I agree with this statement: “that which is not forbidden is compulsory.” So if a person has a right to do something, they should defnitely always do it.
Hold up, wait. I don’t agree with that.
I get those confused.
I’m with MYRNALENE. If a post starts with "I haven’t read the whole thread but . . . ", I do not read it. Period.
If you can’t be bothered to read the entire thread, I can’t be bothered to read your post – especially since, as the OP notes, the chances your point has been made before are very, very good.
[sub]I read this whole thread before posting, too.[/sub]
Yeah, Hama doesn’t look like a loon, more like a goose.
Anyway, usually if I am going to respond to a thread without reading it, it’s because I read part of it up until the majority of posts have become an argument about a hijack, in which case I can read the first couple posts come to my conclusion and let them clarify and clarify until THEY understand what each other is saying. Otherwise I try to read the entire thread. Sometimes, very rarely I post not having read it.
To the OP: a good mathematical way to word it would be By the second page it gets to a 75% likelihood that your point has been made and increases by 1% for every two posts after that, being 100% by the third page. Always leave 1% for a margin of error however.
If you want to post your genius idea while you’re thinking of it, do what I do. I open up a second window and start typing in the “Your Reply:” window while I go through the thread.
Erek
ab-so-fucking-lutely.
I heard you the first eleven times. I even agreed with you. I only disagreed on one part, and I noted that in my previous post - the one you apparently chose to ignore.
But you insisted on using sarcasm as an argumentative tool, which IMO it never is.
Rather than simply discuss the issue, you decided to take the much-more-mature tack of posting in all-caps. I don’t know you, so I don’t know if you’re smarter than that, but I had assumed you were.
You also appear to have a bit of a problem with anyone disagreeing with you. Look, it’s okay to disagree. I’m even saying you’re right. So can the childish comments for once.
Maeglin, there’s one time where reading the entire thread might - might be okay (and notice I’ve backed off a lot from my original statement), and that is when the OP insults one person specifically. If that insulted person comes to the thread after 10 or 15 people have posted, do they really need to read each of the other posts before posting? Possibly not. It is possible they can respond to the OP, regardless of what the other 10-15 people have said.
“You also appear to have a bit of a problem with anyone disagreeing with you. Look, it’s okay to disagree. I’m even saying you’re right. So can the childish comments for once.”
“…for once?”
strains to resist
gives up
Bite me.
Nonono, I broke the “think twice, post once” rule by posting without thinking AT ALL. Sorry about that. However…
dantheman, you have implied that I:
- Am not as smart as you “thought”
- Can’t handle being disagreed with
- Am always making childish comments.
- Said that I am not posting coherent thoughts
- Lost control (before my most recent post, that is)
I don’t recall having called you any names, or having been anything but courteous toward you. I’m not sure why you feel the need to bolster your (now apparently nonexistant) argument with attacks on me as a person, rather than a poster, but I would appreciate it if you would please stop.
Sorry about the hijack, folks, but from this end it looks like dantheman is being a colossal jerk, and I’m sort of tired of my ideas being ignored in favor of criticisms of me.
Fine. Can we also agree to live by the Golden Rule of Posting: “Don’t Waste my Fucking Time and I Won’t Waste Yours.”?
Dan and Hama are violators of the Golden Rule because they have posted pointless attacks at each other that have nothing to do with the OP. BZZZZTTT!
Posters who are verbose also tend to be violators of this rule. Prune, people.
So the rest of the time you don’t read any of the thread? Do you even bother to read the OP, or just post something as soon as you read the title?
“Fine. Can we also agree to live by the Golden Rule of Posting: “Don’t Waste my Fucking Time and I Won’t Waste Yours.”?”
Okay. In my post, I apologized. So…what massive illumination of the OP did you offer in your post?
Or is this one of those things where you’re allowed to break the rule you cite if you break it by citing the rule?
I’m so confused.
I don’t recommend using fucking time to post, much less read, any message board. Non-fucking time, though, that’s fine.
I completely mistyped. My sincere apologies - I meant when not reading the entire thread would be okay. Boy, what a dumb error.
Hamadryad - Why don’t we just drop it? We just don’t agree.
“Hamadryad - Why don’t we just drop it? We just don’t agree.”
Well, if you want to drop it, the way to do that is to stop directing remarks at me. Easy enough…so go right ahead. However, you might note that you’ve actually AGREED with almost everything I’ve said. It took ages for you to ADMIT it…and that only having been rather rude about it…but that’s all right. And I’m big enough to admit that I’m small enough to include this bit just to be a pain in the ass.
“…you can begin your post with something like, “I just wanted to amplify some good previous points…” Even if you haven’t read any of the thread, and have no idea what points have been made, you can still be assured that yours have been already. And those that made them before you can look at your new post and think, “Hey, X really liked my points! I actually got noticed!” You’ve boosted someone’s self-esteem, even using what is technically a lie.”
I like this solution, even though it is pretty underhanded. If you start a post with “I haven’t read most of this thread…” it seems apparent from responses (including those from people who were just attempting to be clever) that your post will immediately be dismissed by most of the people you’d probably want to read it.
This solution (the quote’s from the OP…anyone remember the OP?) is reasonably elegant and allows people to be just as dismissive and self-important as they were before (“doofuses”), with the added bonus of actually having their posts read. Sounds like a win/win situation.
Yeah, like dont you hate it when a point was made on page 1 and some dope makes the same point again on page 4?