The Universal Appeal of El Diablo

[w_alloy]

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I'm continually amazed by the incredibly sharp people around here, that can't be true about other message boards, can it?

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While I believe 2+2 is, on average, substantially smarter than average, it is true that all message boards have a tendancy to make their members seem smarter/funnier than they really are.

This is mostly due to the nature of message boards. They allow people to self select, only posting when they feel they have something to contribute, unlike conversation where people just keep talking. The fact that you can take however long you want to write responses helps too. This isnt to say some people dont suck at self selecting (maybe like this super obvious post?) and dont write stream of counciousness messes, but it certainly helps a lot.

[ahnuld]

allow, trust me when I say us posters with 5k + posts dont really self select much at all.

[w_alloy]

Do you have thoughts about every post you read? As a living breathing member of the human race, I should hope so. Do you resond to every post you read? As this is only your second post in this thread, I'm guessing you dont.

[samjjones]

Less talk about El Diablo and more talk about Brad Pitt's scintillatingly hot ass, please.

[AE6]

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Diablo is very smart and funny but it is wrong to say he has "universal appeal". Not sure what this thread is about, I vote for a lockdown of it.

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erm, intelligence and humor are universally appealing.

[Nick B.]

Here is another good thread.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...age=0&vc=1

[BukNaked36]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm continually amazed by the incredibly sharp people around here, that can't be true about other message boards, can it?

[/ QUOTE ]

While I believe 2+2 is, on average, substantially smarter than average, it is true that all message boards have a tendancy to make their members seem smarter/funnier than they really are.

This is mostly due to the nature of message boards. They allow people to self select, only posting when they feel they have something to contribute, unlike conversation where people just keep talking. The fact that you can take however long you want to write responses helps too. This isnt to say some people dont suck at self selecting (maybe like this super obvious post?) and dont write stream of counciousness messes, but it certainly helps a lot.

[/ QUOTE ]

I truly believe the posters here are smarter based on what I read. I think the people who STAY on 2p2 start out here in the strat forums dedicating their time trying to improve their game. Your avg. Joe just doesn't want to work that hard to get better and drops out after a few weeks.

[BukNaked36]

Regarding El D,

This is a poker site. His credibility starts with being a respected high stakes player. He writes well and debates extremely well. You then read a little more and find out he's an intelligent, successful entrepreneur. He's not an 18 year old poker savant that would be flipping burgers if not for online poker. All of these things build credibility and appeal.

I have seen similar alpha members on a video gaming site - www.tribalwar.com. Their credibility starts with being the best players at the game. Their ability to post intelligently and humorously then build appeal from there. What typically brought some of these guys down was defending a-hole team members on the forum. It's obvious the team member is a jerk, but the alpha member feels duty bound to help them. Everyone can see the truth of the situation, and the alpha member loses respect for the petty behavior which just leads to further petty arguments. El D has no one to defend, so as long as he stays solid, he can stay on top.

Overall, what I see is that the real life first impression charisma that starts with physical appeal, charm, and humor is somewhat replaced in an online forum by being good at the game.

[ledfoot]

Who is El Diablo?

[theBruiser500]

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Diablo is very smart and funny but it is wrong to say he has "universal appeal". Not sure what this thread is about, I vote for a lockdown of it.

[/ QUOTE ]
erm, intelligence and humor are universally appealing.

[/ QUOTE ]

and your nitpicking isn't