topic, the thread stays alive for some time, with newer posters countering or forwarding what those before them have said.

I guess prince.org isn't so bad after all.

In fact, many people on message boards simply hit "Reply" to talk to the original poster without ever reading what anyone else has said.

CerpinTaxt said:

xxxxx

squirrelgrease said:

First!!!

CerpinTaxt said:

The core of the issue right there. Though, in a sense, this mentality does help keep the thread on topic, it really devalues the opinions and theories provided by other posters.

CerpinTaxt said:

The core of the issue right there. Though, in a sense, this mentality does help keep the thread on topic, it really devalues the opinions and theories provided by other posters.

squirrelgrease said:

It'd be a lot easier on P&R if everyone would just agree that I am always right.

RodeoSchro said:

I disagree.

It'd be a lot easier on P&R if everyone would just agree that I am always right.

Teacher said:

RodeoSchro said:

Not on the issues, just disagree to agree. It's always safest, who knows - you could turn republican tomorrow and then I'd be stuck with having to agree with an asshole.

Teacher said:

I voted in the last Republican primary, and I'm sure I'll do the same this year.

Now, I did it honestly - I had friends running and I wanted to vote for them. But I had a bit of fun.

My district is heavily Republican, so there was a long line for the GOP voting booths. Every so often, a proctor would walk by and ask if any Democrats were in line, because there was no waiting for a Democrat booth.

I said, "I'm a Democrat but I'm voting in the Republican primary". This fellow in front of me turned around and gave me the evil eye. So I said, "Hey, if Rush Limbaugh can urge Republicans to vote in the Democrats primaries to screw them up (which he was actually doing), then I can vote in the Republican primary and do the same thing!"

I thought this guy was going to CRY.

I'm sure he thought Rush's "Operation Chaos" was the greatest thing ever, until someone turned the tables around and did the same thing back to the Republicans. Seriously, you could see this guy trying not to cry. It was great!

Teacher said:

I voted in the last Republican primary, and I'm sure I'll do the same this year.

Now, I did it honestly - I had friends running and I wanted to vote for them. But I had a bit of fun.

My district is heavily Republican, so there was a long line for the GOP voting booths. Every so often, a proctor would walk by and ask if any Democrats were in line, because there was no waiting for a Democrat booth.

I said, "I'm a Democrat but I'm voting in the Republican primary". This fellow in front of me turned around and gave me the evil eye. So I said, "Hey, if Rush Limbaugh can urge Republicans to vote in the Democrats primaries to screw them up (which he was actually doing), then I can vote in the Republican primary and do the same thing!"

I thought this guy was going to CRY.

I'm sure he thought Rush's "Operation Chaos" was the greatest thing ever, until someone turned the tables around and did the same thing back to the Republicans. Seriously, you could see this guy trying not to cry. It was great!