For the love of all things... read the thread

[Peachesarepeach]

I'm so tired of posters not reading the thread and either missing crucial updates or repeating the same comment 500 times.

Go on, I dare you to tell me I'm being unreasonable... but only if you read all the previous comments!

@Dee1975

No. I reply to the opening post. I don’t read 560 comments first ...

Then why do you expect anyone should read yours?

@Dee1975

No. I reply to the opening post. I don’t read 560 comments first ...

So you take your chances about looking a bit daft then.

Or do you post your comment then onto the next thread to post your one comment and so on, never returning to that thread again? In which case you would never know if your comments were ill judged I suppose.

@Dee1975

No. I reply to the opening post. I don’t read 560 comments first ...

Do you really believe your comment is unique enough to impart after 560 posts?

Staggering.

There's a thread just now about how to pack a small bag for EasyJet, it's in the title.

Queue one poster - "Don't know who you're flying with but...."

Lots of suggestions to buy toiletries in Boots airside. OP says small airport - no shops airside but still gets loads of responses "Just buy toiletries airside".

Doesn't it just highlight users used to different platforms. On Facebook and Twitter comments are generally 'one ofs' with people replying to specific texts they feel like. People leave comments for 'volume' as well as content.

They're also usually arguing whereas I do like that on Mumsnet at least some people do give advice as well as disagreement.

@Laiste

Not being interested in what's been/being said on a long thread, plopping your opinion and moving on; it's like shouting out random crap in an empty room. You just look like a twat!

Do you really think that on a thread 10 + pages long there a chance that no one else has spewed out the same boring knee jerk reaction as you 100 times ?

I just don't see the point of bothering to speak when you've no time or interest to listen.

Why are you repeating what other posters have already said? Did you not read the thread before posting the same thing as people before you??

The posters who think it's fine to impart their opinion and not bother to read the contributions of others remind me of a colleague's assessment of our manager some years ago : "He doesn't listen to you. He just takes his opportunity to speak"

People who do that always look stupid. If their need to speak overrides any self awareness so be it, I suppose. They're probably lazy and self absorbed with poor social skills in real life too, just like this manager was.

Everleigh2021

I thought you didn't read threads so what's it to you?

''soz''

The difference between those on transmit and those on receive...

@SunnydaleClassProtector99 actually I think genuinely posting for traffic when you need support around SEN is probably okay as people seem to know not to be arseholes about additional needs but I cannot bear the unavoidable truth that in most situations, aibu might equal traffic, but it also equals nasty, dangerous and ridiculous behaviour. Some quite vulnerable people post in there sometimes and have their lives ripped apart for no reason. If I have to read "well you sound like hard work" once more, I might have a conniption.

I do agree about aibu being a bit judgemental and nasty. I had a massive unrelated sn pile on and it shocked me because the Sen responses had been a range of nice and clueless and nice and clued up (although one person did tell me to suck it up but was immediately reprimanded by others).

But I do venture on to aibu as a little escape from being an Sen mum so idk
.

“I’m so tired...”
Make an appointment to see your doctor.

@DrSbaitso, @Sparklingbrook, @HannaHat - nice try, but I assume by her own confession @Dee1975 is not going to read your replies. Maybe my @-tting her will get her attention.

On the OP's point, I agree with many others - it's really not that hard to:

note that a thread already has 100+ replies,
scroll to the end,
check the OP's most recent reply (it's highlighted in a different colour! you can click the "See All" button to see all the OP's posts in one place!)
skim the most recent replies to get some context.

Then decide if it's worth posting. (Bearing in mind, many other posters will not bother reading what you say anyway. ).

I cast this comment into the void...

...and the void remains silent. I shall wear with pride the delicious irony that no-one else is going to read my post or come back with a comment.

I have my @ turned off.
I have RTFT though. 😇

It’s MN - it’s 5% useful advice 95% pleasant time wasting.

A whole 5%?

DadDadDad Bearing in mind, many other posters will not bother reading what you say anyway.

But we all have an idea OUR little gold nugget will be read, those not reading the thread even more so perhaps? You know... been here, done that, on to the next thread with my expert opinion.

Now are you still reading?

I suppose when you think about, we all think our little gold nugget will be read, particularly perhaps the kind of person who doesn't read the thread. They drop their expert opinion then they are on to the next thread...

On the other hand, requiring people to rtt can stifle engagement. I have had some interesting opposing exchanges, particularly on feminism where the op starts it in bad faith, but a later poster defends a more moderate version of their position and is more open to engage.
Usually the posters summarise the main points to keep the flow.

@SunnydaleClassProtector99

On the other hand, requiring people to rtt can stifle engagement. I have had some interesting opposing exchanges, particularly on feminism where the op starts it in bad faith, but a later poster defends a more moderate version of their position and is more open to engage. Usually the posters summarise the main points to keep the flow.

While I agree that in a discussion it would become a kind of gatekeeping to say you can't contribute if you haven't read the entire thread, I think some of us are talking about the specific pointlessness of someone commenting on a scenario in the OP when they clearly haven't even checked more recent posts to see if the thread-starter's scenario has updated.

Monday: thread starts "I've got a job interview tomorrow - should I mention X?"

Wednesday: OP reports back "Thanks for all the advice. I mentioned X, and they've offered me the job".

Friday: new poster "Do not mention X - they will not want to employ you if you do!!"

Yes, although I would personally allow people arriving from different platforms a bit of slack. It took me a little while to understand how things work in this neck of the woods and I'm still learning. Can't link a thread by embedding for example.
I don't think I few irrelevant or misinformed posts are worth policing threads, although I think it entirely depends on the context. Some threads lend themselves better to a wide range of advice or views and some get tedious.
It is also useful if you are expressing the unpopular view for new arrivals to agree with you (or indeed if you are not) as otherwise it becomes a echo chamber.

I'm still reading daddadad!

This thread was borne out of the frustration of watching a pile on where the op had admitted they were unreasonable and still new posters were commenting with versions of you baddy baddy twat, you are wrong wrong wrong. There was nothing insightful or thought provoking, just a bit of a kicking.

I agree that on more nuanced threads I don't need people to have done such due diligence. Cos it's all about me, the whole of mumsnet, obvs.

I share your frustration when that happens, @Peachesarepeach (and thanks for giving me the validation I crave by responding to my comment! ). I guess there are a hundreds of posters who will read a thread, see that the sensible points they would have made have already been made, and so don't bother to post. So we get the distorted effect of those who don't have that filter being the ones who keep piling in.

Unless MN introduce upvoting / downvoting of posts I assume it's not going to change.

Still enjoying the irony that after my last comment no-one is reading this thread (or maybe it's sensible people reading who feel no need to add new posts).

And now someone can come and tell me that I don't understand the concept of irony...