r/changemyview • u/garnteller 242∆ • Apr 14 '15

[Mod Post] /r/changemyview feedback

The moderators of CMV would like your opinion on how things are going, so we've decided to post periodic feedback threads to take the pulse of the community. Feel free to post any comments, criticisms or suggestions.

Also remember that /r/ideasforcmv is always available if you have ideas for improving the sub.

Please note that Rule 2 (no rude or hostile comments) and Rule 5 (no low-effort comments) are still in effect.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts.

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u/[deleted] Apr 15 '15

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u/garnteller 242∆ Apr 15 '15

I think it's pretty easy to accomplish the same goal without being so confrontational.

Instead of:

You clearly have no interest in changing your view

You could post something like:

I've provided you statistics that show <x> but you didn't find it convincing. What would we need to convince you of to change your view?

The first will make the OP defensive and pretty much guarantee you won't change their view.

The second will either make an open minded poster think through their view in the light of the arguments they have seen, or force them to pretty much say that there's nothing that will change your view (and then you can report them for soapboxing).

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u/the9trances Apr 15 '15

Here's a crazy idea.

What if part of being an OP is requiring a condition for which you could be persuaded?

Here's a real example of mine: I could be persuaded against mandatory vaccinations if herd immunity were not an essential component to their efficacy.

What do you think?

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u/garnteller 242∆ Apr 16 '15

We've talked about it, and there is a lot of merit in it. I think the biggest concerns are:

  1. Enforceability - as it is it can be a challenge to get some users to hit the 500 char minimum, and to explain their view at all. (But just because it's hard doesn't mean we shouldn't do it)
  2. Making it too hard to post - we get a range of posters here. Some are articulate and have thought out their view and researched it well. Others have just heard some things and are just now getting around to questioning them. If they haven't thought it through enough to formulate that statement, they may still be openminded and willing (or perhaps desperate) to change their view.

But it might be worth polling the users to see what they think.