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Once upon a time, there was a forum member, just you like you. Except he was probably different, he obtained 1000 posts in less than a month, you wanna know how he did it? He posted one sentence replies without reading the OP and just read the title. He was caught by admins and was accused by the whole society of the super mega galaxy of being a spammer. His lawyer denied, his parents argued with other parents, his friends began to begin riots. And the next thing you know a war broke out and the cosmos of spammers was under seige from aliens called mods and admins.
The poster denied the fact till the bitter end and fought against the accusation. There were rockets, siege tanks, banelings, ban hammers, Neutrinos and super awesome mega lasers. The battle will never be concluded.
Okay back to the real topic,
Hey guys, just like any other day I've been roaming Teamliquid when something struck out to me. How many people actually read the full OP before posting? I know that in blogs there will be a lot of content and some people dont actually read the full OP or read it at all, some are blatantly obvious. I mean, i'm guilty, sometimes I read only half the OP when I feel extremely lazy and reply with a post responding to the first half of the content. I have been to quite a lot of forums and its obvious that there are so many people who doesn't actually read the whole OP, whether it is about baneling control or about the latest bleach analysis, this is why we have tl;dr's
So my question, do you read the op before posting? Please be honest, im interested on the population of people who do
Poll: do you read the whole op before posting?Yes (479) 51% Sometimes (349) 37% No (105) 11% 933 total votes Your vote: do you read the whole op before posting? (Vote): Yes
(Vote): No
(Vote): Sometimes
tl;dr no. read the whole op
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Unnecessarily long, semi-rambling OP's like this one actually serves to support those who vote no...
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Australia123 Posts
On September 28 2011 19:31 RogerX wrote:
tl;dr no. read the whole op
Actually, that kind of is an appropriate tl;dr.
Also I was severely disappointed at the lack of surprise content hidden in the OP 
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This poll could use a "sometimes" option 
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Russian Federation1849 Posts
hard read it was. but being a hero I took my guts and read it. so I think - yes. not sure about reading everything people write in respond though.
On September 28 2011 19:35 DorF wrote:This poll could use a "sometimes" option
yes
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Do I read the whole OP? No.
Do I read the whole OP if I intend to post? Yes, of course I do, why wouldn't I?
I generally don't make a post that addresses the whole OP but I still read the whole thing (sometimes misread)
EDIT: And sometimes I just comment on other posts but I still read the OP
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Lots of shitty writers out there, can be painful to read some posts all the way through, however once you've read the topic title and the first paragraph or so you can basically tell what all the rambling is going to be, and give a well thought out response.
I've found that reading an entire OP can cause me to realize how retarded the author was, and then I just abandon any hope of helping them through a response.
tl;dr Reading the whole OP is ruining E-Sports (jk)
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Before posting? yes.
Before voting in the poll? no.
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If I see a thread I don't read it through the end I usually don't post in that thread. But I have to admit that I sometime posted without reading the full OP, specially when it's a looong one. Guilty :/
But I totally agree with you, in my opinion there should be some sort of common rule that you shouldn't post if you haven't read the whohle thing (same goes with replays and players asking advices). But this is internet and everybody do what he wants, GL admins
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I just voted "yes" and then I realised I didn't read this whole OP...
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In my experience, most people just don't enjoy reading. Don't know if it's just not appealing to them or if it's years of being forced to in school that makes them never want to do it again. I however, have always enjoyed reading and while there are times that I just skim a OP I will generally read the whole thing.
It is kinda funny when you think about it that so many people come to forums, don't read whats been posted before them and just respond (often exactly like 20 people before them). My question to those people is why should we read your post when you cant be bothered to read ours?
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it actually depends on the topic. i sometimes skip the op and read the posts lol
but if the OP is actually interesting enough, i dont mind the length, id read the whole thing
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too long, didn't read
User was temp banned for this post.
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If the OP is written in decent english and formatted properly, I'll read it. If it's not, I'll read the first few replies, see if the whole thing has potential judging from the reactions, and then read the OP.
*edit: This is reading only, obviously. I never reply to topics without having read the OP.
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Despite the longish OP I can't see how this is actually anything more than a poll... a poll on whether people read OP's or not -_-. I don't think this is thread-worthy.
On September 28 2011 19:33 Gnial wrote:
Unnecessarily long, semi-rambling OP's like this one actually serves to support those who vote no...
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Will we get banned if we vote 'no'?
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On September 28 2011 19:36 ShadeR wrote:
Before posting? yes.
Before voting in the poll? no.
What he said basicly.
In this case tho, when i opened the thread and saw the poll, I was urged to just vote "yes", but then I saw quite a few clicked no and was wondering if he wrote somewhere in the text "If you read the whole OP vote 'no' in the poll"...
But I always read the full OP if I intend on replying to something, and depending on the length of the topic, I iether read it all, or read the first 2 pages, and the last couple of pages to see if what I'm going to say is still relevant.
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Poll: How many pages do you read through before posting?6+ (48) 42% 2 (28) 24% 1 (16) 14% 3 (13) 11% 4 (8) 7% 5 (2) 2% 115 total votes Your vote: How many pages do you read through before posting? (Vote): 1
(Vote): 2
(Vote): 3
(Vote): 4
(Vote): 5
(Vote): 6+
I think a better question is how many pages do you read through before posting?
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On September 28 2011 17:37 CatNzHat wrote:
You're just being retarded, you don't get armor for lings vs marines, you get armor for lings vs tanks and blings vs tanks.. there comes a point in TvZ where if you're getting 1 shot by tanks, you're lings are gonna be pretty useless.
Pretty good example of what OP is talking about. It was in the thread about whether + 1 armor for marines first is better than +1 weapons.
The funny part was after he realized his mistake he blamed the OP for poor wording when he was the only one to get confused lol.
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I usually read through about three pages: the first, second, and last.
On the topic of this thread, i do most of the time because i don't post too often.
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Always. I've got almost 7k posts on some awful forum for some awful game. Probably the worst forum I've ever seen. I've met people there whose ability to type in English is worse than that of those who've learned it as a second or third language on that forum.
