# A successful thread **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 3, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-successful-thread/604940 "2011-12-03T13:36:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hilary\_Algar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilary_algar/32/4282_2.png) [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-successful-thread/604940/1 "2011-12-03T13:36:50Z")
For a thread where you are looking for a high response, what, IYHO, constitutes a successful thread regarding number of replies and/or views? ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-successful-thread/604940/2 "2011-12-03T15:11:17Z")
A thread where you get free stuff would be wildly popular. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-successful-thread/604940/3 "2011-12-03T16:15:46Z")
Since I have my posts-per-page set at 50 (the default, I believe) a thread of mine that’s still getting replies into the second page (post #51 and up) is one I consider successful. Views don’t count toward “success” in my book. The weird thing about polls is that they can be quite successful and not show up under “replies” at all! I have had a number of polls get over 20 votes without showing the first reply in the stats. For my own uses I consider a poll with over 20 votes to be successful, but if the topic is a more broad-ranged one (like your age maybe) then 20 is barely getting started. I must say, **Hilary Algar** , that you and I seem to have interest overlaps galore! 😉 You might look for threads I’ve started to see how many you would have started yourself. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-successful-thread/604940/4 "2011-12-03T16:27:32Z")
I have never started a thread with any intention of getting responses, so I couldn’t care less. If I ask a question and the next post answers it I am done. If it is a post that I think is interesting or amusing I may check in to see if there are good responses. Otherwise who cares? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-successful-thread/604940/5 "2011-12-03T17:12:20Z")
Damn. I was hoping no one would reply to this thread. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-successful-thread/604940/6 "2011-12-03T17:23:50Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I have never started a thread with any intention of getting responses, so I couldn’t care less. If I ask a question and the next post answers it I am done. If it is a post that I think is interesting or amusing I may check in to see if there are good responses. Otherwise who cares? That certainly may be true in **GQ** , but in **IMHO** , for example, it doesn’t make much sense. (Not that you’ll see this… 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Hilary\_Algar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilary_algar/32/4282_2.png) [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-successful-thread/604940/7 "2011-12-04T15:39:32Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I must say, **Hilary Algar** , that you and I seem to have interest overlaps galore! 😉 You might look for threads I’ve started to see how many you would have started yourself. Will do and nice to meet you here. Just another example of great minds thinking alike. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-successful-thread/604940/8 "2011-12-04T16:57:44Z")
> [@Hilary\_Algar](#): > > Will do and nice to meet you here. > > Just another example of great minds thinking alike. 🙂 Yes, it is. At least we can count on _one_ response to any new threads we may start. 🙂 I’ve looked over your “threads started by” list and we do have quite a few common interests and concerns. It might be a fun poll or Q&A thread for folks to indicate the general topics they’re most apt to get involved in discussions about (how’s that for some prepositions abuse?) like: Jokes Trivia Jazz Movies TV Shows Nostalgia Categories like that, plus as many general topics as we could come up with. Maybe a pre-poll sort of thing. Just an idea… ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-successful-thread/604940/9 "2011-12-04T19:31:58Z")
For threads I start, it’s when they’re filled with people telling me how utterly awesome the OP is and how wonderful I am, thereby giving my pathetically shaky ego the validation it so desperately requires. Or three pages…whichever. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-successful-thread/604940/10 "2011-12-05T11:53:32Z")
Maybe Zeldar can work out whp has the record for starting most threads with NIL responses. I think I have two which may carry the day. ---
**Author:** ![Hilary\_Algar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilary_algar/32/4282_2.png) [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-successful-thread/604940/11 "2011-12-05T12:11:22Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Maybe Zeldar can work out whp has the record for starting most threads with NIL responses. I think I have two which may carry the day. I have started one thread in the last week that received NIL responses–hope not to start too many more of those. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-successful-thread/604940/12 "2011-12-05T14:35:06Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Maybe Zeldar can work out whp has the record for starting most threads with NIL responses. I think I have two which may carry the day. As best I can tell, that sort of search must be done on a user-by-user basis. That means a minimum of two minutes per search. What might serve as an approximation of the truth of the issue would be for those individuals who feel they are in contention for that honor to do their own “vanity search” and post a list (with links if you’re a real geek on the topic) to whatever thread is attempting to find that distinction. I can recall at least four such threads in the past which didn’t go too far before the interest had waned. The most comprehensive (and hilarious, from my point of view) of those threads was recently closed due to zombie resurrection. I suspect that **ntucker** might answer the call and get us a fast answer IF we can define the criteria accurately. However, I will pass on taking on the whole project, thank you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-successful-thread/604940/13 "2011-12-08T12:41:34Z")
Another measure of a thread’s “success” that should be considered is when, in addition to some threshold number of posts being reached, you look at the “Who Posted?” stats and find that the OP is not the one with the most posts! That would signal that whatever was attractive about the Thread Title was appealing to more than just the OP. It’s most meaningful when the OP’s numbers are way down the list. I guess the maximum value for this type of measure is when the OP only posted once!