To be put off a thread if the opening post is really really long

[jazzingaround]

I've just clicked into several threads and clicked out again when I saw really long opening posts starting with lots of back information.

I know people don't want to be accused of drip feeding, but AIBU to not want to wade through loads of tedious information and 'he said' 'she said' stuff to get to the main point of an AIBU?

[BillMurrey]

Agree.

[goodnightdarthvader1]

I don't mind long, but if it's a wall of text with no paragraphs, punctuation or capital letters ... see ya.

[BitOutOfPractice]

I only get put off if it's typed in all one block - I find that very off putting.

Sometimes I do skim read when I get the feeling that the poster isusing the OP to offload and get stuff off their chest - which is absolutley their perogative and I can understand why many do it

[nauticant]

I don't mind, so long as it's not irrelevant and dull detail.

If there are no paragraphs or there's text speak I usually move on.

[nauticant]

Ha! I was beaten to it by previous posters.

[cleaty]

Nope to long OP, can't be bothered reading it.

[ZenNudist]

If it's sufficiently interesting, and written well then I might get through it.

Anything that's badly written gets my back up.

Solid blocks of text - never read.

Sometimes you just think the poster is winding us up with badly written posts.

I don't mind a spot of drip feeding as I'd always rtft not expect to get absolutely all info from first post.

I don't like the very hectoring tone if some posters writing in reply. It was ever thus but seems nastier lately.

[PersephonePitstop]

I can cope but only if there are paragraphs.

[RiverTam]

Long can be off-putting; long with no paras very off-putting; long with no paras and virtually no punctuation, forget it. I'm not trying to disentangle someone's stream-of-consciousness. I know people hate the grammar-and-spelling police but I think there is a serious point to be made that someone who can't communicate well often won't get the help they need.

[Drew64]

It depends on how the post is constructed.
If there is no spacing, no paragraphs, little punctuation and spelling mistakes or text speak I don't bother.

[Gruntfuttock]

"I don't mind long, but if it's a wall of text with no paragraphs, punctuation or capital letters ..."

Exactly. Ain't nobody got time for that.

[scarlets]

I'll read it if it's written clearly and punctuated.

Lots of STBXH DSIS XDP DN BFF puts me off. A big cast is confusing.

[MilkTwoSugarsThanks]

Now if people were sensible and started threads like

"AIBU to do xyz because of abc?"

and then explain, that would be brilliant. I can decide whether to get over-invested before I read the rest.

In fact - can we incorporate it in to Talk Guidelines and ban anyone who doesn't do it?

[BitOutOfPractice]

Gruntfuttock "Ain't nobody got no time for that!" is one of our favourite stock phrases in this house, thanks to that marvellou sAmerican woman talking about a fire in her neighbourhood. We love her - and never was a truer word spoken eh?

[Nanny0gg]

I usually find them quite interesting, actually.

My pet hate is a post that gets lots of replies and then the OP occasionally pops back with one sentence posts that rarely answer any of the points made.

[Gruntfuttock]

BitOutOfPractice I toyed with the idea of putting a link to the video on YouTube, in case anyone didn't know what I was on about. My husband hadn't got a clue, for example, but since 'Ain't nobody got time for that!" has its own Wikipedia page, I concluded he must be the only one person who wasn't familiar with it.

[AuntieStella]

Once upon a time there was a poster who used to report long block posts in easy to read paragraphs. Or perhaps someone would summarise the main points. Usually without particular comment, it just happened and did make things easier to read.

Nowadays, they'd be howled at for being insensitive twats/grammar police/other insult, and I've not seen it done for ages.

As there are loads of threads on MN, it shouldn't be too difficult to find enough that you like and want to post on.

The 'hide thread' button can be invaluable.

[GoringBit]

Please do Grunt, I'm with your DH, so to speak.

[Balaboosta]

I really like a long one.

[ALemonyPea]

I usually stop reading threads where the second paragraph starts 'Backstory' as they usually then start every other sentence with 'so then'.

[Boogers]

"Anyone who uses one word when they could use ten just isn't trying hard", Jed Bartlett, West Wing

I'm guilty of writing War and Peace in my posts, but I try to give a full picture in as concise a way as possible. Skim if you need to, skip if you want to. I can't help the way I write.

I avoid badly phrased OPs where there are no paragraphs, full stops or commas, mainly because I can't read them in the way the writer intended. I don't do txt spk and I struggle with Mumsnet abbreviations as I'm not sure what most of them mean.

[goodnightdarthvader1]

My pet hate is a post that gets lots of replies and then the OP occasionally pops back with one sentence posts that rarely answer any of the points made.

I find those are usually trolls. They dripfeed tiny bits of info to keep pp coming back. It's usually because they've run out of "story".