Hell, people in the Ideas and Suggestion board for that game would try to justify the developer in not adding crucial features like voice chat, in a game made for MP, where standing still to type will get you killed 90% of the time.
The reason I bring this place up is because of the amount of times I'd pump out 3-6 paragraphs for a thread, and have people respond to the first sentence and ignore every other part of the body. Hell, even with the thread for my goddamn clan, people try and apply without even reading enough to find the application or requirements.
Only a little less common, on this forum, is people going to the final page of the thread and reading the last 5-10 posts to participate in the conversation that has since been heavily derailed from the subject/OP, because the head administrator decided they'd be fine removing 12 mods and leaving 3.
Man, fuck that place. But back on topic and to the point, replying to a thread without reading the OP leads to flawed discussion. Almost like playing blind in a game of SC.
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For me, if I'm too lazy to read the whole OP, then I'm probably too lazy to reply anyway
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Remade the poll for you "sometime" hipsters.
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On September 28 2011 19:54 RogerX wrote:
Remade the poll for you "sometime" hipsters.
me me me!
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I got banned for not reading the OP once. Not many bans here either. 2 I think!?!?
Either way, ya I read them now
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Yeah I also think that pancakes are delicious.
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No way, I have ADD and I dont normally even fully read the post I am responding to :|
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i read the whole OP to see if you were doing the clever thing and saying "if you read this vote NO" so we could see how many people vote yes and then right after respond to the thread
i was sadly disappointed
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I read the whole italic'd part of your OP, but only half of the actual content because I was bored and could work out what you probably were going to say
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Remake the poll again and add an option for me- Yes and I think everyone else that voted yes is lying.
I'm very disappointed in the lack of easter eggs hidden in the OP.
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I read this one :D
Also, I generally only post in smaller threads because I don't wanna read the entire thread when it is 10+ pages, but don't want to repeat previous arguments or whatever. Don't know if anyone else does this :p
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On September 28 2011 19:51 oxley wrote:
I don't post I lurk.
No, you post. 28 times. Lurkers keep it in the pants no matter how bad they wanna take it out
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I skim through it, and if it is really well written, I make a mental note,and when I get on the train to work, I I read the whole op.Ex:sheths post on macro, the recent comparing players from all leagues, the comparison between bw and sc2 by an admin, were all quite nice and well written and enjoyable. But for most cases, nope.
And I almost never read the replies after page 2 or so, if anything important came up, normally the op updates his post, or an admin puts a note on top, so I dont read the pages in between.
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If I aim to post I generally try to read the whole post but at times I find myself skimming over the content quickly leading to me sometimes responding incorrectly or missing a point.
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i read the title and the poll does that count
i also voted too quite the bonus if i might add
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I always read the whole OP and useally re-read it if I'm going to post, Hell when someones asking something about a specific MU I read it 3-4 times so that I don't give the wrong info. I feel you should read it or don't post at all.
Giving misinformation or half assed information to a player looking for help or even just a discussion is just wrong, you are really hurting the player needing help more than you are helping.
Also to the poll above I read the first 1-2 pages useally, if I'm about to write a lengthy post I look through the entire thread to make sure its not been covered all ready. I mean it gets annoying talking about something explaining in detail and then looking back at the thread and there are 20 new posts of the exact same thing you explained to the guy but in 1-2 sentences. They add nothing new to the thread at all, It could be just me raging at fourm posters for being lazy about the threads they post in. But I feel most only do it to see a high post count beside their names.
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If the op is not worth reading then the thread definately isnt worth posting. For me its as simple as that. More often than not i also read the latest page of the thread to know where we are at.
Btw i liked your italic part on the op
Personally i absolutely hate it when people write something for nothings sake, i mean come on, who actually enjoyed or learned something from reading this shit i typed here? Woopdiedoo i got "posts stats".
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Agreed with what -Dustin- said.
Also, if I intend to post I always read every page (if <5 pages). If there are more than say 50 pages, I will read the first 2-3 and the last 2-3 to see how the dicussion evolved and if the questions have been answered or commented as I would.
In my opinion, people that just type without reading the OP and / or comments made by other people just think of themselves as the savior of mankind and probably also think of themselves as better than other people (because they think nobody else said what they want to say).
Imagine trying to debate with your friends whether to throw the body in the pool or go to the police. You tell them it's morally correct to go to the police. Then your friend says the same. Your other friends say the same. Your fourth friend talks about how bodies will stink after a few hours of time in the sun and your fifth friend is trying to call Pizza Hut.
This is what some threads feel like at times
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And the man from New Zealand began his post with a long block of text in italics that encouraged skimming for the sake of the eyes. It was a mildly funny ironic portrait of a poor poster making extensive use of metaphor and hyperbole. The post continued with what might have merited 3 sentences and a poll, and hardly a thread at all. This brought a new source of irony in a rambling long OP that can be rapidly understood in a skim--more evidence for why a brief look at the OP is sometimes warranted
I mean, what is "tl; dr?" Originally, a person's response to an overly long OP. Later, the phrase evolved into an addendum to the original post to quickly summarize the gist of what was said, for those that wouldn't spend the time reading the entire post.
Does the post have poor grammar and frequent misspellings? Is it several paragraphs in length or one uber-paragraph? Skim through to get the gist (Oh it's a poll with a funny paragraph in the front).
Is it a newcomer that is unfamiliar that help questions require replays to generate useful responses? Skim the 2 paragraphs of, "I thought he was doing that so I did this," and post desiring the replay.
Spoilered text that I'm not interested in? Skip it.
Am I interested in the topic, or have major disagreements with the OP's opening paragraph? Read the whole thing, word for word. Format a response. Typically proofread. Post.
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618 Posts
I read the op and reply to the op without reading later posts to see how the discussion has changed.
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yeah i was expecting some evil tricks inside the op to track down people not reading the op too. I sometimes don't read the whole op, basically when they start repeating or it goes into nonsense mode that just isn't true but they try to create data to proof it is. But generally i will add then that i didn't read the whole op. When it comes to to many pages, i read the first and the last 3+ ones. Often enough things are already stated out multiple times so i actually don't have to post.
