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?

Maybe they feel that if they dare not put every little detail in the OP, some people will get shitty about drip feeding. You can't win.

Or, 15 paras followed by "I know iabu but I feel better now I have vented/written this down"

I leave the thread as soon as I see ‘would/could/should of’.

I agree, and if there are no paragraphs it is genuinely painful to even look at, let alone read.

The let's call her Sharon type friendship threads always sound like they were written by a teenager

I don't read them. I used to let the op know that I hadn't because I thought it might persuade them to do an edited version, or not be as long-winded in future posts, and they would get more people interested and joining in. But that just causes a lot of tutting and eyerolling from the posters who think you should never post anything other than 100% positivity and encouragement on Mumsnet, ever. No matter if taking onboard a bit of constructive criticism (or feedback as it's now known) might actually benefit the op.

I would never be so crass as to not read or reply due to imperfect spag.

It's worse when there are no paragraphs and/or text speak, too.

YY to nae paragraphs. They score low on the “will to live” meter. 🔫

But you get OPs that are short and succinct only to be met with the War and Peace of responses. Those are irritating AF too although can be more easily overlooked.

The drip feeding thing is so overused on here.

A drip feed is AIBU to leave my job? I hate it and it’s stressing me out.

Several pages later and ‘well we did win the lottery so money isn’t a concern.’

THAT is a drip feed - relevant info that changes the way posters reply. People here use it to accuse posters of holding back when they aren’t, it’s just that as threads evolve people naturally ask questions and further info is gleaned.

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

Yep. Like I said self indulgent and needy.

this thread is self indulgent and needy

OP,

YABU.

i end up giving up reading. if I want to read a book, i will read a book.
but they are not as annoying as the parking ones, where every other post asks for a diagram.

this thread is self indulgent and needy

Nope. It’s stating a valid fact. Not many have the time to read a 375784 first post that could have been written in 100.

I've done brief opening statements and been 'told off' for not giving enough detail. Cant keep all of the people happy all of the time I suppose.

I suppose people know that there will be obvious replies or questions and so try to preempt these to save alot of back and forth.

I agree that the accusations of drip feeding are overused on here. Unless it is wholly relevant and pertinent to the situation and changes the whole meaning of the thread (as per NoSauce's example) then it's not drip feeding.

There is a thread I remember that actually did have a massive relevant fact left out of the op (which would have taken the op 4 words to explain) and it really irritated the life out of me. I'll try and find it.

Crumbs you’d hate my new January 2020 thread.

Yup I think the drip feeding screamers have caused that

Rather than it being a discussion/conversation they turn it into an essay that people can then pick apart. Rather than stuff evolving over the course of a thread.

It’s usually an inability to succinctly tell a story and be able to filter out irrelevant information. Quite often you get to the end and have no idea what they are talking about. My head hurts reading quite a lot of OPs, it’s amazing they get so many replies.

Oh God yes, the "friend a, let's call her Andrea" type posts set off instant alarm bells as they usually descend into a confusing ramble

Calling them Andrea is better than calling them A because that generally means there's going to be at least another 3 labelled friends who turn out to be irrelevant to the main story.

YANBU.

Listen to all of you frustrated English teachers.

If it upsets you so much, why not apply to be a moderator on here, and come up with the idea of setting an English comprehension test that all potential posters should sit before they make their first post on here?

YABU, but hope you're enjoying your mutual backslapping at being able to write succinct posts.

The massively long ops are usually works of fiction

No backslapping gindaddy, and you don't have to be an English graduate to avoid long meandering posts full of pointless and irrelevant detail.