How do you select threads?

[hootinholler]

Is it by who has written the OP?

Or is it by the number of recs?

Or the number of replies?

Or do you calculate some other metric like Replies/Recs? Or maybe reads/recs?

Personally, there are some members that I always look at their threads. Mainly Octafish, and H2Oman and a few others.

I use a rule of thumb that threads with Replies/Recs < 10 is usually worth reading.

So how do you use DU?

[orpupilofnature57]

1. Subject

[Warpy]

2. Topic line, usually

unless I'm really, really bored.

[ismnotwasm]

21. +1

Yup

[Katashi_itto]

3. I trash the gender wars/porn wars etc based on the poster since they post variations

of the same thing over and over

[LumosMaxima]

4. Primarily by subject

There are a few reasons I won't click on a thread. The biggest one is a vague title that gives no clue as to the actual topic. I've opened too many of those only to find some kind of disturbing content that I wish I hadn't seen, or something that wouldn't have interested me.

I don't pay any attention to recs.

[TlalocW]

5. I try to make them match

A color in whatever project I'm currently sewing.

TlalocW

[hootinholler]

8. I bet you join in

Just to needle them.

[TlalocW]

9. Yes, but to my credit

I keep them in stitches.

TlalocW

[hootinholler]

26. That seams a good strategy n/t

[TlalocW]

41. I'm starting to sense a pattern here... n/t

TlalocW

[hootinholler]

50. There is a bias, but

I think we can selvage the topic.

[mokawanis]

6. Thread title

Number of recs and replies don't matter to me. Sometimes I go by who wrote the OP, and I realize now there's quite a few DU'ers I will always read.

[antiquie]

7. Topic line or subject

Some DUers I always click, some topics I never click. Replies/Recs are irrelevant since the length of time the OP has been up would need to be factored in.

[msongs]

10. topic nt

[840high]

11. Topic and poster. I always

read Manny.

[riverwalker]

12. the subject line

don't give a rats pattooty who wrote it, or # of recs. (This isn't high school)
Some of the best posts I've read are by the rare posters with 0 recs and no replies.

[RC]

29. That is the way I do it also.

When I read a OP, the the subject line turns from Blue to Red. I don't look at who wrote it, which forum or group it is from.
I switch between the 'Home page' and 'General Discussion', with side journeys to 'Ask the Administrators', 'Computer help' and 'Photography' and occasionally elsewhere.
If I am not interested, I can click back out and find something else. If I notice I am reading Bull shit, a hate post, or sometimes just gibberish, I'll then look to see who wrote it. Quite often it is one or more of the usual, well known suspects, well versed in flame baiting or shit stirring. I usually click back out. I have no one on ignore, don't plan to, and have never trashed a thread.

[ConcernedCanuk]

13. Topic mostly, but almost always check out locked threads!

.
.
.

I figure locked threads gotta have SOMETHING interesting in there . . .

and they usually do.

recs/replies/author? - nope.

Don't look at cat threads, obvious bait threads, or "ask me anything" threads.

There's another thread for ya-

"How do you DE-select threads"

or something like "What threads would you never look at"?

That may be quite an interesting thread!

CC

[LumosMaxima]

16. I check out locked threads, too! nt

[adirondacker]

14. Topic, then OP. Recs have little to do with it unless it's up to a couple hundred or so. nt

[TBF]

15. greatest threads and subject -

Especially in groups.

[TreasonousBastard]

17. Depends on my mood, but usually the subject line...

But, if I'm in too good a mood, there are some posters who will invariably piss me off and get me back down.

Number of replies is usually in inverse proportion to the overall value of a thread, but there are often a jewel or two in those replies.

Recs are completely irrelevant.

[Iggo]

18. Subject.

[House of Roberts]

19. By the title, only if the the title tells me I don't want to look.

Otherwise I click on almost every thread that comes through 'Latest Threads', while I'm on the computer.

I hardly ever look in forums.

[treestar]

20. Whether I think the topic line looks interesting

I look at GD or LBN or maybe politics 2013 to see if there are any interesting topics going.

I trash Mandatory Malloy truthseekers or whatever it is.

All the rest I consider for looking into.

[NRaleighLiberal]

22. Subject/topic if I am time constrained...if lots of time, I scan as many recent posts as I can..

I particularly love science threads of all types.

[tblue37]

23. Topic line. nt

[LWolf]

24. I use several filters.

First, I have various key words on my "trash" list, so if I get tired of a topic, I won't see it at all. You'd be surprised at some of the words on my list.

Second, I read the thread title to see if it offers anything I'm interested in reading or discussing. If it does, I look at the poster; if it is someone I think there is no constructive purpose in engaging, I'll generally skip it, unless they are making some kind of really outrageous statement that shouldn't be left to stand. If it's someone that usually has something constructive or of interest to say, I'll click on it. If I have something to add, I will. If not, I may rec it or kick it anyway.

There are issues I care about, that I think ought to be discussed. There are those I don't care about. For example, I generally don't bother with threads about what somebody on tv said, since I don't watch or listen to talk shows and am not interested in media talking heads. I'm generally not interested in threads about how terrible Republicans are; I already know that. I'm more interested in looking at the players behind the curtain than I am playing the partisan team game.

Number of recs? Doesn't influence me. I've seen threads I considered a waste of time get dozens, and threads about really important issues sink like a rock.