I consider myself a spammer girly anyway.
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If it's a thread I'm interested enough to post in I'm sure as hell going to have read the OP. If the discussion is already lengthy I will skim through the responses and try to catch the beefy parts of the conversation happening, as well as reading the first 2-3 pages and last 2-3 pages before I even considering posting something. This just as a bare minimum.
I think that the last thing to survive me will probably whatever digital records I have and this is one of the few that I have any control over. I'd hate to leave the world nothing but some half-assed posts if I can help it. It's also just common courtesy to keep the verbal incontinence under control.
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I read the OP and read random posts at random pages in the thread to check for updates/changes in the discussion/already answered questions.
Half of the time someone already posted what I was gonna say, or the thread got horribly derailed. The other half I'm informing myself before making a stupid post. This time, however, my laptop is about to die at the library, so I took the liberty to merely skim the OP. I'm feel like such a REBEL!
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I sometimes read the whole Op before posting, if it is interesting (like eSports drama!)
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Any thread I post in I'll read at least the OP and the last 5-10 pages of discussion just because if I'm engaging in an online discussion it makes sense to actually know what the discussion is.
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I was hoping you had like a 30 page essay in the OP about this just for the irony.
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On September 28 2011 19:45 XXGeneration wrote:Poll: How many pages do you read through before posting?6+ (48) 42% 2 (28) 24% 1 (16) 14% 3 (13) 11% 4 (8) 7% 5 (2) 2% 115 total votes Your vote: How many pages do you read through before posting? (Vote): 1
(Vote): 2
(Vote): 3
(Vote): 4
(Vote): 5
(Vote): 6+
I think a better question is how many pages do you read through before posting?
u should make a poll on every page to see that 
also i dont always read the whole op for example this one that we have here
just vote in the poll read the first page and the last an then post something
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On September 28 2011 19:45 XXGeneration wrote:Poll: How many pages do you read through before posting?6+ (48) 42% 2 (28) 24% 1 (16) 14% 3 (13) 11% 4 (8) 7% 5 (2) 2% 115 total votes Your vote: How many pages do you read through before posting? (Vote): 1
(Vote): 2
(Vote): 3
(Vote): 4
(Vote): 5
(Vote): 6+
I think a better question is how many pages do you read through before posting?
2. The first and the last page. Usually anyway.
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Most of the time I read the first page, last page, post, then look through the 2nd last, 3rd last etc
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Yeah if the OP is poorly written I usually don't even bother to post, unless it's a sensitive topic
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I don't read the long winded ones. I'll check the graphs or polls or whatever. I might read a whole one if the OP can write a lick. It's rare though.
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After getting banned once for missing something in the OP ya i do
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Depends. If the subject is interesting then yes. If it's not, i might not read the OP completely or at all and thus usually wont post anything.
But usually i read it.
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I dont always post... But when I do... I get warned for not writing anything on topic
User was temp banned for this post.
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If I'm posting, I always read the whole op and mostly the first and the last replies, too get informed about current discussion in the thread etc. but sometimes it's kinda annoying to read the full op whether it be really long or not well written (for example useless stuff in it).
But if I'm not going to post, I'm just reading the most important things of it.
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On September 28 2011 19:45 XXGeneration wrote:Poll: How many pages do you read through before posting?6+ (48) 42% 2 (28) 24% 1 (16) 14% 3 (13) 11% 4 (8) 7% 5 (2) 2% 115 total votes Your vote: How many pages do you read through before posting? (Vote): 1
(Vote): 2
(Vote): 3
(Vote): 4
(Vote): 5
(Vote): 6+
I think a better question is how many pages do you read through before posting?
Liars. If that was the case we'd scarcely get past page 5 ever xD
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I do unless theres a poll and then I just vote.
+ Show Spoiler +Jk if i intend
to post 95% of the time I read the entire OP.
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I try to read the whole thread when I post and the last couple of years that has been very hard here on TL. I see a interesting thread and it has 16pages already. Usually I dont bother to post in that thread since I cant read up. When I joined and the first couple of years you could post in all interesting threads since they were not 3pages an hour.
Now I feel that a clear minority read more than first and last page and then repeats the same thing that has been said over and over.
Made a thread a while ago that I felt people kinda derailed the focus on so I even made a bold part in my OP but it did not help. I also tried to steer the conversation in my posts but very few people seemed to read them. More than half of the posts was just stating opinion on the issue and not really discussing anything.
Another time I gave good advice in a thread, advice that I gave years earlier and alot of pople agreed with me on. The op missunderstood my advice and called me out, I wrote a post about my reasoning and that was the last post in the thread, I assume the op didnt even read it.
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Depends on when I lose my interest, I lost my interest in this post after the first line.
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I always read the op though I sometimes regret it like this time.
When it comes to more serious topics like the Bulgarian riots thread etc I usually try to read the whole thread or as much as I can of it before I comment. This has become hard to do with the great influx of posts since the Beta.
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I read original posts and usually the last pages. Threads tend to derail hardcore, making the signal to noise ratio quite bad. TL gets bashed because of "harsh mods" but I for one could live with stricter topic enforcement. The latest example is when I wanted to check if there was any updates in the "Stephano's ladder run" thread only to wade through pages of discussion on whether Brat_ok is famous or not.
There's a chatty atmosphere here on TL and it puts me off sometimes. TL has potential to be a really good site with all the humble elitists around... but there's a few too many noisy kids who just want to show the internet how e-cool they are.
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it would be awesome if you added something in the text to let people who actually read the OP select as an answer.
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This poll would turn out so much better if, hidden somewhere in the OP, you told people to vote the opposite of what they really do.
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Is the topic interesting? Is it a relatively reasonable length in terms of words? Is it a quality poster? Then I read 100% of the OP. Otherwise I kinda just skim through it, get a general feel of the post and then post something. I still read like 80% of the post though.
A bad habit I know, but it's a habit I'm trying to fix. One of the few reasons I've been posting less and less lately.
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Sometimes. I usually just skim through the text. Just like I did with this one. ^__^
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I read the whole OP, If it doesn't interest me half way through, I simply don't post.
