It's always a good idea to actually READ the post before you comment
By Boingboing
@boiboing (13153)
Northampton, England
December 15, 2015 3:40am CST
This should come as no big news to anybody but I was pretty surprised (and amused) to get a couple of comments on a recent post that clearly established that their writers had not read the post. Or if I'm to be charitable, maybe they read every word but didn't actually understand.
Many members have done little 'trick' posts to test whether people read. They start with a paragraph about one topic and then switch direction completely. I didn't do that. My post was not intended as a trick at all. It was simply about the overly friendly cats in the Moroccan town of Essaouira and their tendency to separate the unwary traveller from their food whilst offering only a furry cuddle or a sweet face in return. Inspired by the alliterative titles of my good friend @MALUSE , I named the post 'Multiple Muggings in Morocco'.
I didn't hide that it was about cats. I didn't try to lead people astray. The very first sentence referred to restaurants and it should have soon been clear that nobody held a gun to my head or a knife to my belly.
So my advice to anyone who is tempted to skim read or to only read the title before leaving a comment is very simple. Please don't. You just make yourself look like an ass.
If a post is too long - and honestly, I don't think that one was any longer than most, and you can't be bothered to read it, then don't. Nobody is counting. You can even get away with a 'like' and nobody will know you didn't read. But if your comment relates only to the title and not to the content, you will most likely get caught out.
Hopefully my title this time is clear enough to all. Hopefully people won't be too intimidated to comment.
EDITED TO ADD - the irrelevant comments have gone. I don't know if the authors removed them or if the Admin zapped them, but they have indeed disappeared.
23 people like this
20 responses
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
15 Dec 15
Well, of course, it does happen everywhere. There are always those who only read the title and leave a response without going any further. Sometimes it can be hilarious. More often it's just boring. I have been known to delete irrelevant comments but not very often - I am somewhat charitable.
Personally, I like to read not only the discussion but most of the responses and comments, too. It's not much use entering a conversation without knowing which way it's going and what others have said!
6 people like this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104628)
• United States
15 Dec 15
Not to mention @owlwings, going off of your first comment here, how would you know WHAT to reply.
5 people like this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
15 Dec 15
that kind of thing amuses me actually.
5 people like this
@rebelann (112977)
• El Paso, Texas
16 Dec 15
Those are the ones we can turn into profitable threads right @Jessicalynnt ?
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
16 Dec 15
@rebelann it really does, some of the most odd things
2 people like this
@Bluedoll (16773)
• Canada
16 Dec 15
Nice kitty, nice kitty.
oh, i know what you mean and certainly it can be annoying. I don't really know what to say. Seriously I'm unsure. I know I've even written a couple of posts slightly longer than yours and put in a starting paragraph with a question about what the post is about. I figure if someone wants to read the title or the opening and not the rest that's up to them. I guess I compare it to someone dropping by but instead of listening and having a chat they help them self to a cup of java, say nice place and then take off eh. Well that isn't very fulfilling but what the heck it is obvious they are playing some game trying to get some money and not really reading and discussing what I wrote. Okay, as long as they aren't rude I guess. On the other hand, it can be annoying if you get a bunch of comments that really are only like auto-responses. I guess we could just ignore it. Like I said I'm not sure about this. What was this post about again? Oh right cats. How are you with dogs?
4 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137602)
• United States
16 Dec 15
@boiboing The best part about one of @Bluedoll 's comments is trying to figure out not just where she is going with the comment, but which direction she was coming from and the speed she was going when the comment occurred to her!
I usually end up falling into one of her little "traps" before we get all the way done with what we each want to talk about on her threads!
I love talking with her!
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137602)
• United States
21 Dec 15
@Drosophila Wendy, using your vectors and the known speed of the Earth around the sun, Blue and I should collide tonight right over Denver, Colorado! If we are both able to walk, we can hitch a ride out to my summer house in Fair Play, Colorado, too.
That would be okay, don't you think, @Bluedoll ?
2 people like this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104628)
• United States
15 Dec 15
I used to do the trick titles. I haven't in along while, and not on this newest version of mylot at all. I've noticed a few users here who seem to only read the title or the first few sentences. I had someone comment on a discussion of mine with a question I had answered in the second sentence of my post.
It's irritating when people do not read thoroughly but even more so when all they read is the title. The things you post are clear enough to understand and very easy flowing to read. I am not sure why so many are misunderstanding, or simply not bothering to read.
4 people like this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104628)
• United States
16 Dec 15
@WorDazza I have actually head of the reverse dolly technique though I can't recall what all I learned about it off hand. I've also come across my fair share of tricky titles, often in the mystery or suspense genres.
3 people like this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
15 Dec 15
I think this is more common then most realize. Some of the comments are so obvious that the discussions were not read that it makes you chuckle. It's part of life, I have bigger fish to fry.
4 people like this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
15 Dec 15
@boiboing I just read a comment on one of my discussions that had totally nothing to do with what it was about. I laughed....
5 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
15 Dec 15
This is why I don't comment back to every comment on my discussions. They earn when I comment back to them, and if their comment isn't really worth earning from then I won't be the one to help them along!
2 people like this
@LovingMyBabies (85288)
• Valdosta, Georgia
15 Dec 15
I wrote a discussion and got a comment that made absolutely no sense whatsoever. The discussion was not long at all (I don't usually write long discussions) and still they read nothing about what I wrote it seems. Weird and annoying.
3 people like this
@Gina145 (3949)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
15 Dec 15
I wrote something similar at Bubblews a long time ago, but I think we're fighting a losing battle. I've encountered similar things on forums where people are asking for advice. Just this week I read a short post on a bonsai forum where somebody asked for advice about a little tree he'd said he got in July. However in the photo the tree was labelled '2004', and the first comment he got wanted to know whether he'd really had the tree for eleven years. I didn't want to start a fight over it, but really - how stupid can you get?
4 people like this
@WorDazza (15830)
• Manchester, England
16 Dec 15
Indeed! You are well aware of my amusement that some of my obviously farcical and completely fictional posts are met with comments indicating the reader has taken everything at face value even when the post is tagged with the word 'fiction'.
Hey ho!!!!
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137602)
• United States
16 Dec 15
LOL! Sorry that happened on your discussion, Boiboing!
So far, I haven't had that happen on any of my posts, but I am sure it will happen, more than likely sooner rather than later!
Apparently, posting only by the title of the discussion happens more often than I thought! Didn't I read a post written by Lamb about this a while back? (Sure seems like it!)
Good post, people do need reminding!
1 person likes this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
17 Dec 15
I once had a response "it is a very interesting topic, but I didn't read the full post".
So, I just asked "then how did you know it was interesting?" The most weird thing ever.
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
22 Dec 15
For some it's about quantity not quality unfortunately