How important are other people's comments on threads to you?

[Concord 1,982]

Hello!

 

Another one of those rare times i'll be making a thread. Having searched the forums for a similar thread using the search option, I myself could not find one... So let's get to it!

 

Do you read other people's comments on various threads around the Forums? I'm writing this, because i feel many comments on threads, tend to be forgoten or never read. People tend to jump to the question, and quickly give their opinions, without hearing others. Do you actually post, because you just want to bump your post count a little, or does the topic and idea really interest you?

 

Just know, i understand that there are threads with hundreds or maybe thousands of posts, and nobody is going to read through all of them, but this is intended for threads with just a few posts, that have 2 pages at Max.

Edited March 17, 2013 by Concord

[Shiki 5,855]

I glance over them, but only to see if what I have to say has already been said, already. [/potential irony]

 

If it's some kind of debating thread, I'm probably not going in there, anyway, because it's typically about something that I think is stupid. If I were in a debating thread, though, and I have been before, of course, I would and do read/listen to what others have to say about the topic. This is both out of respect and out of drive to make myself more self-aware about the topic at hand, because I can only know so much about something when viewing it through my own (potentially biased) perspective. 

 

A good example, though, would be a few threads of mine in the feedback & suggestion forum. People have shared insight with me on certain things that I thought were good ideas, that completely butchered said idea altogether, thus changing my thoughts/opinion. 

 

So, to answer the question, yes, I do pay attention what others say in threads, and they are "important", but I do say that I rarely actually go back into threads after posting in them, myself. This is probably because, honestly, most posts on here are by people who are just agreeing with the majority without giving any more substance to the topic as a whole. Most posts will be about 200 characters in length, saying something that's already been said multiple times in said thread. There's no point in me going back to read that, and since it's rare to find people who make very nice posts, I don't gamble my time away by revisiting. 

[Moon Rat 4,772]

Well honestly, it depends on either the topic at hand or whatnot...

I do try to read through the replies just to get an idea of what others think but other times I just skim through...

 

Either way, it really doesn't shape my opinion of a certain topic. I try to reply with all honesty in how I feel about a certain subject.

[The Symphony of Discord 43]

I would only post to a topic if it did interest me... I would go to some form of a spam topic to raise my post count...

 

For example, right now. This topic caught my eye, and I decided to post in it. So I read the first post, then read through as much as I needed. Then I post.

Edited March 17, 2013 by The Symphony of Discord

[Zacharias 191]

I usually read them, but there are several things that might affect how much patience have with them. If I'm having a bad day, I'm likely to not read as much as I normally would. If the topic is interesting, and there are tons of pages, I usually read the last two, so I can learn what the hell is going on at the moment, and if there's anything I can say that hadn't been said before.

[Scootalove 10,689]

I really do pay attention to this. They are pretty important, if they are trying to prove a point and they back it up with whatever they have to say. So, I wouldn't really say much to this topic. The comments are pretty important, if you care.

[DoctorWhovian1902 596]

I'll post to bump up the count if the topic is interesting, so both.

 

I usually don't read other comments on a thread, unless they're on my own, in which case I'll read them all.

[An Old Head 4,816]

With the exception of massive 20-page topics and the like, I do try and read every other response to the thread I'm reading - it's both interesting to know about our fellow Bronies and just to check whether I'm not repeating someone. On some music threads, the Youtube links they post count as reading them, and I don't always do that - I normally just sample each link, staying to listen if it catches my fancy. But on the whole, rarely do I ignore a post.

Edited March 17, 2013 by Flipturn ツ

[Shanks 10,816]

Unless the thread in question has a massive amount of posts I will probably read most of the responses if the topic interests me enough depending on the thread.

[Mephala 2,633]

The entire point of a Forum is to discuss things. The entire thing is ruined if you're not participating by exploring other points of view and whatnot. If there are more than four pages I tend to stop reading (unless it's a topic I'm very interested in.)

[Betez 1,734]

Honestly, unless it's the OP, I won't usually read other comments until after I've posted my own. if I see something worth talking about on the first or second page, I'll quote them, and then add the quote to my original post.

[Lost 1,410]

I read every comment in my threads and often reply to them too, but only when I can think of a decent answer

 

Although, I don't Mae threads (or pets for that matter) as often as i did.

[silvadel 1,393]

Technically I think if the system saved the first two pages and the last two full pages of each thread, that would represent 98% of what is actually read at 50% of the space.

[Fhaolan 4,483]

I read through all the posts, and will usually continue to read posts after I've posted. Mainly because I'm interested in discussion. That's why I joined this forum in the first place, discussion. If  just wanted a news feed I wouldn't have bothered with the forum. And if I just wanted to splash my opinion around without paying attention to others, I'd have a blog-like-thing.

[Pony Of The Month 534]

It depends on the thread. There are some threads where there are some pretty interesting debates to read. Others consist of the same things being said by different people which aren't fun to read.

 

For example, Equestria Girls threads aren't fun to read because its nothing but people either hating on the concept, or telling other bronies to give it a chance. There's not much information so there's not a whole lot to talk about.

