Why have people started to use the term OP now?

[PavlovtheCat]

I find it so impersonal.

Once apon a time, people responded to the poster by their name, and when referring to them on their own thread, they would say 'but pavlov said she did/did not...yada yada'. OR, more personally 'pavlov, i agree/disagree with what you said about...'.

Now it is 'the OP said' or 'OP i agree/disagree with you' why? why not just put their name, you are talking to a person.

I personally really dislike being referred to as 'OP'.

AIBU? i dont think so

pavlov, I dont think its a new thing
I think it may be to do with whether you feel you 'know' the 'op' or not

doens't really bother me, but then maybe I dont get called op lol

OP I disagree

Gosh...I use op all the time on long threads, cos I usually forget the name of the op and cba to scroll back up.

I really hadn't thought anything of it, but you're right of course it is impersonal.

Will endevour to do better.

trinity i know it has always been used. But it used to be used lightly, and I always thought it referred to the Opening Post - meaning 'you said, in your OP that xxx' but now its referring to the person themselves.

I don't like it, it takes two seconds to scroll back up and recall my name, and not long to type it, even an abbreviation would suffice.

Cos I can't arsed to scroll all the way back up to the top to see who the OP is, OP.

People have been using OP for years.

It can be difficult to keep track of posters' names and in any case, if you're reading a long thread on a mobile, it can be tricky returning to the begining to check the OP's name.

Much nicer to use the poster's name, but not always that easy.

It's just easier.

I use it when I get into a spin-off debate and saying the OP's name could just get confusing - saying OP, when referring to him or her, is at least pretty clear!

Having said that, I think you're entirely right, OP, that if I were talking to you, OP, I ought to at least have the courtesy to use your name...whatever that is...sorry, can't remember!

I tend to use the name if I am refering to the PERSON. ie, pavlov's thread, but OP, if I just mean the thread, ie, the original POST (NOT postER).

I might do this if, for example I disagree with AN aspect of the original post, but do not disagree with the person entirely.

I use names when I'm on the laptop but on my iPhone it is a pain so I use the term OP.

3trees yes that is what I have used it for. To refer to the particular post, the original post. prettycandles thing is, i get that yes, sometimes it is more convenient to use, and I am sure I have done it on occasion, but it seems to be in pretty much every thread, it it like it has become the generic term for the person who started the thread, regardless of that person's name. If what you are saying is true, that would mean that people cannot recall a poster's name often only a few lines up!

Now I did try to change my name to OP, so that I did not get so offended when people referred to me as this, but its taken already , so that blows that solution.

oh and you don't have to scroll down to the original post, you just flip, there is the person, flip again. Done. takes a second.

And you don't have to type out PavlovtheCat. I can be known as Pavlov/Pav, PTC, Cat. OP is not an abbreviation of any of these. Or is that one extra digit just a little too much

I don't know what "flip" means. Plus I am very very lazy.

I have to scroll to the top to 'flip', Pavlov, so that wouldn't help me. Or is there another, secret way of doing it?

if you 'flip the thread' (button along the top of the page) it reverses the order you read the posts in so last first/first first. and flip it back. It is what I do when I want to remember the name of the person I am responding to.

Do you all just go 'er, er, you' when talking to someone you were introduced to a short while ago but then forgot their name, would you say 'so new colleague (nc) how you settling in?' and continue this all day or 'jane's new boyfriend (JNB), your round' and continue it all evening?

mrsWobble could you not read it from the top?

Er, I do actually! I usually forget someones name about 4 seconds after they've told me it.