I read through 3-5 pages additionally
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On September 28 2011 19:31 RogerX wrote:
[i]Once upon a time, there was a forum member, just you like you. Except he was probably different, he obtained 1000 posts in less than a month
who cares about some guy who got a lot of posts?
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I usually don't post at all, but it depends. I always read the whole OP if I'm actually going to respond to it, else I'll look for a tl;dr version and get on my way.
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I feel that if I am going to post about something I want to know what I am posting about so I don't look like a complete idiot.
tl;dr 's are nice too though
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United States22883 Posts
I think this poll is a whole bunch of bullshit, just like the "what's your IQ" poll was.
What the average TLer is and what they hope they are are two completely different things.
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I usually skim read it, and then I try to help the discussion along.
The further the thread goes, the less it usually has to do about the OP, and more and more what's being discussed at the time.
Alot of long OPs tend to ramble on just for the sake of it.
On September 29 2011 00:57 Jibba wrote:
I think this poll is a whole bunch of bullshit, just like the "what's your IQ" poll was.
What the average TLer is and what they hope they are are two completely different things.
I dunno. I think that's the case in sensetive subjects, such as the infamous 'how big's your dick' etc, but when it comes to whether you read the OP.. I don't really think it's personal enough for you to force something to make you feel better.
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On September 28 2011 19:34 Ausfailia wrote:Actually, that kind of is an appropriate tl;dr. Also I was severely disappointed at the lack of surprise content hidden in the OP
Spoiler egg hunt anyone?
The only time I didn't read the OP in order to post is right now. But I ALWAYS read at least the first and last few points.+ Show Spoiler +The first poster > eveyrone
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TL;DR, stopped at Once
but seriously... if they're just walls of texts... hell no...
if it's like the TL reports n stuff with pictures, slimmer text blocks, and other stuff that makes reading easier on the eyes, then maybe
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On September 29 2011 00:15 Handuke wrote:
I read original posts and usually the last pages. Threads tend to derail hardcore, making the signal to noise ratio quite bad. TL gets bashed because of "harsh mods" but I for one could live with stricter topic enforcement. The latest example is when I wanted to check if there was any updates in the "Stephano's ladder run" thread only to wade through pages of discussion on whether Brat_ok is famous or not.
There's a chatty atmosphere here on TL and it puts me off sometimes. TL has potential to be a really good site with all the humble elitists around... but there's a few too many noisy kids who just want to show the internet how e-cool they are.
I agree with Handuke there. I'm all for discussing and arguing, but not for the sake of it. Also people tend to mix up "opinion" and "fact"; thus dozens inaccuracies and misstatements appear throughout the entire forum. People don't realize that a lot of people read this forum. Imagine a sc2 newbie who wants to learn about the game, goes to TL, and what does he see? a 20 page thread debating whether the stalker is bad or not, based on anecdotal evidence.
Anyway the thing that bothers me the most is when people think they are game designers and share their shitty suggestions no one cares about. Guess what? I don't give a fuck about your proposed changes to *insert unit name*. You think the ghost should cost 25% more gas, and his range should be reduced by 1? I don't fucking care, nobody does. Man you have no idea how much that screws up the discussions.
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On September 29 2011 00:57 Jibba wrote:
I think this poll is a whole bunch of bullshit, just like the "what's your IQ" poll was.
What the average TLer is and what they hope they are are two completely different things.
There's a bunch of people who could get mod notes based on the poll, though. So you can tell the mod team to watch out more for certain people!
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Depends... when it's a birthday thread: no! If it's something really interesting and well written without making a 120 page story out of it: yes!
What I really don't read and where my eyes just scan instead of reading is when there are X pages of a topic and I just want to post my opinion to the OP. This is probably what bugs me the most on TL. There is no way to constantly keep discussing because you lose track of the posts after 10 mins and god forbid you go to the toilet or take a nap because then you find yourself with 10 new pages to read and while you read them 10 new pages come up and you finally post but your post refers to the discussion about 10 pages ago because people kept posting while you posted! It's a doom loop.
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I always read the OP as well as every post made in a thread so far before posting in it, whether it's 1 page or 100. LR threads excluded.
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If I post in a thread I almost always read the OP + all pages unless there are 10+ then I might just read the 2-3 first pages and the 2-3 last pages. I have found myself reading through a 100 page discussion or so, without posting afterwards.
Edit: Oh and I almost always vote on any poll that's in the OP before reading.
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I personally skim over the OP and if I find it interesting I read it completely before I post a reply.
But as can be seen in my low post count I overthink a lot of the times and just let it be ^^
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Some OP's ramble on for far too long, encouraging me not to read it. I don't even know how I managed to get through yours.
Walls of text need pictures to be relevant, unless it's truly well written.
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Where is the "I vote yes but really i don't ever read it" answer?
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Yes I do. I generally don't post if it's an extremely long OP that I skim for important details.
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You'll never catch me though D:<
Yes, I read the OP, but sometimes you already get the gist of it within the first 4 sentences. Like yours? It's longer than it should to say something that's already been asked before, so I already know my answer.
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It really depends on the quality of the OP. Yours, for instance, has no useful content beyond its title. Reading the OP vs responding having only read the title has the same result.
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Sometimes yeah. But really if I don't find the thread interesting ( after reading first few lines ). I don't really reply.
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On September 28 2011 19:33 Gnial wrote:
Unnecessarily long, semi-rambling OP's like this one actually serves to support those who vote no...
This.
OP's generally don't cut to the chase and more often than not ramble, mainly because people who start topics are often times vain.
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I usually read the whole OP, as well as a few pages (or if it's really long then a few of the last pages) before I post. Though sometimes my posts aren't very long 
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Yes, I always read everything in the OP and also most of the pages in the thread so I don't post something stupid.
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I read the first paragraph usually if that doesn't interest me i will move on most of the time.
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On September 28 2011 23:53 Mentalizor wrote:
I dont always post... But when I do... I get warned for not writing anything on topic
User was temp banned for this post.
