What's this 'show more/show less' nonsense for?!

I didn't get it the first time but just noticed it today. It's awful. Like others, I read not scroll and I find clicking interrupts my reading. Get rid or make it optional.

This is a talk forum not a soundbite forum.

And why on earth is it cutting off one line posts when someone is mentioned in them? Did anyone even test this? Please make it stop!

Awful idea, it makes reading any kind of substantive thread really annoying. I'm fine with using it on quoted posts because often you don't need to read the quote, it's just an indicator of who the person is replying to, but not on ordinary ones.

On quotes - fine
otherwise - No!

please turn it off @AmeliaPMumsnet
its unnecessary (and a bit patronising to us MNetters IMO)

Another one asking for it to be opt out.

On long running threads like 50 Bookers and Style and Beauty empties, we want to post (and read) comprehensive posts saying why we liked or disliked books or products. Not have to click every 30 seconds.

Please get rid of it. I tend to use threads like Cockroach cafe for support where posts can be necessarily long or 50 Bookers where we post reviews so posts are generally longer.

At least make it an option that can be switched off in settings.

After yesterdays annoyance today I'm just not bothering to read long running threads I'm on because I can't be bothered to endlessly click show more.

So well done @AmeliaPMumsnet and team.

Another here who dislikes this new 'feature'.
As others have said, at the very least make it optional - I have no need for a computer to abbreviate content for me - I speed read and it completely breaks up thread making it impossible to read.

The logic used is poorly written - I have seen it trigger (post updates) on a 2 line post and on a multi-paragraph post, but not trigger on posts in-between.

It would appear that the code counts characters / lines / space used and then splits the post - it needs to also count what is left and decide to only split if what is left is substantial...

but overall - remove it, there is no point to it other than to annoy regular users, who will simply give up... this will stop me from using mumsnet...

How will it teach everyone to be brief ?
Unless mn tell us exactly how many characters are permitted before it chops the end of our post off or we count every character in a previous post to figure it out.
This will encourage people to type using text speak , not use punctuation, not leave spaces between words or paragraphs.
No thankyou!

I can understand it with long quoted post and I don't mind it there but not on original post.
@AmeliaPMumsnet please get rid of it.

Yep, me too!

What with that and boredpanda asking me to subscribe to keep reading (good luck with that, boredpanda, your content was crap anyway) and reddit insisting I get the reddit app (yes, I could, but you've put my back up now)... actually I stand a good chance of cutting down on my social media time!

Please stop tampering with things for the sake of it, MN. It feels like someone new has come in and is determined to make their mark, but they’ve chosen to do it by dumbing down the site. Snappy soundbites instead of articulate, well-argued posts, and ‘guides’ on how to engage with self-explanatory topics such as ‘Telly Addicts’, ‘Royal Family’ and ‘Elderly Parents’!!! What’s your target demographic? It certainly isn’t the current one.

As an example, what’s the actual point here?
@WhatsUpWithGene posted a perfectly reasonable length post and it’s shortens for the sake of a couple of lines. Even if it was twice the length it shouldn’t be put behind a click. It’s an articulate post I want to read.

Can you explain clearly the purpose of this feature as what you have said so far about it makes no sense. It makes the site harder to read and access, not easier.

Another one here who hates this feature. Please get rid of it.

And just after they have asked sub threads for a guide to explain what makes it a 'community'

Well being able to have discussions with other posters is the whole reason I'm on long running threads.
Why ask and then deliberately do things to disrupt it.

Please get rid of it. it's incredibly infuriating.

I'm on the 50 books thread where we post book reviews, often several in one post. We do it like that because we like it, it's convenient and the people on that thread are interested in what other people are saying. I've just had to click "see more" on every thread on the page.

Why give us something no-one asked for? And fwiw I always use MN on my phone.

I think it works well for quotes - it's so annoying when someone quotes a massive long post I've already read then adds "this" at the bottom.

But for normal posts it's infuriating and, as others have said, really breaks the flow and makes it uninviting to read a whole thread, or one with lots of thoughtful analysis (rarer than it used to be on MN, but still seen occasionally).

Having been alerted on another post to the fact that different truncation is showing for different people, in case you can't see the half-line cut I linked above, here are screenshots of the utterly pointless cut.

I can see the point if posters are quoting an epic, but it's really awful (and pointless) when it cuts off a relatively small number of lines at the bottom.

Could the criteria for shortening not be "after xx lines IF there are more than xx lines remaining"?

I'm on mobile and it's really disruptive.

Adding my voice to either get rid of it or make it optional.

If you really want a job for the tech boys - get them to figure out a way to stop the first post from being quoted.

But having the Trending and Shopping boxes appear in the middle of a thread doesn't interrupt the flow?

I can read a whole post in seconds. I don't need part of it hidden to pace myself.

Thinking about my (and others') accessibility comment, I'm now remebering the colour change fiasco, which used a non-accessible contrast level.

@AmeliaPMumsnet do you know whether MN does any accessibility testing of new features? I know you don't have the same duty as public sector organisations to adhere to accessible web standards, but it's basic commercial sense to maximise the number of people who can use the site.

In fact, given how many people have reasoned dislike (rather than merely 'aaargh, change!') for new features, is there any user testing at all?

Often it's only a few lines that was cut off.

Just catching up.on wjat was posted on this thread since last night I've had to expand 3.posts. One showed an extra 4 lines, one 7 and this one:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/site_stuff/5551948-whats-this-show-moreshow-less-nonsense-for?reply=153585374&utm_campaign=reply&utm_medium=share

hadcut off half the last line.

Half of it!

I absolutely hate this too, a solution for something that wasn't a problem. I only use Mumsnet on my phone, which is small as it's an iPhone mini, so I do a lot of scrolling, as I'm a fast reader, and never thought about it at all, did it unconsciously. Now I have to stop reading the post to notice the blue "read more" and click on it separately. Often it's only a few lines that was cut off. What on earth is the point of cutting 4 lines from a 40 line post, or whatever it is? This feature is disruptive of the reading experience for no gain whatsoever. I don't see the need for it at all. I've been here a very long time, and use MN a lot, and this has definitely made my experience worse. If the horrible thing has to stay can it not be adjusted to cut a reasonable proportion of very long posts only? Then at least it would have some clear purpose.