Why don't people RTFT?!?

[RebelRogue]

Or at least only OP's comments, or the last few comments before they post?
A few examples...
did OP ever come back?(not the sarcastic ones)
How does everyone know x?(x having been revealed pages ago)
Massive reveal during the course of the thread(normally due to astute questioning from pps)that shows OP is in no way unreasonable, followed by YABVVVVU type posts based only on the first post.
Have you tried x,y,z? The same suggestions that have already been mentioned by at least 10 posters or OP said she tried during the course of the thread.
Reverse threads.

@Motoko ah yes there was such a thread yesterday.

I suppose not RTFT is not so bad when there are people out there that don't even read the opening post.

Let's move the thread along with another exciting question....why the fuck am I still awake?

Because they are too lazy to do that and the OP normally ends up repeating the same shite a million times over which gets very tedious. I normally read all the posts in green that's easier than reading the whole thing.

To be quite frank, it's because some threads have reached such gargantuan proportions that they dwarf the likes of Jupiter; then also have to wade through the inevitable plethora of total gobshitey comments from folks who are Meany McMEANERSON etc. Without fail you'll get on most large threads:

OMG YOU ARE SO UNREASONABLE YOUR POOR CHILD/PARTNER/PARENT/variation thereof

multiple consecutive posts from one person to correct typos or add things they forgot (guilty as charged)

Or it will be a pile on from a sewing circle whereupon you are labelled SATAN in some form or another..

Endless flowers and hugs (which are lovely I ain't knocking it)

Someone playing devil's advocate.

People getting bent out of shape at those playing devil's advocate.

"This will end up on the daily mail.."

A bajillion well meaning and genuinely lovely folks asking after the OPs well being/update etc

Folks comparing it with similar threads and trollhunting

Some really EPIC SWEARING (some of the best bits)

Comments such as "are you havin a laugh/takin the piss/etc"

Tons of LTB and dump him..

The usual suspects saying "THAT'S A HORRIBLE THING TO SAY - REPORTED."

And that's not even all of it. It's all great and entertaining, but bloody hell it's hard work on yer eyeballs when there's so much of it...

..and that is why I do not always read the whole fucking thread. Most of the time I do - but if it's massive - nope. I look for OP updates and salient points.

I'm lazy. That's why I always check the number of replies before imparting my awesome knowledge. If there's more than 100 I move on. Their loss.

Because there is a phenomenon, mentioned on page one of this thread, whereby folk are under the impression THEIR advice is the most useful, most valid, most important, and they absolutely HAVE to offer it.

It is bloody annoying and even worse on FB than it is on a forum, where it is generally easier to read the fucking thread...

Some of us are capable of skimming a 100 page thread, picking out the salient points and not making ourselves look bloody stupid but ... plenty of people lack that skill, a trait that tends to go hand in hand with the firm belief that their opinion matters most above alllll others.

Hahaha RebelRouge I like your style.

The three gates of speech say that before you say anything you must ask yourself:
-is it kind
-is it true
-is it neccessary

Before prosting on MN people should ask themselves:

-is it relevant
-is it helpful
-is it funny
-did you read the fucking thread

@SoftlyCatchyMonkey1 you forgot "did you read the OP"?
I'm actually more annoyed about that one now

OP can you name change to catch the none readers out instead?

Then thenpoayers go 'how do you know that'

'Page 4'

'Page 4'

Don't forget

'Link to previous thread'

'Anyone got the link?'
'Anyone give me the link'

Ahhhhhh

Yes some people may not have the skill of skim reading (or don't employ it). I don't rtft but I skim for OP updates and read the best posts properly, miss out all the numerous LTB / hugs / ones or long waffly ones.

That said, I do wish that Mumsnet would make if easier to see the OPs updates, can't these be in a different colour like when you post its in pink (read on mobile). Would also be helpful if they could somehow show which pages OP updates are on with monster long threads.

Honestly, I LIKE the "drivel" and banter in a lot of these threads. There's a real sense of community around some of these situations. You only have to look at the thread about the wall that was knocked down, SpanGran, the paella pan, and the fellow from the shop across the road to see it. That was (and presumably still is) an incredibly stressful situation for the OP, but by having all of us entertaining her (and each other) and offering support and encouragement, she herself said she felt a lot better.

But.

There's an option to highlight the OP's posts. Sometimes, when I'm in the mood to get right to the point, I'll skip over the responses and just read the OP's posts, to get the main gist and nub of the story.

The bottom line is, I have this magical thing called a thumb, which I often use to scroll past things that don't interest me. I don't feel the need to sh*t on what other people enjoy by stopping to post snide comments about their "drivel". If I'm not into it, I don't get into it. And realistically, it takes far less effort to just scroll past or click away than it does to post a nasty, superior, snide little comment.

MY POINT highlighted for those who are too lazy to RTFP: Yes, some threads get long, but you have the option to highlight the posts the OP made and skip the rest by simply scrolling past. There really isn't any excuse for not RTFT, especially when the story moves and changes long before you insert your mighty two cents. There's a reason people still mock "cancelling the check", and it's because it's a continuing trend that morons lazy people too many posters are perpetuating.

I was going to start a thread on this, which would basically have been: How big does a thread have to be before you think it's not worth contributing?
For me it's under 200. SURELY anything worth saying has been said by then.
My heart sinks when I skip to the last page of a big thread and people are still commenting on the OPs first post. It's like "I'm here! We can start now!"

When I'm on my phone I sometimes forget there are more pages. I know it irritates people so I do think "oops!" when I realise, but, it's like when I go to work and someone says "how was your weekend" and you exchange news and then someone else arrives and you go through the whole palava again, and then again... some things in life get repeated.

@givemesteel the OP's posts ARE in a different colour! They're in green.

What gets me riled the most is where the OP will say something like "in hindsight, I really could have handled that better" and then ages later some bright spark will pipe up with "you really could have handled that better".

A lot of people barely read the OP.

DS, 11 still wets the bed. Any advice?

How old is he?
Perfectly normal if he's 4, less at 14 so we need age.
Advice will depend on how old he is?

FFS!!!!!

Doculament

Yes, if you can't read the OP carefully there's really no hope

I think a good rule of thumb is that if a thread is already too long for you to be bothered to read properly it can probably cope without you posting for the first time on page 16 when most things have already been covered.

What stitch said - if it's too long for you to bother to read even op's posts just don't bother. Not compulsory to post.

@stitchglitched ahh but what if it hasn't? What if that particular nugget of wisdom is absent and OP will never be able to get her life back on track?

Also let's not forget the defensive "well it might irrelevant/pointless to the OP, who has time to read 20 pages, but it could help someone else that is reading. I HELPED! ACCEPT MY HELP!"

I posted about being 30 weeks pregnant and my husband being excited about his baby (but I was anxious about childcare)

I was offered abortion and adoption advice

And then called a prick and a twat when I suggested that you can’t give away someone else’s baby without their consent nor abort a 30 week old foetus.

It’s all very well saying just read the OPs posts but a fair bit of the time the OP does the irritating thing of name changing some point in the thread so don’t change colour. Makes me wonder if they do it on purpose

What does taat mean?

Thread about a thread