module request: Hierarchial, how important is seniority?

[bemused_leftist]

Are new posters supposed to work their way up, grovelling and jumping through hoops? To what extent are old posters automatically preferred? Or is each post judged on its own merits?

Comments

First Impressions Count

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

I have just recently opened a LiveJournal account, and have been researching what works and doesn't work. One friend warned me that politics is a hot topic which can drive people away, by making them uncomfortable, if mentioned too often in a blog that is not especially about politics. But apparently one can get away with that as an occasional thing; it's the frequency that counts.

Where this ties into what you just asked is: first impressions count. If you start out with an uncomfortable topic, people who don't know you are less likely to pay attention and more likely to leave in search of more appealing fare. But *if they already know you* and trust your judgment, they will probably give you the benefit of the doubt. As a newcomer to any venue, it helps to spend some time observing how people there interact, so as to avoid making a bad first impression by jumping in with a pesky remark. This shows both your respect for others and your own wisdom in thinking before you act. Then, when you have an idea of what's going on, you're in a much better position to spice things up in a way that will work.

I'll be putting up real content on my blog later this month or early next. I plan to start with things that I expect to have high appeal and low chance of offense. This will demonstrate to readers that 1) I have done my homework, 2) I can write my way out of a bone-dry paper bag, and 3) I will provide material that's worth their time to read. After I've built up some credentials with my LJ audience, I'll be ready to venture into deeper waters where there be all manner of interesting dragons -- with a reasonable expectation that most of my readers will follow me willingly.

Much the same holds true in posting comments. It seems tacky and ineffective to jump onto a stranger's blog and disagree dramatically with the blog's or the blogger's main idea(s). If folks already know you, however, they're more likely to give your counter-arguments careful consideration.