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I often read long pieces on the internet, but seldom on forums. It takes an exceptionally good job of capturing my attention in the first two or three sentences to keep me reading past the first paragraph.

This is the internet, land of short attention spans. The long form essay doesn't work here: make your point quickly, then you can elaborate for those who care to keep reading.

I enjoy fact filled posts that hold my interest. There are some members that I skip over entirely and others that I try to keep up with. I do not read long rants or posts that say "I vote from the rooftops" in one form or another.

Jason

No doubt some of the longer posts are worth a read - my curiosity lies in those that few could possibly find interesting.

I look at this phenomena as something akin to "American Idol".

That is, the quality of many of these dreadfully long posts is so poor, yet blithely unrecognized as such by the various authors, that it's remarkable.

Of course no one is forced to read them, but that doesn't address my point.

I wonder if there is an audience or if in the main they go unread?

Abraham wrote:I wonder if there is an audience or if in the main they go unread?

I believe we have to infer the answer from how many garner a response.

LarryH,

If by response you mean the count of those who opened the thread?

If so, that number doesn't inform us if the entire post was read. Or, does it?

Ah, if it does:
Please let me in on how it's done.

Thanks

Abraham wrote:No doubt some of the longer posts are worth a read - my curiosity lies in those that few could possibly find interesting.

I look at this phenomena as something akin to "American Idol".

That is, the quality of many of these dreadfully long posts is so poor, yet blithely unrecognized as such by the various authors, that it's remarkable.

Of course no one is forced to read them, but that doesn't address my point.

I wonder if there is an audience or if in the main they go unread?

I am now wondering what is your point? The two are not mutually exclusive. IMO, long posts are largely unread, but given the subject matter, the overall readability of the post and the identity of the poster, there is an audience.

IMO, the purpose of the this forum is for exchanging information and ideas. Just because a particular idea or opinion isn't popular, or in the majority, does not diminish it's value.

For me, the most boring posts, long or short, are those which have 20 or 30 responses of , +1, , I agree 110%, etc.

WildBill wrote:For me, the most boring posts, long or short, are those which have 20 or 30 responses of , +1, , I agree 110%, etc.

150%!

Sorry... I couldn't stop myself.

Abraham wrote:LarryH,

If by response you mean the count of those who opened the thread?

If so, that number doesn't inform us if the entire post was read. Or, does it?

Ah, if it does:
Please let me in on how it's done.

Thanks

If someone posts a response to the original. That's all I meant. Some long posts (or their authors) just seem to be thread-killers.

Of course, that's ASSUMES the responder read the entire post. Around here (and other fora), that may also be a rash assumption.

Seldom, but not never.

I am proud to be guilty of posting some doozies...Very lonnnnnng doozies...

I am also not above posting subjects and ideas that appear to be amature or elementary in nature...I know what I know, and if it helps others to see it is ok to do anything within the rules of this forum to post information, experiences, and knowledge, then I will continue to do so...

Someone will get something out of it, if it isn't from me, that's ok...They will get something from someone else, and that is fantastic!

I will always champion a person who writes and speaks without fear!!! No matter what...

Wow, this thread has evolved into something bizarre.

Feeling hurt or abused because you like to submit long posts?

If that's the case, take a deep breath and relax - no need to feel defensive.

Out of curiosity, I was/am interested in the number or numbers of those among us who take the time to read such - not the authors.

I read EVERY post. But then I have to, since I am a Moderator.

Keith B wrote:I read EVERY post. But then I have to, since I am a Moderator.

My condolences.

Abraham wrote:Wow, this thread has evolved into something bizarre.

Feeling hurt or abused because you like to submit long posts?

If that's the case, take a deep breath and relax - no need to feel defensive.

Out of curiosity, I was/am interested in the number or numbers of those among us who take the time to read such - not the authors.

If it is a topic which interests me, I will generally read long posts. The exceptions are those with very poor grammatical construction. There is a reason for these grammatical rules, and that is readability. If a post is virtually unreadable, it doesn't matter what the author was trying to say. I won't try beyond the first sentence or two of an unreadable post... ...but that applies to short posts as well.

I don't expect a long post to open with a declaration, but I do expect that it will at least arrive at a conclusion by the end. If I notice that an author has a habit of not making his or her posts readable, and if he or she habitually fails to convey some sort of conclusion or declaration, then I will begin to ignore that particular author's posts going forward.

I also don't start threads which appear on their face to be dismissive or critical about how others choose to communicate their opinions and/or contributions to a discussion, and that is why you have triggered the reactions you've obtained. It may not have been your intent, but it is what you communicated (as evidenced by the responses you've received), and you are as responsible for the effect of your own words as is anyone else on this forum. This is most particularly true if you believe that you choose your words carefully when you post. You've waited until three pages into your own thread to assure those of us who do write long posts that you meant no offense, and even then, it comes off (at least to me) as dismissive and condescending. Trust me, my feelings are not hurt, and I will sleep fine tonight whether or not someone wants to read what I've written. I feel neither defensive nor tense; but I would question your purpose in raising the topic in the first place, and you might want to engage in a little self examination along the same lines, as it does come off as kind of passive-aggressive.

And, if you've read this far, I honestly mean no offense; but if you took offense, take a deep breath and relax — no need to feel defensive. (Do you see how that comes off?)

Respectfully,

Chris

I've written some doozies but most are fairly short.

If I’m writing a post that is trying to make a point, facts must be presented and sometimes that takes a few column inches of space. There really isn’t much that bugs me more than a writer that spouts off “facts & figures” in an argument without giving some hint as to what the basis of those “facts & figures” come from.

I’ve been criticized for my tag line that paraphrases Luke 22:33-35 because I'm being too simplistic. Just know that if Jesus were alive today, that’s what he would have told his crew but detailing the Bible passages that back up that particular conviction would probably be censored for rule violations so I just let it go. But believe me, it would be a very long post.

On the other hand, if I feel a thread needs to have the history of why the 2nd amendment was written and what it means and implies, then I’m going to take off. Documents need to be cited and quotes from the various founding fathers need to be repeated because simply saying “because I think this is what it means” doesn’t cut it.

Some posts need to have a few inches and some just need to have a couple lines.

I will confess to being a horrible speller and my grammar was learned from reading all the time. I write all my posts in Word and then copy/paste to the forum. That way, most of my spelling snafus are corrected and many of the grammar bumps are fixed as well.

But hey, what do I know? I’m just some dude.