# Do you read the OP before responding on SDMB, or just the thread title? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 11, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884 "2014-07-11T19:46:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/21 "2014-07-12T05:09:01Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > I read the original post and all of the responses before responding. It drives me batty when others don’t. This, This, This, This, ↑↑↑ ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/22 "2014-07-12T05:11:10Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > 90.57% polled so far say they always read the OP. 9.43% are telling the truth. This ↑↑ and the same goes for reading all previous posts. Special snowflakes all. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/23 "2014-07-12T05:21:44Z")
Always, always read the OP. And unless the thread is really long (and depending on the issue raised), I will scroll it for updates from the original poster to avoid posting something superfluous. It absolutely chaps my hide when someone responds with the disclaimer “I haven’t read all of the responses but…” Obviously not an issue on a straight up opinion poll type or frivolous post, but otherwise, gah. That’s like barging into an existing conversation in real life with no regard to what anyone else has been talking about. Just rude. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/24 "2014-07-12T05:53:32Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > I read the original post and all of the responses before responding. It drives me batty when others don’t. I certainly try to do this; may not succeed every single time. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/25 "2014-07-12T11:01:05Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > It absolutely chaps my hide when someone responds with the disclaimer “I haven’t read all of the responses but…” Obviously not an issue on a straight up opinion poll type or frivolous post, but otherwise, gah. That’s like barging into an existing conversation in real life with no regard to what anyone else has been talking about. Just rude. For me, depends on how long the thread has gotten. If it’s a one-pager\*, I agree with you. But if it’s ten pages of, say, dense legal reasoning featuring, say, Bricker, come on – as long as the poster made some effort to get the gist of things, this kind of disclaimer is perfectly reasonable, especially if it’s along the lines of “not sure if this has been mentioned yet\*\*, but…” \*yes, I’m aware you can set your posts per page \*\*yes, I’m aware that Ctrl-F is your friend ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/26 "2014-07-12T11:06:25Z")
…But at least I could have read the entire (short) post I was responding to! [irony smiley] Chiroptera in fact agreed that very long threads do not trigger his/her pet peeve. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/27 "2014-07-12T13:26:29Z")
I’ve noticed that the OP can state something like “…my daughter, who is eight.” A few replies later somebody asks “Is it a girl or a boy?” And then there’s the post “It would help if we knew how old she is.” ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/28 "2014-07-12T13:36:45Z")
I’m frequently sorry I clicked on the OP. (Though not this specific one.) ---
**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:** [July 12, 2014, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/29 "2014-07-12T14:00:21Z")
I usually contact the OP personally and, using my business analysis skills, try to establish an agreed upon user requirement for the question that they are asking. Then I answer it. Or not. As the case may be. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/30 "2014-07-12T14:16:51Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > I read the original post and all of the responses before responding. It drives me batty when others don’t. Agreed. Once or twice I’ll get messed up when it’s gone to a new page in a fast moving thread and Ihaven’t noticed, but that’s pretty rare. ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/31 "2014-07-12T14:28:07Z")
Since I’m the culprit (or one of them) in the other post, I’ll explain. I try to remember to read the entire OP. Sometimes, though, it contains references I’m unfamiliar with and at that moment I don’t feel like spending an hour trying to understand all of them. So I’ll go with the answer that came to me when I read the subject line. I also have a lot of distractions during my online time - **not an excuse** , but they sometimes affect my replies. At one point I even had a little sign “READ THE ENTIRE OP” taped on the top of my screen, but one of the distractions kept trying to pull it off. When I make an inappropriate post I berate myself, cry in the corner and paint a big L on my forehead. I love this place, and I hate letting people down by making stupid posts. I’m trying very hard to overcome my shameful behavior, or at least to find a fancy-sounding syndrome I can use to explain it. I promise to try harder. Seriously, I do. :o ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/32 "2014-07-12T15:24:59Z")
relevant article by NPR - [Why Doesn’t America Read Anymore?](http://www.npr.org/2014/04/01/297690717/why-doesnt-america-read-anymore) ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/33 "2014-07-12T15:36:50Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > 90.57% polled so far say they always read the OP. 9.43% are telling the truth. Well… that option includes “almost always” as a disclaimer. That allows quite a bit of wiggle room depending on your interpretation of what almost always means. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/34 "2014-07-12T15:53:59Z")
I always read the entire OP. I understand this posters statement. I once titled a post: Does the refrigerator light stay on when the door is closed? Then the post went on to ask, When you have multiple tabs open, are the tabs you aren’t viewing, running ( i,e have action, things moving)? I got one response that instructed me to put the phone on video, and place it in the refrigerator and close the door. A mod later changed the title. ---
**Author:** ![emcee2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emcee2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emcee2k)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/35 "2014-07-12T16:06:07Z")
I didn’t even realize this was a thing. If you can’t be bothered to even read the OP before you respond, stop using message boards. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/36 "2014-07-12T16:21:43Z")
> [@emcee2k](#): > > I didn’t even realize this was a thing. If you can’t be bothered to even read the OP before you respond, stop using message boards. You’re not reading the other posters replies, then. ---
**Author:** ![emcee2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emcee2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emcee2k)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/37 "2014-07-12T17:09:21Z")
> [@fisha](#): > > You’re not reading the other posters replies, then. If I’m going to reply to a thread, I read all the other posts first. Any time I’ve seen a bunch of posts that seem to miss details or just miss the whole point of the OP, I always just attributed to poor reading comprehension. It didn’t even occur to me that people would respond to something they hadn’t read. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/38 "2014-07-12T17:31:08Z")
One thing I try to do is to read the link in the OP, if there is one. And, as often happens in GD or The Pit, if it’s to an agenda-driven site, then I go to the source material. I can’t tell you how many times the OP either didn’t understand the article he linked to, or linked to an article that distorts the facts in order to push an agenda. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/39 "2014-07-12T18:27:38Z")
Not only do I not read the OP, I don’t bother with the thread title or forum name before responding. It’s amazing how well even non-generic responses work out. Sometimes I find myself responding to Dope memes when I’m on a completely different website, and still few people notice. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884/40 "2014-07-12T19:13:51Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > 90.57% polled so far say they always read the OP. 9.43% are telling the truth. I absolutely agree that people misrepresent themselves (i.e. “lie”) on the Internet. But it’s almost always to make themselves look good. This poll isn’t about claiming to do something virtuous or noble or badass or any of the other types of claims that people will fraudulently make about themselves online. Instead, it’s about doing something that would ward off public humiliation; claiming to do that thing (reading the OP) isn’t really a claim to be virtuous or noble, and it’s certainly not a claim of being badass. It’s really more a claim of wanting to avoid embarrassment. No glory there! So people may be telling the exact truth in this case. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-read-the-op-before-responding-on-sdmb-or-just-the-thread-title/692884.md?page=3)