Why do you start threads?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Well? Be honest with yourself here. Why do you do it? What’s your best reason?

  1. To be popular or to increase your popularity
  2. To learn something about a new subject
  3. To show everyone how much you know about a subject
  4. Because you’re sincerely interested in people’s responses
  5. To rant or complain
  6. Someone else’s thread sparked an idea for your own thread
  7. Something funny/interesting happened that you thought others would be interested in
  8. To pad your post count
  9. To flirt
  10. To honor another poster

I’m sure I’ve dabbled in most of them. I’m sure many of you have as well. What one, overall, is your primary reason for hitting that “Post New Thread” button and why?

To answer your question in advance: overall I’m really not sure. I’d hope that I could say it was because of one of the “better” choices up there. But being honest with myself, I really don’t know. For this particular thread, #4.

2

I’ll take a #2, with a side order of #4.

I don’t think I start that many. Lately I’ve been wading a little deeper into GD in an effort to sharpen my debating skills, but usually my threads get taken over by dueling lawyers.

Being the self-proclaimed BBQ Pit Virgin, I never[sup]*[/sup] rant about anything.

[sub]*almost[/sub]

3

Well, let me see.

Two threads were for surveys that I need to do for school (MPSIMS) (4?).

One was a McVeigh rant (Pit)(5).

One was a question about andros’s disappearing post count (ATMB)(2?).

One was when I found our Peter Pan wanna be in Stuff magazine (MPSIMS)(7).

One was to get help identifying ivory (GQ)(2).

And one to wish manhattan a happy birthday (MPSIMS)(10).

That’s all the threads I’ve ever started.

4

I’d have to say numbers 2,4,5,6 and 7.

I’ve been around for so long and I’ve got so many posts that starting or not starting a thread will have very little effect on my popularity (this is not to say that I think I’m popular. I don’t want to be hated, but don’t particularly care whether or not I’m popular.)

I don’t flirt. I don’t keep track of my post count. I don’t know enough about any subject to able to show off.

5

I’m blindingly stupid and uncool, so that ditches 1 and 3. (And to be honest 2. I’m lazy.)

Generally it’s to share. I like talking to walls. Really.

Sometimes that sharing wants people to answer back, most of the time its just to express.

I’m self centered like that.

6

One #2
One #6
One #11 (to take advantage of the Dopers creativity)

7

2, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

2 and 4 usually.

8

Well, I wasn’t gonna respond to this thread, but…

Medea’s Child, I have a hard time believing that you’re blindingly stupid or uncool, nevermind both. In fact, i think I’m going to have to disagree with you until you can prove me wrong.

Why do I start threads? I think it’s usually #2, to learn something.

Massive searches would tie up the board, so… I’ll say usually #2, with a lot of #4 (interest in other people’s opinions), and side orders of #7 (something funny/interesting happening). Although I think that I start a lot of #7 threads in my head and then never bother to post them because … [sub]I don’t want anybody to think my blindingly uncool, or stupid. But don’t tell her that![/sub]

9

StephenG, you’re absolutely right. She’s brilliant and cooler than any movie star. She just needs to stop being so hard on herself.

10

I haven’t started many theads, but the few I have were #2 and #10, with a #12 thrown in, a thread showing how pathetic I am.

11

This is interesting. I’m noticing a pattern here, small as the sample size is.

I’m not accusing anyone of the “bad” ones. Nor am I suggesting that anyone who’s already posted is lying. And while I don’t expect anyone to come in here and say “yes, I’ll admit it, I just want to be popular!” I just wanted people to be honest with themselves. I’ve done it on occasion and I find it hard to believe that others haven’t. Whether they care to admit it is something else entirely.

There are lots of things that motivate us to start threads, I’m sure. I just picked the first ten I could think of. Feel free to add more as two of you have done already.

12
  1. I’m bored.

Really. I haven’t started many threads. It’s just occasionally, when I have nothing better to do, I’ll write an OP on something that I find interesting.

13

14.) For attention.

That’s the only reason I start any threads or respond to anything. I need lots and lots of attention, even if it’s not positive, I need to be recognized and acknowledged. **HEY EVERYONE! LOOK AT ME! LOOOOOOOOK AT MEEEEEEEEE!

14

2 and 4. I rarely start threads, but post responses sometimes.

Just wait, though. My next thread is a guaranteed 12 pager on GD (and probably several pages in the pit as a result). :smiley:

15

Count me in with Dignan. It’s mostly a self-serving, desperate ploy for attention.

Sometimes it’s to rant, although deep down those are about attention, too.

Occasionally it’s to get more information about something I’m curious about.

I don’t start that many threads anymore. Which is not to say I’m not craving attention. I am. So feel free, anyone, to give me some.

16

Well, I’ve never started a thread, so Nyeh Nyeh Nyeh, i’m off the chart!

17

Me too. Not to moan about something this great and free besides, but the Boards have seemed really boring to me in the last 3-4 days. So, I had “archived” a couple of interesting topics in my head for just such an occasion, and they are now making the Boards a more interesting place, IMHO, of course.:wink:

18

I don’t start many threads, but when I do, it’s mainly for 2,3, and 4. My attempts at 1 just don’t work. (Won’t somebody love me?!) I usually post to existing threads, though.