Hi Christopher, Our culture does not like silence whether it be on-site or online. I can appreciate what you are saying concerning this point. I try to have "wait time" and then go something else or ask a question. I find that the wait time is good to get the students thinking because generally after several of these they start jumping into the discussion because they don't like the silence. Also by asking questions you are breaking up the flow of content and this is important so the students can have a quick break from intake of knowledge to output of content already received through discussions. Gary