..Or banned lol
Anyways, yeah I always read the full OP, and usually the first page of comments, and the last 1-2 pages of comments as well. To be honest, im actually a little bit shocked that theres so many "Sometimes" people. Then again...
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Sometimes. (not in this case)
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Pretty much never. I also read at most 1 page before posting in a long thread. After being here for awhile it's pretty predictable how most people are going to respond, and skimming the OP is just a lot easier - I want to get to the conversation (e.g. replying) as fast as I can. No point in reading a rambling novella of an OP (as most are) or reading the long-dead conversations on the first page of a 12 page thread.
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I think it depends on the OP. Some of them seem redundant and take a long time to make a point, so I just scan through and try to understand the gist of it. Most of the time I do, because generally they interest me. I think collectively people are used to fast opinions, quick sound bites, and basically getting what they want *now*...so it can actually be hard to slow down sometimes.
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Seeker
Where dat snitch at?36999 Posts
On September 28 2011 19:36 valheru wrote:
Do I read the whole OP? No.
Do I read the whole OP if I intend to post? Yes, of course I do, why wouldn't I?
I generally don't make a post that addresses the whole OP but I still read the whole thing (sometimes misread)
EDIT: And sometimes I just comment on other posts but I still read the OP
This.
Often it is impossible to read every single OP out there. However, if you have the need to comment on it, then the logical thing to do would be to read the OP. For me, if I want to post without any misguided information, I'll read the entire OP no matter the length.
I think this should be one of the options as well...... Although it would be a ridiculously long title...
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On September 29 2011 03:36 Seeker wrote:Show nested quote +On September 28 2011 19:36 valheru wrote:
Do I read the whole OP? No.
Do I read the whole OP if I intend to post? Yes, of course I do, why wouldn't I?
I generally don't make a post that addresses the whole OP but I still read the whole thing (sometimes misread)
EDIT: And sometimes I just comment on other posts but I still read the OP This. Often it is impossible to read every single OP out there. However, if you have the need to comment on it, then the logical thing to do would be to read the OP. For me, if I want to post without any misguided information, I'll read the entire OP no matter the length. I think this should be one of the options as well...... Although it would be a ridiculously long title...
It would be "only if I'm going to post", doesn't have to be an essay about it. I would think that would be the case for most people, but reading some of the posts tells otherwise.
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If I intend to reply to the OP or a poster in the thread I always read the whole OP, to do otherwise seems foolish to me.
Often I tend to skim an OP and not read the whole thing before deciding if its of any interest to me, in those situations I never reply.
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I usually read the whole OP if I intend on posting or if the OP is interesting I will definitely read it. I don't always read the whole OP if there's a poll.
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If I am truly interested in the Topic like the Terran Help me thread ! Then I'll read all the pages, of course skimming comments that start with "im a bronze/silver/gold/plat/diamond/master" player then straight to end, while especially looking at interesting things.
If its a w./e topic that is 50 + pages then I forget about getting a post count for that topic and instead read the OP only. I'm also attracted to mod edits at the top, and begin reading right before "stop doing this past X page."
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I do unless there's really stupid intros or tangents like this one
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If I'm going to reply then I'll read the entire OP, and oftentimes the thread as well, if I'm just reading it for giggles or whatever I'll just skim it, but I guess that means Yes, since otherwise I'm not replying.
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Normally I do so, but I purposefully did not for the purpose of this thread.
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This reminds me of fifth grade when they tried to teach us to read all the directions before starting on homework or a quiz. So they gave us a quiz with a decent amount of directions at the start and in the directions it said to just write your name, ignore all the quiz questions and turn it over. Of course most people went through the whole quiz.
Too bad there wasn't a note hidden in the OP which said "don't answer the poll if you read this." I would have been interested in those results, see if anyone picked yes :p.
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I voted and posted this before I read anything
u mad?
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Yes, I do in fact read the whole OP most of the time, especially if I intend to reply to it. I am a supporter of netiquette, and I would hope that most of my fellow TL'ers are as well. But there seems to be a pervading air about threads on TL.net, and it obviously is not just localised to this site, but others as well. Too many users strive for the supposed 'online fame' by thinking they can achieve it by posting a lot. This leads to spamming, which is annoying as well.
I share the concerns of the OP, as I too have come across quite a number of posts which seem so irrelevant to the OP. In addition to that, one can only look to the times which some of those posts were posted and see that there could be no possible way that the user could have read AND responded to the OP in 2 min. This is such a common problem and something I think which should not be perpetuated by respectable TL'ers.
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All day, everyday, I read the whole OP.
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On September 28 2011 19:38 FecalFrown wrote:
too long, didn't read
User was temp banned for this post. What the hell... So voting no = ban in this thread or something?
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I only bother to read things that are well written. I don't mind length or bad grammar but as a random example anytime i see a "Conclusion" that's longer than the actual body of what they wrote I just glance over everything. I end up skipping a lot of things on tl.net as well as other websites since people don't understand that if you want to share your ideas its better to actually plan out what you want to write past proper spelling and decent-ok grammar
Also if anyone ever posts a single sentence and ends it with a period, I find it highly pretentious and I just ignore that post flat out
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Aside from the Starcraft content, I'd say TL is an average forum (at best) for having actual discussions. I doubt many people read entire OPs. Personally, if I didn't read the whole thing I won't post. Sometimes I even read a large part of the thread before posting, but there's so much noise on TL that that is often a huge waste of time.
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yes, almost all the time.
the only reason for me not to read the whole OP is, when I get either bored or pissed halfway through.
I don't read the whole thread, though. Well in fact, I barely post anymore:
- barely anyone reads the comments
- there are so damn many people here by now, that every comment you make disappears in the masses of pages and useless answers in no time.
so I actually just read, and in some rare cases (like this one... i finally get to complain about it^^) I post something.
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I will read up to a mininum of 75% of the content of the OP if I have taken a desire to post a reply in it
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On September 29 2011 04:19 Kamais_Ookin wrote:Show nested quote +On September 28 2011 19:38 FecalFrown wrote:
too long, didn't read
User was temp banned for this post. What the hell... So voting no = ban in this thread or something?
