I think I throw away anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of my posts on here.
Usually what happens is, I see someone post something that makes me angry. Generally, this is because they express an opinion or support a position that I strongly disagree with.
I then craft a stunningly well-written, well-supported, and very aggressively-worded post correcting their flawed opinion. Then I preview it. By this point, I’ve calmed down a bit, and I think “Eh, it’s not really worth getting that worked up about.” So I scroll down and am about to start toning it down (removing the swearing and personal insults, mostly), when I look at the clock and decide that fifteen minutes is enough time wasted on this crap, so I close the window and get back to work.
I think I starting writing and post and change my mind two or three times a day, on average. I’ll either decide I have nothing to add, or the joke I was thinking of isn’t funny. I also used to try not to throw gasoline on any fires when it wasn’t necessary, but these days I’m rarely tempted to do that.
Sometimes I post mainly to pick a nit, then add actual content, and look back at the whole thing and decide it’s not really worth saying.
I composed a reply to this thread in my head, then discarded most of it when I typed. I wasn’t going to reply at all, mostly because I don’t think I’m saying very much, and especially because of the ironic appeal, but then I thought “Well, there certainly isn’t any ironic appeal at all if nobody knows that I scrapped my damn reply anyway, is there?”
I think I throw out two thirds or higher. Most of the ones I throw out are threads I intend to start, but didn’t fashion well, then I make a similar point in a another thread and say ‘to hell with it’.
I would say I discard about 80% of my posts. Either someone else has already made my point, I don’t feel my post was phrased very well, or I don’t feel I’m contributing anything worthwhile.
I’ve considered starting a few threads but decided against it after giving it more thought.
Exactly. Or I think of an incident that’s related, type it out, and look at it, only to realize it’s too long and/or I’ve actually gone too far off topic. So I hit the back button. This happens probably at least 1/4 of my post attempts.
I throw out the majority of my posts, probably 2/3 to 3/4. Generally it’s because I’m never quick enough to actually add anything valuable to a conversation.
I’d say I abort about 20 to 25% of my potential posts. Most of the time it’s because I don’t feel the post really adds any value to the thread. Most of these are of the “that would make a good sig line” or “BAND NAME!!11!1” variety.
I mostly don’t even get to the point of typing a reply, rather than start a reply and then trash it. Generally, if I’ve gone to the trouble to type a reply, it’s because I have something I want to say.
Most of my posts are destroyed, either I feel they bring nothing new or I’m too late and someone already covered what I wanted to say.
When I was a teen, I wouldn’t call people I didn’t know, felt tremendously shy and unsure on the phone, I realize now that it’s the same with message boards, I feel very unsure when it comes time to post, though I verbally participate in every thread I read (quite useless oh well)!
90% or more. Usually someone else has already said the same thing or I don’t think I have anything useful to contribute. Sometimes (in the more chatty threads mostly) it’s because I don’t think I fit in here very well and don’t think anyone wants to hear what I have to say. Sometimes I figure someone else will come along and say what I was going to say in a more eloquent manner and I don’t want to step on their toes. I may be a widget expert but sooner or later the board member everyone knows as the widget guy, the one everyone turns to for their question on widgets, is going to jump in and I’ll just end up looking like I’m trying to steal their thunder.