Do you answer each response to a discussion you start?

I don't always respond back to every response to my discussions. But I would say I respond back to about 80% of them. There are some that after reading it, there is nothing really for me to say but "Thank you". In the guidelines is not to respond back to every post with thank you. So for those responses that "thank you" is all I can say, I just skip them.

I do, but not every single one. If someone replied with a one-liner I might skip over that if I have nothing to say. Otherwise, I always try to reply because it's what I would like done to me, anyway. And it shows appreciation over someone's time and thoughts...I always try to get back to those that got to me! =) Plus, it's not really a discussion when all you have is replies and not once a response to a reply.

It is just being polite. However, if a real discussion is going on - something that seldom happens, I've noticed - you could gain a few cents that way. I tend to answer most posts to discussions I start. I don't start many, preferring to answer others' discussions. I only have a few things to talk about, and I like DISCUSSIONS. Not post a topic, have a couple of answers, then that topic is done. If for no other reason than this, I usually answer posts to my topics. I have to admit I don't even glance at those asking about how my love life goes, or what I should do for someone else's.