I need some help understanding Fluther -- "discussion" vs "chat"?

yeah I am a little lost on the distinction between the two myself

Yeah! I don’t understand the difference either. To me they are one and the same. I tend to discuss things when I chat, and chat when I discuss things. But maybe that is just me.

@Gossamer and @Pandora Its been really frustrating because I’ll post what I think would be a good discussion and it gets pulled. I want to be able to get a chance to know the people on here and hear their views and experiences.

I’ve had that happen too Shermarq! Says that the question I asked needed to be taken to the chat room. So I had to totally reword it. Got the question back out there but it wasn’t exactly the question I originally thought up.
I’ve had a couple that tell me that it is more of a “poll” question. So same thing happened, I had to go and totally reword it to make it work.
I’m gonna stay posted on this one. Cause I don’t get it either.
I’ve read through the rules too.

there is no difference. it’s just meant (oh, hi, fundevogel) to mess with you.

@ninjacolin I think your right

well, you’re in good company cause i always think i’m right too!

I’d say if it’s conversational it’s chat. If it’s educational, analytical, philosophical or otherwise debatable it’s discussion. I especially like questions about things I’m not likely to discuss with the people I see in day to day life.

hey colin :)

A discussion is where you want someone’s view on something but it can’t just be a poll like, Which do you prefer HD or LCD?” It has to have more details so ask multiple questions within one question. See @daloon’s question and you will get an idea of what I mean :). And a question is simply to solve a problem you are having such as, “Why does my cellphone deep turning off while it is in use?” Also, Fluther is looking for quality questions with depth.

@Shemarq Yeah, I’ve had the same thing happen to me too a few times. I think it may just be that if your initial question isn’t strong enough to generate responses than it get pulled. But then I had one that had a strong response and it got pulled. I just changed a few words and it got put back on. Maybe it when its sent to people as a question they may be interested in. If too many mark not inerested in it after a while it gets pulled out.
Or if someone marks remove. I know at first I use to mark remove, but I meant from my questions not from the site. I’m not sure now so I just mark not interested.

@Pandora and there is another good question. I wonder if it means remove it from the list of active questions. Hmmmmmm

@fundevogel But then it should be marked as a debate. Not a discussion. I can discuss the weather without it turning to a debate.

@Pandora I don’t think they pull answers that people aren’t interested in, but I could be mistaken. I know that there are orphan questions that have never been aswered and are still up and running for anyone that wants to answer them. If you have questions regarding why your question got pulled PM any of the Mods they are extremely helpful and nice!

@Pandora Discussion includes debate, but not all discussion is debate.

@fundevogel I won’t debate that with you. LMAO
All kidding aside. It is just confusing. My point is they have questions on one side and discussion on the other. Not all discussions as you say are debates. They may want to have 3 options. Questions, discussions and debates. Personally sometimes I don’t want to debate, or I don’t see a question I can assist with, but I would like to discuss a topic that just seems amusing. I mean, “Why So Serious?”

@sjmc1989 Thanks!
@ninjacolin Good thing that head gear expands. LOL

When I came over from askville, they set up the chat so we could all piss and moan with each other about askville and keep it off the question list. Appropriate discussions are for the general population, not just for a specific set of refugees.
They are also supposed to be intelligent and thoughtful, which is why we are limited to 3 per day.
Personally, I have felt so overwhelmed with the mass questions and the difficulty finding real substantial questions amongst the muck that I know I am skipping over some decent questions just because there are so many crappy ones.
I hope the mods get a hold of it pretty soon.

Discussions = occur in places like this, in response to questions.

Chats = occur in the chat room, which is its own separate thing, not tied to a question.

Sorry I think I misunderstood the question but @laureth seems to have a GA

From the Fluther Guidelines:

If your question is more open-ended, like “Is there any other cookie as good as a chocolate chip cookie?”, it may be moderated. In general, if your question inspires thoughtful discussion, and/or is particularly creative, and shows effort (so make sure you add details and give examples!), it probably won’t get moderated.

If your question is an attempt to connect with people (as opposed to an attempt to figure something out), like “Where is everyone from?” or “How old is everyone?” or “Are the Jonas Brothers lame?”, or it’s a yes-or-no, this-or-that question, it will probably be moderated — those questions are better suited for the chatroom.

We also reserve the right to remove borderline questions that won’t clearly provoke useful or thoughtful discussion depending on the overall quality and types of questions of the day.

@petethepothead ; I know you are giving newbies grace, but I hope you start cracking down soon!!!!

@Pandora I don’t think you can necessarily tell when you ask a question if debate or regular discussion will occur. The choice between question and discussion is merely a practical one. It tells fluther if you want a question answered for practical reasons, like, “how do I change my oil?” or if you are more interested in people exchanging ideas. I believe it influences how fluther directs your question.

Deleted by me because I somehow answered the wrong question. OOPS!

Actually, I think this is a very fair question. It’s something you get the feel for after a while.

Here’s how I see it-

Discussion vs Debate-
Do you hate snow? (discussion/polling) vs Why are snow-haters so vocal? (debate)
Another debate: What does it take for some people to admit they like snow?

What’s your favorite place to live? (discussion) vs What makes a place ‘perfect’ to live in? (discussion, but non-polling)

That’s how I see it- doesn’t mean it’s right.

Any question that could be answered by a majority of people by yes/no, or green/blue, is a polling question. Even if you didn’t want such a short answer.

I think you need to (at least mildly) pick a side for a good debate question. Be prepared to have people disagree with your side, but pick one anyway. Figure out what is at the heart of why you want to know- and ask that question. What sparked your interest in the question? Put that in the details as it can help spark debate.

@gemiwing Thanks for your answer and great suggestions!

@gemiwing “what’s your favorite place to live?” sounds like a polling question to me. It could dodge that if the details rendered it a more developed question.

I differentiate thus: Unless I want to know the answer to something, or where to buy, get, or learn about something – it’s a question. If I want to share something that will lead to a discussion, or start a discussion about something I have an opinion about – I’ll put it in discussion.

Question: more factual, googable and matter-of-fact stuff. Think Matt Browne or the other scientists here (but not only, of course).

Discussion: more opinion. Think Daloon, or Oprah.

;-)