# What is the number of pages at which you won't respond to a thread? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 5, 2008, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-number-of-pages-at-which-you-wont-respond-to-a-thread/471201 "2008-11-05T04:12:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-number-of-pages-at-which-you-wont-respond-to-a-thread/471201/1 "2008-11-05T04:12:02Z")
How long does a thread need to be before you won’t consider reading it because of the time it will take? For the purposes of this question, I mean the average thread, not the super-rare thread on an obscure topic that is your favorite thing in the world. Honestly, after 2 pages I pretty much won’t bother reading and responding to a thread unless it unusually interests me. So is it 2, 3, 4, or more pages? Or is there really no pattern at all to your thread selection? Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-number-of-pages-at-which-you-wont-respond-to-a-thread/471201/2 "2008-11-05T05:49:27Z")
When a thread goes beyond two pages, it looks pretty intimidating. So, 3+ pages. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-number-of-pages-at-which-you-wont-respond-to-a-thread/471201/3 "2008-11-05T05:53:36Z")
15 to 20 + replies and I feel all points have been covered. I’m leery at that point. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-number-of-pages-at-which-you-wont-respond-to-a-thread/471201/4 "2008-11-05T06:15:37Z")
Very unlikely I will read a whole thread and respond if it gets to 3 pages before I see it. Almost unheard of if it gets to 4. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-number-of-pages-at-which-you-wont-respond-to-a-thread/471201/5 "2008-11-05T06:53:46Z")
Usually 3 or 4 is my limit. I’m currently stymied by the 19 pager Re: the election, but I’m sure I’ll at least glance at it tomorrow. It’s a shame, because, although I’m totally jazzed and all, I don’t know that I can actually plow through that many pages! ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-number-of-pages-at-which-you-wont-respond-to-a-thread/471201/6 "2008-11-05T15:14:21Z")
By page four or so, it’s pretty much going to be the same 5-10 people who were the most active in the opening pages posting until the thread dies. If I’m not one of those people, I generally don’t butt in. Odds are that, by that point, whatever I’d have had to say has either been said, or would be ignored by the remaining participants in favor of their already-determined battles. ---
**Author:** ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-number-of-pages-at-which-you-wont-respond-to-a-thread/471201/7 "2008-11-05T15:18:32Z")
If the thread is really interesting I might give a 2-page thread a look, but in general I stick to threads that haven’t filled the first page up yet. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-number-of-pages-at-which-you-wont-respond-to-a-thread/471201/8 "2008-11-05T15:20:03Z")
no limit ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-number-of-pages-at-which-you-wont-respond-to-a-thread/471201/9 "2008-11-05T23:22:19Z")
No limit for me either. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-number-of-pages-at-which-you-wont-respond-to-a-thread/471201/10 "2008-11-06T01:01:08Z")
Usually by 2 pages the important points have been made. It would be almost unheard of for me to have anything more to add, except if the thread is a poll. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-number-of-pages-at-which-you-wont-respond-to-a-thread/471201/11 "2008-11-06T11:08:41Z")
I don’t have a number. If a factual question has been answered, I see no reason to respond (usually.) If a poll is “what should I do…” I won’t respond after the answers start to pile up. But I don’t have any set rule. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-number-of-pages-at-which-you-wont-respond-to-a-thread/471201/12 "2008-11-06T11:11:03Z")
If it’s over 3-4 pages, I’ll generally skip to the last page to see if I can pick up the conversation at that point; if I can’t I usually give it up as not worth the effort. ---
**Author:** ![EpicNonsense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-number-of-pages-at-which-you-wont-respond-to-a-thread/471201/13 "2008-11-06T11:35:31Z")
Does not matter. If it’s a factual question that has been answered I will not post, unless I am adding some humor or something irrelevant. If the thread is about personal opinions or creativity then the thread may go on forever or until people get bored of it. In that case I may continue to read/post until I don’t see the thread anymore. In similarity to your question, the only thing that stops me from posting in a thread is that it goes to page 2. I only read/respond to threads on page 1. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-number-of-pages-at-which-you-wont-respond-to-a-thread/471201/14 "2008-11-06T12:38:50Z")
Depends on the thread. I 'll often bookmark some Cafe Society threads if they have interesting movie or book suggestions. That way, I can add the movies to my Netflix queue when I have time or see if the library has some of the books in their catalog. Polls with a yes or no answer, I won’t read if they’ve gotten beyond a page or two. If it is a GD thread and I haven’t been involved from the beginning, I generally won’t post to them although I may read it if it is an interesting topic and hasn’t been done to death.