Do you think before you reply?

Ok, honesty time everyone.

I am new to this board. I really enjoy coming here, and have met quite a few people who I have a common interest with, so it has been a good time for me. I read just about every thread I believe has some sort of relevance.
Quite often somone will post a funny movie, picture, list of quotes, etc. After this post, there will be 10 replies of

awesome

ROFLMAO

and the assorted smiley combinations.

Have you ever gotten into that "quick reply" box and started typing, only to stop and question the relevance of your reply? Don't you feel just a little guilty for posting only a smiley?

I try to limit my posts in length to a point, but if I reply I try and add at least two or three complete sentences. If I can't come up with a full though on a subject, I don't feel worthy to reply.

I think there are a lot of people on this board with tremendously high post counts who if you go back, half are just smiley's. To get 13,000 posts with a rational thought in each one would be much more interesting to read, and definitely a greater accomplishment. And it would probably draw new interest and ideas to the board.

Just my :2cents:

Sorry.

I think he just owned kicker without kicker being present....

Every reply of mine is preceeded by some thought. If my reaction to what was posted was actual laughter, I feel the emoticons can accurately represent that reaction and others. :)

all posts my is worthwhile good:)

:confused:



















Just kidding :icon16: There are a few where I have just tossed a smilie out. But that was not for getting post #'s :screwy: & :werd: That would only be because the responce would not be worth the time.

You can't always judge a book by it's cover though. I know there are some members that are on here for hours a day, every day, a high post count does not always mean a postwhore. Look at naki, jay, p-man, and yogs, all over 10,000 posts and I consider them all to have meaningful posts. Sometimes there are those threads where you can't do much more than laugh. People don't always want to hear your version of a joke or whatever. I'll admit though, there's probably a LOT of posts of mine that display a -10 IQ, but oh well, you win some, you lose some. :D

As another newbie, I would agree with this comment to a certain extent. Some folks have high counts and always provide intellegent commentary.
It can be a little annoying to wade theough 25 smiley faces in order to arrive at a thoughtful comment, but that is the nature of these publically accessible forums.
We are fortunate to have such freedom of communication available to us and if some people choose to be frivilous with the opportunity, well that is their right and privelege to do so.

Generally though, I am consistently impressed at the thoughtfulness, knowledge and sophistication of just about all of the threads I read.

Most of the time, I think before I reply.

"If you think...youre dead".

Where's the Top Gun quoting Mod when you need him....

I think about how to insult someone without getting banned. :biggrin:

I think about how to insult someone without getting banned. :biggrin:

Sometimes you need to spend more time thinking about it ;)

Most of my posts are thought over, they are also mostly proof read for some reason :screwy:

what is this "think" you speak of :wink: pffffffbbbtttt, who does that?

I have some dumb posts sometimes, but that is cause I am on here way too much. I see something and I respond.

I think about how to insult someone without getting banned. :biggrin:
you too? :cwm27:

What?

"If you think...youre dead".

Where's the Top Gun quoting Mod when you need him....

I am not a mod.

I do however quote Top Gun like some quote Shakespear.

I sometimes think, more now than when I originally registered.

i don't have to think...i drive a honda...:biggrin:

j/k...if i'm helping someone out, i'll put thought into a post, but if its a really light-hearted thread then sometimes i'll jus post up my emotion w/ a few words...

Meh, not a lot in OT lets me contribute anything of great value, but I try my best to put something useful in, it's easier on the car forums of this Automotive board :)

as a lot of ppl have said before i came to read this...some things are simply stated as a smile or a lol or like 2 words. I try to put thought into my posts but then again.....I am blonde and a lot of the stuff I say probably doesnt make sense. But, see when it comes out of my head it makes sense...so i guess what I'm trying to say is that not everyone posts a smiley for a post count...there are many in here who put thought and use their intelligence into their posts.....I think that is all for now

The vast majority of the time I do think before I post. But everyone thought before posting in this thread. That's for sure. Maybe even a first.

Quite often somone will post a funny movie, picture, list of quotes, etc. After this post, there will be 10 replies of

awesome

ROFLMAO

Im often guilty of that but i see it as simply saying "thanks, nice one" to someone who's taken the trouble to posting something funny and in doing so making me smile at work. Good enough for ya? :)

if im really feeling creative ill let my cat walk on the keyboard while im typing

I usually just respond to it, if it needs a paragraph I reply with one, if it only needs a few words and a smiley, I give it that. The only time I'd say I think is when trying to say something without offending anyone, or having them misunderstand me.

Sometimes it's hard to reply with a intelligant comment, when the poster is posting a unreadable question.

cheeseburger , no pickles




edit: aww, shit, this thread is actually serious. :redface:

Meh, I think you'll find that I repeat myself a lot. A lot. A whole lot. I repeat myself a lot. Repeat, that's what I do. And I do it a lot.

Being one of the more senior members, I just remember more of the content that's already been posted, so when questions get repeated, I'm often content to post links to threads with similar discussions. Or to post links to off-site references. Or, in some case, a link to Google and a ":rolleyes:."

I think a significant protion of my last 5,000 posts would be some form of the above.

Also, my typing sucks, so I'm always editing posts...

I think about every reply I post; some replies get more thought than others but they all get some sort of thought.

Have you ever gotten into that "quick reply" box and started typing, only to stop and question the relevance of your reply? Don't you feel just a little guilty for posting only a smiley?
I try not to do it too often but sometimes a smiley is all that is needed to convey the message of what you are wanting to say.

In most cases, a reply is the result of some thought and contemplation of the previous posts. I have come to expect and believe that this doesn't have to be everyone's approach.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I notice that most of the people who actually took the time to reply to the question actually DID think about their response. Also, the people who replied tended to be relatively senior member of the Forum who have a stake in keeping the content here fresh enough people will continue to come back.
This wasn't at any time inteded to be a dig on anyone, I just get tired of seeing 8 posts with consecutive smileys. The posts that reply to funny videos and jokes probably only rate a smiley as a reply, but some of the serious topics and questions will get smileys or "repost" or "werd".
Thanks again for the answers. I stand corrected to a degree....

Also, the people who replied tended to be relatively senior member of the Forum who have a stake in keeping the content here fresh enough people will continue to come back.


Who me, kimosabe?

Have you ever gotten into that "quick reply" box and started typing, only to stop and question the relevance of your reply? Don't you feel just a little guilty for posting only a smiley?

Have you ever stopped to think and then forgot to start again?

Wow, I read the first post of this thread and thought "my god... he's right!" I agree, I feel that if something is worth replying to then the reply might as well be well thought out and worth something also.