# What makes you click on a new thread (or not?)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 29, 2003, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525 "2003-09-29T18:49:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 15\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525/1 "2003-09-29T18:49:13Z")

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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;

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**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525/2 "2003-09-29T19:09:22Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![store-clerk-slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@store-clerk-slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/store-clerk-slacker)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525/3 "2003-09-29T19:09:34Z")

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I read alot of them, merely out of curiousity, but only resply to those that really compell me to respond…

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**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525/4 "2003-09-29T20:25:03Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![YellowTail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5ac83/32.png) [@YellowTail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YellowTail)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525/5 "2003-09-29T23:07:25Z")

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Don’t Click:

- blatant sexual reference (just used to get lots of responses)
- “Which ads annoy you/do you like?” Maybe I’m paranoid but I suspect someone’s getting some free “focus group” type feedback.

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**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525/6 "2003-09-30T00:53:10Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by YellowTail \*  
> \*\*Don’t Click:
> 
> - “Which ads annoy you/do you like?” Maybe I’m paranoid but I suspect someone’s getting some free “focus group” type feedback. \*\*

I’ll have to include that in my report. 😃 😃 😃

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**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525/7 "2003-09-30T03:41:22Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525/8 "2003-09-30T03:48:39Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![lilbtagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@lilbtagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilbtagna)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525/9 "2003-09-30T04:29:24Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![misstee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@misstee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misstee)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525/10 "2003-09-30T12:45:57Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by lilbtagna \*  
> \*\*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.

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**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525/11 "2003-09-30T12:51:54Z")

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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]

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**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525/12 "2003-09-30T20:37:02Z")

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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 …

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**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525/13 "2003-09-30T21:34:05Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![Stage\_Manager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stage_manager/32/7267_2.png) [@Stage\_Manager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stage_Manager)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525/14 "2003-09-30T21:38:46Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by ivylass \*  
> \*\*Generally the title _sucks_ me in, although if it’s a boldly sexual reference, I’ll pass. \*\*

:eek:

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**Author:** ![scotcho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@scotcho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotcho)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-you-click-on-a-new-thread-or-not/204525/15 "2003-09-30T21:48:33Z")

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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

Scotcho