iguanamon wrote:I thought, following on the heels of the much more successful French Study Group would at least get us a similar amount of activity. I was wrong. They have beat us by a significant amount of posts. That's a shame. We have a lot of members here who are learning Spanish and a lot who speak Spanish as a second language who can help them. We can also discuss anything about the language here in English, and even Spanish if you provide at least a synopsis. Perhaps the lack of activity can be explained by the same reasons TAC was a failure- limited amount of time to devote to posting and diminishing interest in learning over time. Perhaps it is inevitable that almost any group activity on a forum dedicated to such a highly individual pursuit as language-learning, is by its very nature, doomed. I don't know. Prove me wrong!
There are a lot of good tips, advice and media recommendations that get buried in people's logs. If you don't follow their log, you miss it. So, if you have something to share about Spanish that you think may help others, please share it here too. If you want to talk about any aspect of the Spanish language or Hispanophone cultures, you are welcome here at any level. If you are learning the language and want to get connected with others here on the forum who are learning and have learned Spanish, take advantage of the opportunity! ¡Muy Feliz Año Nuevo, mi gente! ¡Pa' adelante en 2018!
I don't think chastising people (albeit in a gentle and diplomatic way) for posting in their logs instead of here is the best way to increase activity in the Spanish Group. I attribute the success of the French group to the welcoming and nonjudgmental environment that has developed in
Les Voyaguers (kudos to
tomgosse). Don't get me wrong - I don't think anyone who has posted in this group is judgmental, far from it. I think Tom's self-deprecating posts and Teddy Bear vibe was the secret sauce that has helped that group flourish.
From my experience, groups are the most creative when even the most inexperienced, junior member feels comfortable disagreeing with the expert in the room and when the beginners feel comfortable sharing their insights - even if the experts have seen it many times before. If the group is perceived (correctly or incorrectly) as a bastion of advanced speakers, we risk discouraging the contributions of the non-expert lurkers. I have seen this dynamic play out in academics many times.
How can we develop a more welcoming environment? One simple thing we can do is give a shout-out to interesting posts that we see (in logs and in other threads). Quote the post here or provide a link to it. By doing this you are acknowledging that you appreciate that person's contribution and you are also providing a bit of peer review to the content. Of course, it would be polite to respect the original poster's wishes as to where the discussion should take place.