 

Alicorn Twilight threads are also starting to get boring.

 

Other threads are much funner. Like Season 4 speculation threads, and overanalyzation threads.

[Zygen 6,066]

I'll be honest that earlier on, alot of my incentive to posting was fueled by my wanting to get a post count, i was kinda addicted to it, but I've grown out of that, and I do infact post because I'm interested normally.

 

Now I don't really read many of the comments on most threads, but I do read the comments in some threads depending. if its a really long thread or something I probably won't look at it, just maybe the first page. and maybe the page with my comment on it.

 

If its my own thread though, then I make sure to read every comment, and reply to most.

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

Whether or not I read the points of others in threads is dependent on three things:

• How strongly I feel about the subject matter.
• If I feel that you need to be well-informed about the opinions of others to post in the thread. (When I post in non-Cloudsdale places, I tend to be very careful and selective about what I say)
• My mood. This one kind of effects everything the most.

For the first point, if I feel very strongly about the subject matter, I might read nearly through every post regardless of the thread's length, looking to see if anyone agrees with me. I go around brohoofing the posts I agree with if they do. If they do not, I have even more incentive to post as my opinion has not been said. And even if my opinion has been said, if it's not well-worded, I will try to say it in a way that is more intelligent and well-worded so as to get the point across. 

 

Secondly, there are certain threads that in their very nature require you to be informed about others' posts before you post. For these, I will nearly always carefully skim or check over the posts to ensure that what I have to say is relevant to the conversation. I don't like to make useless or unnecessary posts, and want to make sure my posts are worthy of putting up on the forums. Posts that I can personally feel comfortable about the quality and relevance. This is why I tend to not have as many posts as some others, as I can be very timid about getting my thoughts out and have high criteria for when I feel it is necessary to speak.

 

And number three? My mood. I think my mood is most important out of all of this. Sometimes, I feel like reading through long things just for the hell of it, out of boredom. I'm serious. I get that feeling. I just do it because I really have nothing better to do. Other times? I feel lazy, and just don't read much of the thread at all without taking a quick skim and look at the OP. Usually when I post anyway though, it's in a thread that doesn't need you to really read the responses, so it gives me no trouble if I don't read.

 

In general though, my reason to post is neither to increase my post count (if it was, I'd have WAY more posts than I do now), OR because the topic/question really interests me. (Just generally. Sometimes, a topic is one I am really passionate about) It's because I saw the topic, I thought about the things it posed for a moment, and then decided to post my opinions to express them. I post mostly to express myself, so people can know that I feel like this about such and such topic. As I have little avenue of doing such in the real world, or really, most other places. So a lot of what I post is actually the ultimate expression of myself, and true to my values.

[SCS 7,537]

It depends on what kind of mood I'm in, and what kind of topic I'm participating in. If I don't feel like typing a lot at a particular moment, I'll do way more lurking and reading of what other people have to say than actual posting. It's interesting to see what other people think, especially fellow bronies. If I'm in a mood to post a lot, then I'll usually quickly get to typing whatever I have to say to contribute to the topic, and then move on to another one, if I am replying to the topic in general. Or, sometimes I will reply to individual replies to a topic. 

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,467]

For me, it all depends one the topic and my mood. I will read other posts for the most part, but sometimes I may want to go ahead and give my opinion on the subject because I am a very opinionated person. In terms of my mood, it affects my motivation to read other posts and my overall interest in the topic itself. If my mood is not good, then I may just glance over the other posts and just get right to giving my input to the thread.

[~Chaotic Parsley~ 240]

Wha...Other people post on threads other than me? 

 

Ok, yes I read the majority of all comments. If the thread is like 100 pages long I'm not going to bother unless the thread makes me laugh (like that one about how MLP is satanic) 

[DokiNaku 31]

To keep myself from giving a biased opinion I will often read the initial post and skip straight into giving my reply. After doing so I will work my way through the first few pages to see if there is anything worth replying to before leaving the thread. Sometimes I'll check back in to find new developments. 

 

Over all I would say people's comments in threads are important to me because they are other's opinions and I always find it interesting to see all the different views people can take on one topic. 

[Lunas Husband 2,777]

All the time, I stop and see what others think about the topic and sometimes it makes me see things a bit differently. Some days I don't because I don't have the time.. or I just know its going to be a lot of negative things being said and don't feel like reading that..

 

I don't see how any pony couldn't stop a read some of the comments left by others.

[Cygnus 60]

I tend to skim for shorter posts that catch my eye, but skip over lengthy or incoherent ones. I think I'm in the online forum minority who likes to socialize the same way online as offline, with briefer and more interactive communication. If it's longer than a few paragraphs it won't hold my attention unless Stephen King is on the cover.

[Malinter 3,064]

I read and reply to most of them though sometimes its hard to stay on top of it all if it gets busy XD

[repsol rave 2,963]

it really depends on what kind of thread it is. if it is something like an art thread where there isn't a lot of room for discussion i don't really care about the number of posts, but more about the content of those posts.

but if it is a thread about the discussion of something, it would be a whole lot more interesting if people posted on it.

so i dunno. i guess it's semi important to me.