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Lets say I'm asking a question on a popular question and answer website, and I want to close by saying that I will appreciate any submitted ideas.

The first seems awkward because at the moment of writing there aren't any ideas yet.

The second makes it sound like I would appreciate any ideas, if I wasn't a misanthropic sociopath that doesn't appreciate anyone.

Edit: I suppose I could also use the verb "will", but what if it's a really unhelpful idea? Seems like the job for a verb that implies more committal than "would", but less than "will"...

I'm probably over-thinking, but it bugs me!

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Why not just say "I would appreciate any ideas?" This article and others make a good case for using the active voice.

The reason for saying "would be appreciated" as opposed to "are appreciated" is that the ideas haven't come in yet.

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  • @Reg: I guess a better answer would be that the OP is over-thinking. I'll add a citation for preferring the active voice, and an explanation about the proper tense.
    – Larry Coleman
    Commented Jan 6, 2011 at 14:07

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