Just saying tl;dr has been bannable for awhile, though I usually see it as a warning. It's part of TL's war on non-contributing posts, though you can argue it's somewhat related in this thread.
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I'd like to see the relationship between time spent on teamliquid vs average % of OP's read. I think you'll find the more experienced posters just skim it, while the newbies read it all and every page before replying.
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On September 29 2011 04:25 cz wrote:Show nested quote +On September 29 2011 04:19 Kamais_Ookin wrote:On September 28 2011 19:38 FecalFrown wrote:
too long, didn't read
User was temp banned for this post. What the hell... So voting no = ban in this thread or something? Just saying tl;dr has been bannable for awhile, though I usually see it as a warning. It's part of TL's war on non-contributing posts, though you can argue it's somewhat related in this thread. That's what I was thinking, it's OK to warn or ban for TLDR 99% of the time but it was suitable for this specific thread imo.
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I try to be like the guy from the Dos Equis commercial (pretty obvious comparison):
"I don't usually post, but when I do, I try to make it a good one."
Which always includes reading the whole op and ~3 last pages of the thread if the replies are not too long, 1 page if they are.
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On September 28 2011 23:53 Mentalizor wrote:
I dont always post... But when I do... I get warned for not writing anything on topic
User was temp banned for this post.
LOL. The one upped temp ban to his attempt at warning martyrdom almost sent my coffee flying back at my screen.
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If it's as long as this OP i wont read it. Any extra links I wont read too
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On September 29 2011 06:48 Sokalo wrote:Show nested quote +On September 28 2011 23:53 Mentalizor wrote:
I dont always post... But when I do... I get warned for not writing anything on topic
User was temp banned for this post. LOL. The one upped temp ban to his attempt at warning martyrdom almost sent my coffee flying back at my screen.
Hahaha, that is a good one.
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I don't always read the entire OP before posting.
TBH what really happens is sometimes the thread title is interesting but the OP's post is long and boring. If a post grabs me in the first paragraph, I'll keep reading, but if it doesn't I'll kind of just skim over the rest and make a post.
OP posts should really be succinct and/or well written. This particular OP was long, rambling, and kind of boring. If I wasn't driven by guilt due to thread title I would definitely not have read the entire post.
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edit: nvm, joke was old.
On topic: Yeah, I actually read every OP before I post in a thread. What I don't (can't) do is read the entire thread before posting. Once it reaches more than 10 pages, I only skim it to see where the discussion has gone, which points have been adressed and then decide on posting or not posting to avoid redundancy.
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I tend to read way to much of the thread and end up not posting.
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I read most, the important stuff and skim the rest. Its good to have more knowledge for yourself.
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I bet people didn't even read this OP fully.
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I usually read the entire thread before posting. Such a waste of time... + Show Spoiler + BUT I CANT HELP IT AAAAAAAAAAH
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Depends on the subject and how interested I am in it.
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I usually read all the OP, but sometimes i read only half then post. I always read half though!
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id be lying if i said yes. There are some cases where i dont read before posting such as: being excited about the winner during their interview, misleading title, or something else i cant think of atm
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Of course I fully read obsolete poetry!
I also read posts 99% of the time. I just guessed on this one though.
If I read the post after I post does it count as reading the full post?
Oh and for those people that said "no." I understand if you want to guess, then post, then go back and read it fully. It's like a game of "Can I use the smallest piece of information to guess what happened or is being said?" Makes you feel like being a cop on one of those shows. I'm 3 for 3 I think. After this I might be 4 for 4.
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Just like any other post - admittedly not always, depends on how well it's written. Once I realize it's written in a style that will only waste my time, I'll just skim over the rest.
It's all about the information to length ratio. If you have something to say, just say it. Don't throw in a dozen analogies and other filler content to blow up a fairly simple point.
Here are some recent examples:
This is an example of OP I would generally not finish reading: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=268022
This is an example of a quality OP I will read 100% even with no intention to reply: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=269592
The content/topic of either don't matter, just the way it's written. The only relevant information in the former is in the title - the content is mostly incoherent string of random thoughts and analogies that ends in no real conclusion. The latter introduces relevant information in a direct and organized fashion.
PS. Also, I didn't read this thread's OP. You're asking a simple question about my own habits that's in the title, what other useful information could I possibly get out of the rest of the post?
In fact, because it's technically a survey and thus requires my own personal opinion on the topic, I didn't even read any other post except the ones on this page.
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I usually read the whole op but then read the last few pages and see what's being talked about and try to respond based upon what everyone is talking about now. Usually I can just figure out how the discussion evolved and don't need to read every page or if I have more time I'll skim the posts and pick out the posts and if something catches my eye then I'll read all of it.
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Do you lie on polls?
I want to see that poll.
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I always read the OP, and if the topic isn't too long (and sometimes even if it is) than I read the whole thread.
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Never read the whole OP. Then again, never read the whole anything.
This pertains to: news articles, textbooks, emails, everything
The only exception: I read the whole shampoo bottle when I'm taking a dump
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I don't unless it is short or medium length. Same goes for replies to the OP. Too many words and I just don't read it and find a new topic, sort of sad I know. I didn't even read your entire post
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yes, but if I, while reading the OP, find the subject un-interesting, I will stop reading halfway and leave the thread without any comment.
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i didnt read this one since its too long so ill just answer to the title. sometimes i dont post at all because midway through my posting i sense it will be just plain stupid and ignorant so i try to re-write then i just shift+home backspace and close browser. hence sometimes i post and sometimes i dont. i do read the op sometimes. Sometimes ill see a bit of info while reading the op because whether or not i post without reading the whole OP is dependant on the type of thread it is, if its a help thread and i see instantly something wrong in the thought process i go straight to posting. etc. etc.
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I do a quick scan first and if it looks like the poster put thought and effort into the post then I'll read the whole thing if it looks rushed or is just 1-2lines and a link then I won't bother.
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OP, what you should have done is added a 4th nonsensical option to poll which you would tell people to choose at a point close to the end of the OP.
Ironically I clicked yes for poll after only reading the title.