# of replies? Same as the # of recs. Not really a factor for me.

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. If the title seems interesting

[hrmjustin]

27. The title.

[AAO]

28. Based in my interest in the subject at hand.

[AAO]

30. I also admit to opening anything with a title similar to:

"I had a run-in with a teabagger the other day"

[hootinholler]

31. Just for you then...

[AAO]

32. Does Jesus know?

[hootinholler]

34. I figure

as long as it's consensual...

[madinmaryland]

46. Funny you mention that pic...

I was riding to a job site with a colleague and he was commenting to our boss about how people from the "democrat party" are referring to the Tea Party as teabagger, like this had just happened. I damn near blew a gasket biting my tongue as I recalled the lady "teabagging for jesus". It's like, what the fuck, they named themselves teabaggers, until someone actually pointed out the meaning of teabagging.

Morans!!

[treestar]

48. I love those

any thread about a personal experience!

[JaneyVee]

33. Calories & ingredients.

[Nay]

35. Subject. I won't read stuff on Israel/Palestine; porn; MRA sneaky stuff

by some posters; and posts that do not have a clear subject heading so I can see what it's about without opening it.

[Zorra]

36. By a subject line that looks interesting and/or relevant. nt

[winter is coming]

37. Subject line. Some threads I'll trash on sight, on the same basis. n/t

[Archaic]

38. It's generally by topic, unless it's Octafish.

I'd read his posts if they were about fishing, curling or banana splits. I learn more history from his posts than I did in high school or college.


And yeah, if I can tell from the title that it's another cat/gun porn thread, it's trashed. I can get that on the other 99% of the internet that wastes its time with cat/gun porn pictures. I came here to learn.

[Demo_Chris]

39. Subject. nt

[Douglas Carpenter]

40. with one exception I have not even looked at even one of these boys vs. girls threads - because the

whole argument sounds silly to me - But basically I choose threads that sound like they might have an interesting subject matter whether positive or negative - Threads that will either make me feel good or piss me off

[MrMickeysMom]

42. Hierarchy of order...

Subject Line

Organization of the OP's point

Number of replies, but not always

[hay rick]

43. Subject and/or author. nt

[Gidney N Cloyd]

44. Catchy subj line. And more and more I'm passing on threads that have lots of replies.

The more replies, the more likely it's already devolved into a bunch of sniping off-topic subthreads.

[madinmaryland]

45. I very rarely use any of the metrics you have listed...

I typically go by the thread title which helps me ignore material that I have no desire to discuss. That is why I chose this thread, because, I can't believe that you did not include thread title/content. I could care less who wrote the thread or how many recs/posts/views or whatever else floats your boat that the thread got.

To your second question, how do I use DU? As a learning experience.

[Violet_Crumble]

47. Me, I always look for the OPs by what the latest GD flamewar's about...

Can't go wrong doing it like that!

[Orrex]

49. I look for "NSFW" in the subject line.

[quinnox]

51. All of those criteria

Sometimes it is an OP written by someone whom I have liked their OPs before, so I read them on that basis. Sometimes if I see a many reply, "hot" thread, and the subject seems interesting, I will check it out.

Number of "Recs" really doesn't have a huge role, unless I see one that has like hundreds of recs, then I am more likely to check it out.

Mainly it is about the topic and the headline, if it sounds like an interesting topic, and has an exciting headline, then I will probably take a look at it.

[Blue_In_AK]

52. Thread title

I only read a tiny fraction of what's posted here.

[defacto7]

53. Title mainly then occasionally filter by group.

If the title has no information about the contents of the post I always skip it.

[JustAnotherGen]

54. Well one way

Is the keyword trash - l*lcats in a subject goes to the trash bin to me. Never had a kitten on my wall as an adolescent and I don't "get" why cats are so funny. So keyword trash sends them away.

[JNelson6563]

55. Lots of factors.

I usually skip all the outrage du jour threads. So very repetitive and pointless. I also skip the ongoing wars (the most prominent these days being the gender wars), always the same players going around the same circles. *yawn*

Some authors I skip, not many though.

I don't read here nearly as much as I used to. Nor do I learn as much here as I used to.

I do laugh here though, some funny posters. Damn funny!

And of course there are a few here who I have grown to love. Always glad to come across something from them.

Julie

[Scuba]

56. Catchy subject line, then author if I pick up on it. Then I'll scan the greatest page ....

... for high-rec OP's that I've missed.

I pay no attention to the group it's in, and got banned from the BOG forum as a result. Ooops.

[MannyGoldstein]

57. About 6:30 every morning, I

get my day's "posting points" memo from Karl Rove. I spend the next few hours finding, and responding to, posts of the types Karl wants addressed.

At 5:15, I get my second daily missive, this one from a mysterious figure codenamed "Aqua Buddha". Then it's more search and destroy.

I do my work, they send me modest checks. It's that simple.

But I'm not saying anything that half of DU doesn't know already, I apologize for boring that half.

[B Calm]

58. The topic that the thread is about. There are some

Posters I don't like, but if they post something that catches my eye I'm going to read it.

[Silent3]

59. The voices tell me. n/t

[Quantess]

60. If it's got anything to do with men vs women, I ignore or trash it.

Ratio of replies to recs.
Also, subject matter and the author.

[CrispyQ]

61. Subject.

Sometimes a subject line doesn't interest me, but that post will show up on the Greatest. Then throughout the day I'll watch it climb to the top. Eventually, I'll click it to see what it is & almost always it is something really funny.

Mostly I peruse Latest, Greatest & then a few specialty forums.