I posted something similar to this several years ago, so I thought I'd post it again to help others get the most out of TeenHelp. The following are a number of posting guidelines I would recommend following in order to draw the right kind of attention to your threads:
- Title - To me the title of a thread is by far the most important thing about it. It's the first thing that people see, so it's going to be what initially attracts them. It needs to be specific so that users know exactly what they're going to see if they open your thread. Don't waste your time with common titles such as "Help me!" or "I'm sad" because those kinds of threads are the ones that tend to get lost among the masses. If you're having a problem with anorexia, try "I think I'm anorexic, help me!", or if you've recently broken up with your partner, try "I'm sad, I've just broken up with my partner." These titles are much more accurate, which means that those who know about those topics are more likely to open and read your thread.
- '(Long)' - This is one of the most fatal mistakes to make when starting a thread! It is not an attractive thought to know that you're about to open a very long thread, so don't include this or anything similar in your title! By doing so you're just scaring off people before they've even opened your thread. Let people be their own judge about whether your post is too long to read.
- Clear and concise - get to the point! - Keep your story as short as possible! People don't tend to like reading a lot of information, so the shorter your thread is the better. That's not to say you should leave out important details, but it does mean that if something isn't really relevant you shouldn't include it. Try reading your post through a couple of times to check that you're not including extra information that will just make your thread look longer and put people off.
- Paragraphs - Try and split your thread up into paragraphs, especially if you're sharing a long story. It is very difficult to follow a long post if it doesn't have proper paragraphing, and opening a thread that displays a huge wall of text is really intimidating, so many users will simply close your thread again if this is the case. Splitting it up makes it appear shorter and more friendly, and will get more people reading it.
- Spelling and grammar - It's by no means necessary to have perfect spelling and grammar in threads, but it can help. You need to make sure that what you're writing can at least be read fairly easily by others. People don't like doing a lot of work, so if they have to spend ages deciphering your post they'll more than likely just not bother. Run your thread through a spellchecker before posting it if necessary.
I hope this helps.