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I usually read the whole op then the first 2-3 pages of posts. Then I usually criticize the posts more than the actual OP
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Too long didn't read.
User was temp banned for this post.
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Huh?
Seriously though I generally read the whole thread get depressed by tl's perspective on the topic and close the thread a good portion of my life wasted. This is why I try to remember to minimize general. Today I have failed severely.
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I read the first sentences, so now I think this thread is about postcount.
having a high postcount is easy to achieve, just copy the link in my signature and paste it into your browser's address bar, then press enter.
You have now arrived in paradise.
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i read until i get something i want to post about, once i hit that I stop reading and post.
weak attention span?
yes...
stupid?
yes..
accidentally write about a completely different issue?
yes...
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OP should've included that "if you read the entire op, don't vote"
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On September 29 2011 00:57 Jibba wrote:
I think this poll is a whole bunch of bullshit, just like the "what's your IQ" poll was.
What the average TLer is and what they hope they are are two completely different things.
i pretty much completely agree with this. I often try to read whole OPs and articles etc before i post, but i don't really post a whole ton, so i just spend a lot of my work day just lurking online and checking out threads without actually contributing a whole ton.
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I usually do, but not this one.
Btw if u want to raise your "post count" just go to a LR thread and do live game report or w.e where you quote yourself and explain whats going on in the game, but about 99% of the people are not actually paying attention to what your saying. yea O_o
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This poll is completely inaccurate and inconclusive to say the very least... I often mind myself in situations of reading a thread then seeing the people below the OP post literally within 30 seconds of this nearly page long OP... which is ridiculous. I just don't see why people care so much about their post count, which I believe is the direct motivation of people not reading the OP. I see people with thousands of posts that consists of one liners, but there some exceptions, of posters who have many posts but the high majority of them are of good quality.
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On September 29 2011 09:48 seansye wrote:
I usually do, but not this one.
Btw if u want to raise your "post count" just go to a LR thread and do live game report or w.e where you quote yourself and explain whats going on in the game, but about 99% of the people are not actually paying attention to what your saying. yea O_o
First, live reporting actually takes up a lot of work and time away from just watching and enjoying games if done accurately and properly (which most people who LR do). I very much doubt someone would do all that work for the sole purpose of raising post count - but even if that is their motivation, it's fine by me since content of those posts is actually useful information.
Second, I imagine it's useful to a lot of people who can't watch the games during work or people who miss a game or part of it. I myself rely on reading LR posts for the majority of a GSL season. It might be worthless for 90%+ people, but it's worth a lot to the rest (unlike most other LR posts).
Out of all useless bullshit in LR threads, you pick the posts that actually contribute something. -_-
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I don't read posts that are too long for the title. This particular original post is two paragraphs too long for the question it asks. If it were me writing the post I would have something like 'I see a lot of low quality posts and people who get high post counts in short amounts of time, and I think they don't always read what they are addressing. What is your habit when it comes to posting in a thread?'
Poll containing better options comes here:
1) always read the whole thing
2) read the whole thing more often than not
3) read the whole thing a minority of the time
4) almost never
In this way I don't need a tl;dr because i didn't fluff up the post with useless garbage like you did. I tackled that whole italicized paragraph in a fraction of a sentence. Brevity over verbosity if you want people to read what you have to say. I didn't read your post because I scanned it and saw fluff and garbage.
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I think it isn't as important, reading the whole OP, as reading for comprehension. Anyone who reads all day will tell you that getting the gist of a whole article (or paper etc) can be accomplished by skimming a bit.
...But be damn sure you understand the OP before posting a 1 liner idiots!
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I always read the whole thing... But I disagree OP, I don't think bunker rushes are imbalanced
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On September 29 2011 09:56 Talin wrote:Show nested quote +On September 29 2011 09:48 seansye wrote:
I usually do, but not this one.
Btw if u want to raise your "post count" just go to a LR thread and do live game report or w.e where you quote yourself and explain whats going on in the game, but about 99% of the people are not actually paying attention to what your saying. yea O_o First, live reporting actually takes up a lot of work and time away from just watching and enjoying games if done accurately and properly (which most people who LR do). I very much doubt someone would do all that work for the sole purpose of raising post count - but even if that is their motivation, it's fine by me since content of those posts is actually useful information. Second, I imagine it's useful to a lot of people who can't watch the games during work or people who miss a game or part of it. I myself rely on reading LR posts for the majority of a GSL season. It might be worthless for 90%+ people, but it's worth a lot to the rest (unlike most other LR posts). Out of all useless bullshit in LR threads, you pick the posts that actually contribute something. -_-
LOLLLLLLLLL!!! you make really great points and yes their are a lot of bullshit in LR threads.
Sorry to all the LRers out there.
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Had to vote "Sometimes"
If it is more than two or three paragraphs I usually read the first half and skim the rest. If they post a tldr at the end then I usually just skim most of it because if they can sum it up in one sentence then the OP should probably have been shorter in the first place.
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For me it's more of a question of "can I get through the OP". If I can get through the entire OP and read it all, I might post. If not, I'll just stop and quit reading, but not post either.
(I got through yours, clearly ^.^)
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It really depends. If the topic interests me, I'll read even the longest of OPs and then read every page before posting.
If not... then yeah it sucks.
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the problem for me isn't the op. its all the pages of posts that are already there >.<
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Sometimes I will reply to posts without reading the OP, if its a long rambling one I'm not interested in, but someone makes a comment worth responding to. In 99% of cases where I post I will read the OP and usually the latest page of comments. Though sometimes I will skip parts if its a particular long OP, some people can write 5+ pages.
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depends on the author
length, topic, and how they compose themselves when writing. if i read 4 sentences and 2 of them are complete shit i may not read the entire thing.
yet if someone starts a thread properly I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and read it
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Not this one, no.
But yeah, I do read OPs. Especially when you're trying to make an argument against the OP...it's ridiculous to continue if you haven't even read the OP ><
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I clicked sometimes with great satisfaction in casting my vote.
I read all of yours.
