TED Conversations

edward long
Mesa, AZ
United States

Association of Old Crows

This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »

Require all who post a question to post a Closing Statement after the conversation is closed.

I think the person who posts an issue should assemble the final analysis of all the responses in a posted Closing Report. This report would allow a terse, informative analysis of the issue. Many people post and run, never to be heard from again. Make Closing Reports a prerequisite to qualify for subsequent postings. Set a limit of active postings allowed.

Closing Statement from edward long

A total of five respondents brought one thing to light immediately: the idea of mandatory Closing Statements is doomed by popular (unanimous) demand. However, there was also unanimous support for the idea of raising awareness regarding the value of Closing Statements. Also, some interesting ancillary ideas surfaced such as; tedcred for doing a closing statement; anyone could do the statement, not just the original poster; number of active posts per individual should be limited (3?); search priority could be given to posts having a closing statement. It seems likely that a valuable feature is being under-utilized. There is a better-than-average potential for overall added value in pursuing this issue (are you listening TED Admin?). Thanks and good day to all. -Edward

Sort By:

peter lindsay 30+
- 0
May 21 2012: How about a tedcred bonus for closing statements. As for opening passed conversations it may reduce the repetition of popular topics if people could open conversations found through the search function at left. Maybe limit the duration of re-opened conversations to 48hrs?
- edward long 100+
  - 0
  May 21 2012: So you favor the idea of encouraging/requiring closing statements? Tedcreds are Pavlovian but effective.
  Closed posts are readable in their entirety. The only reason to reactivate them would be for new comments? Thanks Peter.
  - peter lindsay 30+
    
    0
    May 22 2012: Yes an existing conversation could be updated with new information rather than starting a new one from scratch. And lets face it we all love a tedcred:-)
Heather White 10+
- 0
May 20 2012: Hi Edward, I agree with the limit on active postings - no more than three in my opinion. This should allow time for the poster to respond to comments. I like the closing statement idea - but making it a prerequisite on future postings is perhaps going too far!

I'd actually like to be able to reactivate some of the old expired debates.
- edward long 100+
  - 0
  May 20 2012: Ok. Ok. I get it. Mandatory CS is a bad idea. I like the limit idea too. 3 seems workable. Why don't you post the idea for reopening closed conversations? It sounds like it could be helpful if current events take an unexpected new direction. Thenks for your good ideas Heather.
Colleen Steen 500+
- +1
May 19 2012: Hi Edward,
I totally agree with you to "set a limit of active postings allowed", if by this you mean the number of discussions a person can open at any given time? I observe that sometimes, individuals start several discussions..."post and run", as you say. I much prefer conversations in which the facilitator is an active participant.

I do not agree that closing statements should be mandatory, and I do not observe that it always provides an informative analysis "of the issue". It often provides an individual with the opportunity to try to reinforce his/her own perspectives. Although many facilitators DO indeed provide unbiased closing statements, some do not, so I read closing statements with that in mind.

I agree with Derek, that anything forced, usually does not yield the best results, and people who feel they have choices generally produce better results.

We can continue to encourage enthusiastic participation and closing statements, and I don't think/feel it should be required.
- edward long 100+
  - 0
  May 19 2012: Clearly my Iron Fist approach is not a hit. I'm not married to the mandatory clause. I agree not all closing statements are objective compendiums and are thus of little value for future research. But, hey, maybe more folks would provide a legitimate synopsis if they were more aware of its value. Thanks for sharing Colleen.
Scott Nesler
- 0
May 19 2012: I like the idea, but not mandatory. There needs to be an incentive. Something to motivate the writing of a closing statement. Maybe visibility. As the volume of questions increase it will be difficult for anyone to read through all of them. Closed questions with a closing statement could acquire preference in a search order. Authors of open question with a proven record for writing closing statements would acquire higher ranking among open queries. Such a ranking system would be one of many factors. Just a thought.
- edward long 100+
  - 0
  May 19 2012: I agree. Honey beats vinegar, etc. The main thing is to have a closing synopsis with the gist of the results. The report will be a great service to those who will try to glean from the conversation as research for future posts. Thanks for improving the idea.
  - Scott Nesler
    
    0
    May 19 2012: Why restrict writing the closing statement to the original author? A question has two states; opened and closed. When a question moves into the closed state provide a view open to others for submitting closing statements. Allow the public to vote on the quality and provide external feedback to motivate revision to improve the quality. Based on scores and other factors the order of closing statements would be determined.
    
    This thought relates to the idea "Building a better media".
    
    http://www.ted.com/conversations/11219/let_s_build_a_better_media_to.html
    
    Motivation and incentive are key to quality participation. A new media requires more than idle chit chat. It requires the discipline of the author to care enough about his or her thought to improve the quality for higher respect and understanding.
    
    The Facebook IPO put a ton of money in the hands of a few. I have no clue what will be done with such a volume of money but it is unlikely the valuable participants of Facebook will acquire financial gain from the IPO. Money acquired off the back of a democratic media should give a large portion of the money back to the participants. I suggest a financial prize system to motivate quality participation. Getting paid for quality contribution may not be a requirement but could be an incentive.
    - edward long 100+
      
      0
      
      May 19 2012: To me the greatest value of a factual, objective closing statement is that it neatly packages and quantifies the range of responses. After reading the CS I can decide whether I want to delve into the actual responses, or not. You are correct that anyone could write the statement.
      On TED conversations I think motivation and incentives are the same . . . . intellectual stimulation. We all like to see our words in print, but I think that is secondary. Thus, your idea of monetary reward frightens me. Thanks for the link and for your additional insights Scott.
Derek Young 30+
- +1
May 18 2012: This is an interesting idea. You pose a very appropriate point, but you will never know what the other person on the computer, that started the conversation, is going through. I don't really believe making it mandatory will be a good thing either. I feel that anything forced will be unconstructive or won't yield the best results as it would when someone does something by choice instead.
- edward long 100+
  - 0
  May 19 2012: Agreed Derek. If the benefit is explained then people might start using the existing "Closing Statement" function. I really think it would be a valuable research tool for future posts and we can stop re-inventing the wheel. Thanks for your suggestion.
  - Derek Young 30+
    
    0
    May 19 2012: Thanks for the positive reinforcement! I am glad to be of assisstance. =)

Showing all 14 comments

Sign In

To join or start a conversation, you'll need to sign in. Not a member? Register Now (it's free and fast).

Live Conversations

Live Conversations are hosted by TED speakers and TED Fellows. Ask your questions and participate in the discussions on the following dates and times: