Re long, long opening posts

[Misscromwellrocks]

I seem to click out of nearly every second thread I open nowadays because of the lengthy opening post going into micro level details about whatever situation the OP is describing.

I don't remember, when I first joined mumsnet, seeing so many overly long first posts. Aibu to find them off putting and often very confusing?

k

If the op doesn't cover every detail, someone will accuse them of drip feeding. 🤷‍♀️

I agree. I love a succinct story teller.

I especially enjoy it when preceded by “long story short-“

Pointless thread

@MrsAJ27 Feel free not to join in

As the PP said, it's about accusations of dripfeeding, and sometimes also to try and head off that thing where people ignore the AIBU and focus in on some random detail. "AIBU to stop my sister bringing her dog to my house after he ripped my net curtains to shreds?" "OMG YABsoU, net curtains, what were you thinking? That dog deserves a medal for services to interior design"

It's worse when there are no paragraphs and/or text speak, too.
I find them impossible to follow.

The massively long replies where someone fancies themselves a counsellor put me off too.

What Whatsername177 said, any new information that comes out after the first post is considered drip feeding by some posters. I'm guessing the sort of poster who in real life can only talk in monologue rather than a back and forth conversation

I think its less to do with drip feeding and more to do with not bring able to self edit. I won't read really long posts

I observe that men posting on the site tend to do enormously long opening posts.

I observe that men posting on the site tend to do enormously long opening posts.

Not all men.

YANBU, but as PP have stated, it's common to see tedious accusations of dripfeeding. Also, posters like to pick up on a tiny detail and make that the focus, so I think OPs try to explain anything like that away in the opening post to stop all the

"Wait, what?!?!?"

type replies.

If the op doesn't cover every detail, someone will accuse them of drip feeding.

The very long ones are usually the opposite of this though, they are repetitive, banal and poorly explained.

The bottom line is that OPs written by people who can't be arsed to think what they want to say before typing are always frustrating- whatever the flaws.

I agree it's because no one wants to be accused of drip feeding. However l don't bother reading really long posts. More often than not, they are confusing.

I’m with you OP. Those threads get on my nerves. So self indulgent and needy. How anyone reads them is beyond me.

“My partner finds me boring”

And then the OP drones on for about 97 paragraphs of monotonous drivel!

An overly long post leads to people asking questions that are already answered in the OP as people can't be arsed to read it. Also agree that longer doesn't necessarily equal better. Being succinct is a skill.

Nah it’s not because they don’t want to be accused of drip feeding. So often they give many examples of whatever is bothering them instead of just one, going round the houses 23 times boring everyone to death, when it could have all be whittled down in 2 sentences.

The friendship scenario ones with "friend A, B X Y Z" etc are the worst, almost impossible to follow.

I do a mental tl;dr and click away.

@Findumdum1 What does your post mean?

The problems also tend to have a very simple answer too: e.g. the bloke's an utter waste of time; the women find you boring and deeply unattractive, as evidenced by your long tedious post; how on earth do you know so much about your neighbours? no he/she isn't interested, GET OVER IT.

Of course, for some people they haven't grasped that posting online is not like therapy or writing a private diary. They don't realise that they have to tailor their material to their readers (something most of us do unconsciously) and it's a conversation not a monologue.

I instantly click off any thread where the OP says "friend A let's call him Steve, and Y I'm going to call her Stacy". And sometimes a Z as well.