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PaperclipPerfector  9mo ago (text post)   3002 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for December 6, 2024

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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How does one increase readership on a blog? I've been blogging for about 4 years now, and my readerbase has grown from just my two roommates to around ~100 random people on the internet. I'm not necessarily interested in making $$ (although I wouldn't say no) but I would like to get more engagement on my posts.

My blog is mainly focused on two topics: language learning and literature reviews (that usually take some kind of culture war angle). Link is here if any are interested.

Comment, politely, intelligently, on thoughts from other blogs, give teasers to your thoughts on that blog, and use tactics from Quora, StackOverflow, Wikipedia to pull readers into your other works.

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A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


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