I'm glad that somebody has decided to educate us on persuasive writing,
I really am. It's just a shame that you didn't set a better example
yourself.

You concentrated too much, I am afraid, on the purely technical side. Of
course it's important not to weaken your argument, of course it is. But
I personally believe that it's much more important not to make your
intended audience... well, hate you.

When trying to persuade, one takes either a personal or an impersonal
style. If, as you did, that person decides to take a personal stance-
involving anecdotes, the first person, and so on- it is vitally
important that the audience does not hate them. In fact, one advantage
that personal writing gives you is that chance to get the audience to
sympathise with you. I think the best indication of this is how many
posts followed yours insulting you. What you said was really quite
right, and could even have proved quite useful, but the 'pompous' way
you said it alienated the audience to the point that they didn't even
care about the content... could you honestly call that good
argumentative technique?

Now, I'd love to have more intelligent posts on the public boards, but I
mean real intelligence, not 'look, I'm an intellectual!' intelligence.
Especially not when the writer seems to pay little or no attention to
what he's saying.

Penned by my hand on the 9th of Shanthin, in the year 102 CE.