Online Threaded Discussions or Responses

When you add your response to a topic in a threaded discussion, an interactive forum, or a class reading blog, follow your instructor’s directions, and also read responses from classmates to clarify how to meet the assignment. Because everyone participating already understands the writing situation, you don’t need to write a full introduction as you would in an essay. Instead, simply dive in as requested — for example, add your thoughtful comments on a reading, identify and explain a key quotation from it, or reflect on your own reading or writing processes. If you comment on a previous post, do so politely; clarify how your ideas differ without any personal criticism. Follow length guidelines, and be sure to proofread and spell-check your post.