To wonder: do you respond to posters, or posts?

[Hullygully]

Keep seeing stuff saying blah blah cliques talking to each other

.v.

blah blah don't notice names, respond to posts.

How is it for you?

I think it can be a subconscious thing for some people too. They have friends and just tend to gravitate towards what they say without realising. Sort of have their own conversation amidst the larger one IYSWIM.

You see it a lot when someone unknown posts and it's completely ignored then a regular will post the exact same thing half a page later and people are falling over themselves to agree/disagree/laugh etc.

I don't think it's always as intentional as it looks (although sometimes it's pretty blatant), I think it just tends to be friends talking to friends without realising they're excluding people.

That doesn't make much sense but I know what I mean

I only notice comic usernames, and can't distinguish posters. Sometimes I notice in my I'm On that someone is stalking me commenting on all the same posts as me, but that is usually #3amfc syndrome IYSWIM.

On fluffier forums with memorable avatars, sigs and tickers it is much easier to keep track of who is who, which makes it harder to be fair on a post. Some people deserve to be told to fuck off and stop whinging, so paying them some kind of hierarchical quiche respect is counterproductive.

I like your name, btw, even though the extra a hurts my eyes [pedantic bully emoticon]

Ariel, by hiding loads of topics I never post in, my Active tends to have more of the threads I might be interested in - it includes threads from teenagers, tv addicts, site stuff, that type of thing, that I haven't hidden.

Before I hid topics, I would look down Active and the only threads I would see that would be at all interesting would be Chat and aibu, so by hiding topics, I actually see more (if that makes any sense at all).

Mary, you spilled Baarti's rum!

I respond to posts if they're in 'Most Active' because I'm too lazy to go anywhere else.

Posts, although I will avoid certain posters largely because it's a waste of time responding unless you are one of their MN friends.

Thanks for the tip.

I will Look Into It :)

I tend to mainly respond just to posts rather than posters, although I will admit if I see a particular poster has started a thread I won't click on it.

I don't have any MN friends as I don't have the attention span or stamina for long running threads.

I do get quite a few PMs though and like lots and lots of posters on here.

PM's? I get the occasional one. I got one from someone I suspect is the fishy one. I have therefore printed it out, laminated it and it's hanging in the downstairs loo.

Both. I might phrase things differently, or be more tolerant of a poster who I 'know'.

Or less tolerant, Chickens in the case of some people we all "know"

Oh, yes, MaryZed

Both.

When I'm being all PO and righteous I don't care who is on a thread or who the OP is.

When I'm in need of a lark, I blather shite to the larkers. Always guaranteed a laugh there.

Posts

Posts but if a bit erk or oo-errrr then I check name. They might be having an Off Day.

I adore newbies. Post more ye buggers, gwan.

I generally post on threads that interest me regardless of who started them or is posting.

I sometimes avoid posting on threads started by certain posters even if I'm interested

Jins

For some reason my brain reads "Chins" when I see your UN.

I'm terrible with names in real life and just as terrible here.

I've been here absolutely years (3rd name change) and still never remember who said what or whose a cunt.

Definitely posts for me. Only cos I'm a bit thick though.

Posters.

I spend more time lurking than posting (until the last week) so feel I 'know' some posters and their back stories etc (although they won't have a clue who I am) I tend to read threads that I can identify with so generally those posters are talking about things I have usually limited some knowledge about. I also really appreciate it when someone takes the time to answer a thread of mine so if I notice a post from them I will try and answer them.

I only recognise a few names, what with being a relative newbie, so I tend to reply to posts.

I look at the thread title and read/respond if it interests me. Some threads do get more responses from better-known posters than they might if they'd been started by someone less prolific, I think, but's that's just the way things are.

I'm Royalty on another forum, royalty, I tell you, so I don't care if nobody PMs or notices me here