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Canada11337 Posts
Yes. I can't think of a thread I haven't read the entire OP to post unless possibly it was a really detailed LR thread. Generally, I'll read the rest of the thread too time permitting. Exceptions being long established threads with hundreds of pages. There's other reasons to not read the entire thread- for instance a community outrage where the thread is creating faster then one can read, or else I've already gone through it at some point and it's just the periodic check in as people add to it.
But I can't imagine wanting to post in a thread where I couldn't be bothered to read the OP in full at the very least. If it truly is tldr, then I'll move on and not comment.
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More often then not if im browsing TL forums i am at work so i read everything and everything to kill as much of my work time as possible >
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I read the whole op, but not always the whole thread before responding.
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In this way I don't need a tl;dr because i didn't fluff up the post with useless garbage like you did. I tackled that whole italicized paragraph in a fraction of a sentence. Brevity over verbosity if you want people to read what you have to say. I didn't read your post because I scanned it and saw fluff and garbage.
Hear, freaking hear.
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I read the OP pretty much entirely but I can't find myself to read more than 1 or 2 pages unless I want to join the discussion very thoroughly.
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It has happened that I have replied to a thread without actually reading the whole OP, that said, most of the time it'll just make you post useless, stupid replies that doesn't really add anything. You probably shouldn't ever do that and it's really annoying to see how most of the people does not put any thought into their posts at all...
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Interesting OP... I do read the OP but one time I got warned and the mods stated that I should read the OP. But the thing was that I did read the OP but I had a question that could be answered in the OP. However the answer to my question was an one line sentence that barely covered the full extent of my question. The lessons learned, were that if I should post similar questions again I should add more text to the post and point out that I did read the OP but that the answer was not satisfying.
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I typically read the first 5-8 pages, the last page, And all the OP. If i dont read the whole OP i dont post. Basically, if the topic doesn't interest me, i wont read the whole thing and never post. If it does, ill read it all but dont always post. post count just is not that important to me compared to how long ive been active and a decent poster.
I do always enjoy seeing especially a mod OP, news report, or sometimes just long threads, and looking at the first posters comment/time of post. Then looking at the OP's creation time. Sometimes its scary how fast they responded, when it took me 7 min to read everything lol.
Wall of Text and Information, Title is - my history on TL. 12:00
First post - Thats an epic story, thanks for shareing~!! Yay go team, go esports. 12:01
Always makes me chuckle.
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I usually read the first couple sentences of the OP, if it's well written enough and interests me I'll read it. Most OPs aren't though so I don't usually read them, I don't usually post either though
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OPs, yes.
As for pages, it depends on the thread. If its a news post maybe 4 or 5, if any. Otherwise I'll read the whole thing or not post at all.
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If I'm posting I'll read the whole op, but lurking ftw
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I only read the OP if i am going to respond on 2 different forums:
TeamLiquid:
Obvious reasons, no point in responding by half assing it here
NeoGaf:
A must, it is easily the best gaming forum on the internet, because it is the most moderated one and getting in took me 6 months, so you damn well respect the topics.
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I consider it polite to say what you want to say using as few words as possible.
Sure, some quality use of English can make an otherwise dull post be interesting, but I find a lot of people who try this just end up rambling, using two full paragraphs to say what could be said in a single sentence.
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your Country52797 Posts
On September 28 2011 19:45 XXGeneration wrote:Poll: How many pages do you read through before posting?6+ (48) 42% 2 (28) 24% 1 (16) 14% 3 (13) 11% 4 (8) 7% 5 (2) 2% 115 total votes Your vote: How many pages do you read through before posting? (Vote): 1
(Vote): 2
(Vote): 3
(Vote): 4
(Vote): 5
(Vote): 6+
I think a better question is how many pages do you read through before posting?
This poll's results are highly unlikely.
And yes, I do read OPs.
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I definitely read the OP's if I'm going to post.
I also support the sentiment, as already somewhat expressed here, that more people need to read the damn thread! So many people come flying into threads with arguments that have already been deconstructed 5 times and they just look like idiots.
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On September 29 2011 07:05 Gnial wrote:Show nested quote +On September 29 2011 06:48 Sokalo wrote:On September 28 2011 23:53 Mentalizor wrote:
I dont always post... But when I do... I get warned for not writing anything on topic
User was temp banned for this post. LOL. The one upped temp ban to his attempt at warning martyrdom almost sent my coffee flying back at my screen. Hahaha, that is a good one.
Didn't see that one coming :s
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I didn't read anything, i just voted and posted.
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China13814 Posts
If I'm going to post in the thread, then I read the entire OP. Most threads I just skim ...
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It really depends on the OP lol if it's a girl blog I skim then leave generic advice. Rinse and repeat!
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all I need to know is
1. retarded story
2. another retarded story
3. a poll I can answer based on the title alone
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You should have told us in the OP to vote no or something like that to see how many pay attention . I'm sure this has been mentioned, but I don't feel like reading an entire thread about nothing.
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On October 07 2011 08:06 Endymion wrote:
It really depends on the OP lol if it's a girl blog I skim then leave generic advice. Rinse and repeat!
do people ever read the op's of girl blogs though?
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I always read all of the OP, but wasn't there this guy who got alot of posts in a short time by just reading title of posts?
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On September 28 2011 19:50 Nibbler89 wrote:
Pretty good example of what OP is talking about. It was in the thread about whether + 1 armor for marines first is better than +1 weapons.
The funny part was after he realized his mistake he blamed the OP for poor wording when he was the only one to get confused lol.
And if you had read my post in this thread, (or the OP I was responding to), you would realize that reading the OP can be depressing, and discourage people from responding
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TL:DR At least 10% of the TL population needs to go.
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I can usually read about 600 pages of a book in an hour without speed-reading, so I generally have time to read the OP, yes. However, what you suggest is that much of TL needs to be banned into outer space.
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I don't read it when it's junk, as it is in this case. When people actually bother to write something interesting/relevant or just coherent I'll gladly read it all.
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Wow shame on you guys for not reading the OP. I mean if you absolutely will not take the time to sift through a long OP then don't post. It's that simple. You people not reading OPs are probably one of the reasons why we have incidents of stupidity on these forums.
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EPT
