Shorter Posts, please

HoneyDew · Oct 5, 2005

I know this has been mentioned on and off throughout various threads but I wanted to again just ask that longer posts be segmented. Shorter posts are so much more easy to read and digest.

Thanks,
HD

smooze · Oct 5, 2005

I agree . I never read those long 1's i just smile and wave stupidly at the screen LOL

payattention · Oct 5, 2005

JonathanSDA living word said:
I agree . I never read those long 1's i just smile and wave stupidly at the screen LOL

At least, you smile.

woobadooba · Oct 6, 2005

Sometimes a long post is necessary to provide examples and illustrations to get a point across.

Believer-in-Christ · Oct 6, 2005

I often just read the big long ones and when I get to reply I've missed so much of it anyway.

payattention · Oct 6, 2005

woobadooba said:
sometimes a long post is necessary to provide examples and illustrations to get a point across

Just recall that this is a conversation, not a lecture circuit. Restrict the number of ideas you put in one post. Questions will do the rest.

HoneyDew · Oct 6, 2005

woobadooba said:
I don't mean to say this to be insulting, but sometimes a long post is necessary to provide examples and illustrations to get a point across because some people just don't have the intellectual capacity to take deep thoughts in small bites.

If you need to put a long posting for those of diminished intellectual capacity, then simply break that post up into shorter ones. There is a reason newspaper articles are simply worded with spaces and many paragraphs. Longer posts simply mean you have lost your intended audience.

heron · Oct 6, 2005

Ideas for Breaking up Long Posts

Indenting minimizes the back-and-forth eye flow.
Lots of paragraph breaks help.
Simpler fonts make it more readable...serif fonts speed the eye movement, even though they can appear cluttered online.
Lists organize information for faster understanding.
Headers for subject changes help organize visually
Colorizing changes in subject matter gives a visual cue

StormyOne · Oct 6, 2005

woobadooba said:
I don't mean to say this to be insulting, but sometimes a long post is necessary to provide examples and illustrations to get a point across because some people just don't have the intellectual capacity to take deep thoughts in small bites.

That doesn't make sense.... if a person cannot digest "deep" thoughts in small bites, a larger bite is not going to improve the ability to digest the thought, it will make it worse.... If the target audience doesn't have the capacity then K.I.S.S. or Keep It Simple Stupid..... its the easiest way..... IMO

payattention · Oct 6, 2005

I am yet to see the connection between intellectual superiority and long posts.

heron · Oct 6, 2005

I think they meant to say that to clarify a point or answer a question, a lot of examples and resources come to their mind, and they need the well-rounded presentation of all of them at once, or the post will not convey a balanced opinion.

(And then hey, what about those people with run-on sentences. :o ^)

woobadooba · Oct 6, 2005

heron said:
I think they meant to say that to clarify a point or answer a question, a lot of examples and resources come to their mind, and they need the well-rounded presentation of all of them at once, or the post will not convey a balanced opinion.

(And then hey, what about those people with run-on sentences. :o ^)

This is the point I was making. Obviously certain people in here have it out for me; and so they spend more time trying to refute everything I say than they do with trying to find out what I meant by saying it!

StormyOne · Oct 6, 2005

woobadooba said:
This is the point I was making. Obviously certain people in here have it out for me; and so they spend more time trying to refute everything I say than they do with trying to find out what I meant by saying it!

Perhaps Woobad, but I am not one of them... it didn't make sense to me that you would suggest if a person didn't understand a short post, that they would understand a longer one.... so that is the context of my question.... you can apologize later.... its not that deep...

tall73 · Oct 6, 2005

I like long posts (no surprise there). I don't mind reading in order to get someone's view but I hate to sit there for 3-10 posts to get the same information I could have in one. Especially if you just check in between other tasks, it is nice to have a lot to respond to rather than waiting for everyone to respond to one little point to further the conversation.

Moreover, there are times when posts deal with technical information on a theme, passage etc. and putting incomplete data is less than helpful.

My view is, if you don't like long posts, don't read them. That is fine. I make them a fair amount, but I figure if folks want to they will read, and if they don't they won't.

I especially feel that some posts NEED to be longer. when we are sharing what we believe on doctrines etc. with those who are unfamiliar with our faith, do they really want to read through 10 pages of what usually winds up being arguments over some specific? I think they are hoping for a grand view of our beliefs.

woobadooba · Oct 6, 2005

StormyOne said:
Perhaps Woobad, but I am not one of them... it didn't make sense to me that you would suggest if a person didn't understand a short post, that they would understand a longer one.... so that is the context of my question.... you can apologize later.... its not that deep...

I wasn't referring to you. There is one person that I was referring to you.

But to put my response in the context of yours, that is why I said that examples and illustrations are important. For, that will help them to better grasp what you are trying to say, even if it is deep.

I will give you an example of this if you care to take a look at it.

Go to the General Apologetics forum and look up the thread: Does God love everyone. And when you open it read post 48.

HoneyDew · Oct 6, 2005

@ Tall.
I do understand what you are saying, but it is not watering down the impact of your (generic) posts when I can see the breaks. If you have to put the same info out in 3 separate posts, one behind the other, that would be better for me and for others. That way, in responding, quoting won't be a hassle.
However, I get that each person has a preference, so it is up to each of us to read and respond as we see fit.

tall73 · Oct 6, 2005

HoneyDew said:
@ Tall.
I do understand what you are saying, but it is not watering down the impact of your (generic) posts when I can see the breaks. If you have to put the same info out in 3 separate posts, one behind the other, that would be better for me and for others. That way, in responding, quoting won't be a hassle.
However, I get that each person has a preference, so it is up to each of us to read and respond as we see fit.

On a related subject, on most boards I go to when you quote you get their initial quotes to. But here you don't. Any reason why that you know of?

And I can break it into individual ones, but in the boards I have been at previously that was considered rude. If it is not here, that is fine.

payattention · Oct 6, 2005

tall73 said:
On a related subject, on most boards I go to when you quote you get their initial quotes to. But here you don't. Any reason why that you know of?

I don't understand what you are referring to here.

payattention · Oct 6, 2005

woobadooba said:
Obviously certain people in here have it out for me;

I hope the people who have it out for Woobadooba read this and take it back in. Reminds me of the Motel 6 ad: "We'll keep the light on for you."

payattention · Oct 6, 2005

tall73 said:
I like long posts (no surprise there). I don't mind reading in order to get someone's view but I hate to sit there for 3-10 posts to get the same information I could have in one.

What gets tiresome is when, as so often is the case, the first point is supported my flawed reasoning which I then feel obligated to correct. The rest of the post is meaningless after that. Too many times we don't ensure that what we say actually conveys what we want to say. As a result even the illustrations become meaningless. I should be able to understand somebody's point of view even if I don't know what went into it. If I disagree then I will ask for clarification. That way everyone benefits. Personally, I want as many people as possible to read my posts, even those with only a passing interest.

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