Do you read all the posts?

[Alix]

I don't think I've ever read all the posts. I am a skimmer. If thing grab my interest I'll read more thoroughly, but otherwise I skim. I definitely don't read all of a thread that has umpty bazillion pages before replying. I tend to keep fairly current most of the time though so I don't need to read them from A to Z.

I prefer to read fun stuff not people being mean to each other. Even though I created the Venting thread, its sometimes too weighty for me and I don't read it.

 

[simonbaker]

I do. Only because I sit at my computer with the TV on. So I read or type during commericals.

Me too.

 

[buckytom]

i was going to post something here, but it might have been said already. i guess i should go back and read so it's not repetitive...


but seriously, it depends on a couple of factors. if i have time to read everything; if i'm very interested in the subject at hand; if i think a reply bears repeating - apparently at the expense of those with delicate sensibilities. i apologize to the latter for redundancy.

call me a brute or worse if you will for that, but in my defense i make sure to read all responses in a thread where someone is hurting and/or looking for support. i always read through all of those because those are the only threads where it matters to be offering your individual and original support to the person in need, not just to hear yourself speak. the rest are just discussions and cooking stuff, so repetition doesn't matter as much.

for the day to day stuff, i just don't always have the time to read every post in a thread, so if i have a really good (imo) response, or the subject is something close to my heart i might be inclined just to blurt out a reply.

when i have the time, i occasionally skim over the really long posts (like this one is starting to be ), reading all or most of the rest of the replies. some people are given to really long responses, and unless it's the chief, i'll skim over the ones from people that i very often don't agree with.

hey, where's ol' chief longwind, anyway? i'm tempted to send out pm's to people who know him to start a practical joke when he returns. we should wait until he posts, then all of us repeat exactly what he just wrote as if he never responded... lol.

 

[taxlady]

I swear people weren't reading in the http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f21/hummus-help-70977.html thread. I saw the same recipe posted 3 or 4 times in a row, with very minor variations.

 

[Zhizara]

I don't bake, and I don't have access to grilling, but I love the food porn. So, no I don't read every post, but I love to watch. I ignore threads about cupcakes or cookies.

Living alone means I can get a sleeve of big oatmeal cookies for $1 and not have to make a mess in the kitchen.

 

[CraigC]

If I intend to respond, I will read all the posts. The only exception is where someone has replied to an old thread. Then I will look for the post that brought up the old thread and read from that point. I do find it humorous when someone replies to the OP and the thread is several years old. Especially when the OP hasn't been around for a while.

Craig

 

[Alix]

hey, where's ol' chief longwind, anyway? i'm tempted to send out pm's to people who know him to start a practical joke when he returns. we should wait until he posts, then all of us repeat exactly what he just wrote as if he never responded... lol.

I'm in!

And my related question is, how long is too long for a thread or post? I'm notorious for looking at the number of pages and saying "screw it" and reading the first few and last few. I'm also with Craig, I giggle at really old threads getting resurrected. I think we should bring back that warning about "this thread is umpty bazillion days old"

 

[CraigC]

I'm in!

And my related question is, how long is too long for a thread or post? I'm notorious for looking at the number of pages and saying "screw it" and reading the first few and last few. I'm also with Craig, I giggle at really old threads getting resurrected. I think we should bring back that warning about "this thread is umpty bazillion days old"

I can understand someone using an old thread and adding to it. I know some sites where it is a strict rule not to start a new thread on the same subject, no matter how old the original thread is. Doing so will draw the rath of the mods and/or admins. I still find it funny though.

Craig

 

[Alix]

I always feel a bit bad for the poor schmuck who responds to a 3 year old thread where the OP was a one post wonder.

You didn't answer the question of how long is too long Craig?

 

[CraigC]

If there are no replies in 3 months it could be locked? Still there to read but no replies allowed.

Craig

 

[Rocklobster]

I didn't read any of these posts. I should have, but I don't always read them. Especially if there are lots and long ones. Sometimes I want to add a reply but I will likely forget what I want to say if I read too many posts. So, I post my reply as quick as I can.....

 

[Zhizara]

I didn't read any of these posts. I should have, but I don't always read them. Especially if there are lots and long ones. Sometimes I want to add a reply but I will likely forget what I want to say if I read too many posts. So, I post my reply as quick as I can.....

That's a bad habit I've gotten into too. I read a post that I want to respond to and reply to that, missing other posts in between.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I try to read every reply in a topic if I intend to post my own reply. Sometimes the OP's question has already been answered. Sometimes new questions or interesting side issues come up in a topic that I might reply to. A topic ("thread") implies a conversation and replies should fit into the conversation.

Sometimes a topic is just too long to read every post (like the one about "what you have been reading lately?" IIRC over a hundred pages!). I think most people would agree that it's better to get into the conversation and then start following it, rather than deny participating entirely because you haven't read every single post.

 

[Claire]

Sometimes, when you're requesting help (at least for me), I appreciate replies that echo each other. I mean, if 6 replies are totally different, and 5 are similar, I have an idea of what works for more people. Also I take into consideration where (geographically and ethnically) the poster is coming from. So I really don't think a repeat is a bad thing.

 

[Addie]

For threads with a lot of pages, I don't go back to page one. I do go back to see what the original question or comment was.
Then I read forward from there to get an idea. Then I go to the last page. Look at the date of posting, I also will read from the emails and not go to the forum. I skip weather or books as a rule. Or any other subject that I am not interested in.