Since I have this thing called a job that takes up an unreasonable amount of my time ( ), I can’t check each and every new post on the SDMB. So I have to pick and choose. What criteria do you go by? Here’s mine:
CLICK:
Title looks interesting;
or more rarely, WTF are they talking about?
NO CLICK:
Subject I don’t care about;
too generic, could be about almost anything;
mildly interesting but it’s getting too late at night;
Subject I might have wanted to say something about, but it’s up to five pages already, I don’t feel like wading through it all, and someone’s probably already said what I was going to.
MAYBE:
previously passed up thread that now has lots of replies;
You’ve pretty well nailed how I go about it. The curiosity factor is hard to define, but (as with this very thread) there are some that invite you in by way of their clever wording.
One other component you didn’t mention is the username of the person posting, along with the forum involved. Some are draws and others are “stay away.” Experience helps with that category.
And sometimes it’s 4 AM and you can’t get to sleep and a thread you’ve passed up 50 times before now looks interesting enough to open. Of course, usually it’s not.
These days, it’s almost exclusively determined by the identity of the OP. I usually (~75% of the time I’m at the boards) only come to MPSIMS and I only open threads about sports or by people I like or think are interesting. Every once in a while if I have some time I go to Cafe Society or GQ and open every thread. Sometimes I’ll go to the Pit and look for opportunities to be a dickhead. That’s about it for me lately.
If the starter of the thread has created interesting threads in the past, then I’ll most definitely open it, regardless of the title or the content. So the thread opener is almost as important as the content.
Other criteria include: number of posts (I prefer to post in threads with fewer posts); the presence of the letters TMI (pretty much ensures that i’ll open the thread); wacky titles; and how bored I am.
I only have one other type of thread to add to your list: locked threads. If I see that little padlock and if the name of the last poster is one of the mods, I just have to see why they closed the thread.
You said it before I had a chance to, libtanga. There is something that draws me to a locked thread. I also have to agree with green_bladder on the TMI threads.
I also read all the threads that have been recommended to me by my friends. withaK reads all everything in the pit and he lets me know what I am missing out on.
Threads I click on:
[ul]
[li]Threads with interesting-looking titles[/li][li]Most anything with a TMI warning[/li][li]Bathroom-related threads[/li][li]Locked threads (unless it was closed because of a hamster hiccup. i.e. duplicate thread)[/li][li]Most polls[/li][li]Pit threads that look like like they’ll be funny[/li][/ul]
Threads I don’t click:
[ul]
[li]Anything sports-related[/li][li]Most anything about politics[/li][li]Discussions about religion[/li][li]Threads asking for dating or relationship advice[/li][li]Just about anything having to do with significant others[/li][li]Cafe threads about specific TV shows, movies or bands in which I have no interest (exception: if the thread bashes a band, show, movie etc. I hate then I will click on it)[/li][/ul]
If the title looks like it’s a thread I can reply to I’ll click, if it looks like something interesting or informative I’ll click - if the thread turns out to be “boring” then I go back from whense I came, there are just too many darn threads on this board to keep up with them all …
Generally the title sucks me in, although if it’s a boldly sexual reference, I’ll pass.
Anything by Wang-Ka or Scylla I will open immediately.
I don’t like to click on multi-page threads unless I was in there from the get-go. Then I can skip what was posted and see what’s new. Although I did miss the epic LOTR Written by Someone Else thread. One of these days I’m going to find it and read it, but last I checked it was 20+ pages long.
I also click on locked threads just to see what the train wreck was.
So, when I post, I try to come up with an interesting title to get people in.
In general, i’ll click it if:
•The title is witty
•I totally agree with what the title says
•I totally disagree with what the title says
•There’s a flagrant refrence to sex
), I can’t check each and every new post on the SDMB. So I have to pick and choose. What criteria do you go by? Here’s mine: