Ever wonder how people choose who they are going to respond to in a thread

[ScreamingMeemie]

that they post? :shrug: I think about this almost all the time. When I post a thread I really try to answer each and every post, especially here in the Lounge. Why? Because most of the time I am asking a question and I appreciate the time people take to answer or help out. But sometimes I wonder how people respond to their threads. Is it every other? Is it only people with a certain amount of posts to their name? Joined Date? Pre primary candidate affiliation? I got in a fight with that asshole in GD2004itis? I mean the list goes on and on...

Just thinking about that tonight, after a low reply day. :hi:

[Zomby Woof]

1. I have no answer

But 0-3, worst home start since 1988. :o For shame.

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. Go to Hell, Zomby!

See? I even reply to you....Grrrrrrrr. :P

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

3. Usually I try to answer questions and recognize genius and

profound stupidity, all of which I find in abundance. :evilgrin:

Seriously though, I don't really think about it.

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. Heh. You forget, we're all perfect here.

:)

[yvr girl]

4. Relevancy

I either reply to the original message. Or pair up my comments with someone else's who I find relevant to my view.

[ScreamingMeemie]

5. Yes, I do this too!

:hi:

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

9. Yes, see, just like sticking this in here. I agree with that

and I try to do that if I have something important to add, you know, like, ummmmmm, ahhhhh, shit, what was I gonna say?

oh yeah,


You forgot Poland.

[ScreamingMeemie]

18. Yes, yes I see.

And I thought Poland had pulled out of this thread. :shrug: Where's the wood anyway? I've been looking on the Internets all day.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

36. HeHe..... she said "wood"

you fell right into my lap.... er, trap, that is. Feel my wood?

[ScreamingMeemie]

51. Wood! Wood! Wood!

:hi: Fast becoming my favorite wood...er, word. ;)

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

56. Somehow I just knew your were a lover of hard

woods.

[welshTerrier2]

7. match the username to today's date ...

it's a very complicated process ... for the first half of the month, i use the first letter of the username; for the last half the last letter of the username ...

however, if the person has under 40 posts, i always just say "welcome to DU" unless it's exactly the 15th of the month ...

i just assumed everyone was using this same system ... am i wrong ??

[ScreamingMeemie]

13. I tried, but I was just no good at that system. I asked for, and received

a pass. :hi:

[welshTerrier2]

17. me neither ...

so now i try to reply to everybody ...

[qnr]

8. I try to live by my Profile "hobby"

-- which probably explains why so few of my comments are ever replied to. Not much that people can say when you're discussing voter registration and someone makes a comment regarding "day-glo purple with baby-poop green polka dots."

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. What are peple???

;) I have seen flamewars started over comments like "day glo purple etc. :hi:

[qnr]

14. Uhmmm uh... I typed "peple" to confuse everyone?

j/k - thanks for pointing that out

[ScreamingMeemie]

19. I thought it went well with the confusion thing...

You've got a good plan. :hi:

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

12. Typical RM.... confusion is your game!

:hi:

If you can't dazzle them with brillance,
Baffle them with Bull Shit.

[qnr]

16. Arghhhhh the Deckie on on to me!

[serryjw]

78. Seeeeee. You did learn something from the pResident!

[indigolady]

10. WHY I REPLY

Dear Mrs Grumpy,
I'm new at this, but I usually reply when somebody has written something I want to reply to. I have not noticed the number of hits. but I do notice the screen pseudonyms and think about how creative so many people are. the names seem to indicate the level of anger. Liked your name, it's not angry, just grumpy. The "Mrs.' makes me think of a cat name, so I get a picture of a cat with doll clothes on.

[ScreamingMeemie]

15. Welcome to DU sunsetbeachdem!

:hi: :toast: :bounce:

I rather fancy being pictured as a cat with doll clothes on. I can go with that. :)

I am only truly angry when I spend to much time in one or the other of the GD's.

Good to meet you!

[qnr]

27. What they just said!

welcome! Well, ok not "they" but I was away from the keyboard, helping my wife with something, and figured there would be other entries before I clicked on "Update message"

[johnnie]

20. I try to answer as many as I can

I really appreciate when people respond to my threads, but sometimes I just can't think of things to say to some of the responses and I feel bad about it.

[qnr]

23. Gribivnix logthnar!

[johnnie]

31. Ummmmmmmmm

Gazoontite? :shrug:

[qnr]

35. Whoa!

[ScreamingMeemie]

24. I suffer from this trouble as well. Luckily, my responses never go much

past 20 at the very tops. I leave, then I feel guilty and come back and respond. :hi:

[salvorhardin]

21. I try to reward originality, niceness and creativity

while punishing the opposite... or if I just like their username.

Actually, I'm just fickle.

[ScreamingMeemie]

25. Fickle works.

I wonder if some people do Odd/Even days. ;)

[salvorhardin]

29. Nah. You need a good

random number generator.

I find this works well:
http://www.lavarnd.org/what/index.html

[qnr]

26. wow 977 posts! say something, quick! n/t

[salvorhardin]

32. OK... I'm probably going to reveal how uncool I am but...

what's special about 977 posts?

[ScreamingMeemie]

34. you are 23 posts to 1000!!!

Now 22! :hi:

[salvorhardin]

38. Oh.

I thought there must have been something significant about the number 977 that I was totally missing.

Actually... I just noticed... my counter seems to be *stuck* at 977.

[Pithlet]

22. What I do

is either respond to every post, particularly if it looks like not many are posting, or I'll post a general thank you to everyone at the end. With the general thank you at the end method, I'll also respond directly to questions.

[ScreamingMeemie]

28. This is a good and time saving idea Pithlet!

How's the mouth feeling? I am fearful of brushing too hard on that one side of my mouth because I don't want this filling to fall out...I don't think I could take it. Hope you are doing much better. :hi:

[Pithlet]

39. Ugh. I'm going back tomorrow.

I won't go into the nitty gritty details, but things aren't going well :( I hope that filling holds tight for you. :hi:

[sundog]

30. let's see...

Somedays I'm feeling really witty & talkative, so I can come up with good responses for all.

Other days (such as today), I'm tired & feel close to brain dead, so I don't have terribly interesting responses... So I don't bother. On such days I don't post much either.

I also think it has to do with a level of mental synergy. You can totally vibe with certain people at certain times. Other times you cannot. It's all relative to where I'm at on any given day.

[salvorhardin]

33. So you're fickle too?

:-)

[sundog]

37. moody might be a better word:)

[qnr]

41. I reply because their user names are the

same as games I used to play, like yours!
http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?name=Sundog%3A+Frozen+Legacy

[sundog]

45. excellent... I didn't know that

sundog means a lot of things

also:

1. A parhelion.
2. A small rainbow near the horizon just off the parhelic circle.

Thanks for the Atari info.. that is too cool :)

[ScreamingMeemie]

47. And the name of a very freaky Stephen King short story.

:hi:

[sundog]

52. oh no... should I be frightened?

:scared: not like Firestarter or Carrie I hope... eek! Maybe I'm just scaring em off

Looks like your no reply day has turned around :7

[ScreamingMeemie]

53. Very frightened!

And yes, I must start threads in the Lounge more often. :hi:

[qnr]

50. You're welcome. I knew those two, but not the Stephen King one

[SarahB]

43. That's what I do.

Watch it sugdog! You're setting off my vibes! :P

Today, I'm brain dead and a bit messed up (no substances other than girly hormones and emotions), but I still had to add something to this thread. :D

[ScreamingMeemie]

49. You I can always count on!

:hug: Hope tomorrow is brighter! :hi:

[sundog]

58. you may feel messed up, but you're still flameworthy

:7

[SarahB]

60. Flameworthy?

To fight with :grr: or just because I'm such a hotmama! :evilgrin:

[sundog]

62. hotmama of course

:evilgrin:

[SarahB]

77. Whew!

:D
Much better than people starting fights with me. Not that aren't people who get off on that, but I can't help the bugs up their butts. They'll get theirs. Hee-hee! :7

[Kenneth ken]

40. I usually reply

to the thread starter if I post at all. Some times I will also reply to a post within a thread if I think that post says something interesting.

As for threads I start, I try to reply to both of the people who respond ( I rarely get more than one or two replies to my threads), though one I started got a lot of response, and I tried to reply to everyone, missed one, and was very embarrassed when it was pointed out to me that I had replied to all but one poster :shamed:

Starting a thread can be hard work! Or just disappointing, if it gets little or no response.

:hi:

[qnr]

42. Yup, I know what you mean -I still can't believe that

no one commiserated with me about my having to spend all of November 2nd on a Greyhound :crazy:

[Kenneth ken]

44. mmm

I'm sorry you have to (or had to if it was a past Nov 2) spend all day on a Greyhound bus. I missed that thread, so I can't respond to why you are (or were) doing that.

If it is this Nov 2, I hope you absentee vote or pre-vote or whatever you need to do to get your vote cast. More importantly, I hope it gets counted.

:hi:

[qnr]

48. Thanks, yeah, I've already voted (Maine absentee)

Have an appointment at the Togus VA Hospital in Augusta, and I'm currently stuck in western Oklahoma.

[ScreamingMeemie]

46. I try my hardest. Today 2 of my threads fell like stones within minutes.

What are you going to do? :shrug:

I tease people all the time about not responding, or skipping over me...:hi:

[Kenneth ken]

54. I don't much like starting threads

because so often they die so quickly. I've never figured out if it's because my threads are so brilliant there is nothing more to say on the topic after I've stated it at the start, or if my threads have bad breath or what.

I'm pretty sure it's not that I'm incredibly rude, I've only had two or possibly three posts deleted in the three years I've been here.

I guess it will just always be a Fleetwood Mac album.


.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Mystery To Me

[ScreamingMeemie]

55. Go with brilliant.

It works for me. :hi: I have never found you to be rude. Many people are surprised to find that I'm not (usually) very grumpy.

[Kenneth ken]

57. LOL

I usually do, keeps the ego from imploding.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

59. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen you start a thread

or wait...you did start one about an album that was coming out...which one was it?

[Kenneth ken]

70. oops, now I'm gonna be in trouble

I missed that my post had 2 replies.

:hi: nsma - didn't mean to slight you. :hug:


I don't know I have ever started a thread about new music coming out, usually I find out about it by reading posts here.

I started a "what dvds should I rent thread once" That one got a lot of response, and I emabarrassed myself by missing *one* post, but replying to all the others.

I've probably only started about 6 threads in three years, it isn't surprising you would have missed them "all." :P

I started one about an author, but I can't remember who he is; the guy who wrote some of the cyberpunk? stuff - William Something-or-other. It was just a quick question and got three or four replies, that all answered the question, so there was no need for more response.

But I'm just nattering on about not-much, so I will stop.

:hi:

[likesmountains 52]

61. off topic

I am actually responding to your question about the homecoming dress that you posted last week..I thought you might like hearing about the phone call I got from my 26 year old daughter tonight...she called to thank me for "not letting her have everything she wanted when she was growing up." She is now Associate Head of Student Housing at a college and she says that she can't believe how spoiled most of the students are, and how unable to live with roommates they are. I really identified with your homecoming dress post....I was the mom that said no...good luck with your teen.

[ScreamingMeemie]

64. Thanks for the response on that thread. That is the call I dream of.

How wonderful for you to get that. We actually ended up having a really nice day on Sunday. She came in the kitchen and cooked with me, which she hasn't done in about 7 years. It was a nice quiet day..our own homecoming!

Thanks again for the support! :hi:

Laura

[Misunderestimator]

63. LOL... I try to respond to every post

in a thread I start... until I fall asleep. :) :hi:

[ScreamingMeemie]

65. Hehehehe. I'm getting close to the sleep point. I've got to be up in

4 and a half hours...shame on me. I must manage my time more wisely. :hi:

[miss_kitty]

66. i reply to most of the thread thingers I post

because I get responses to my threads so seldom, and I am basically a needy needy person. :)

[qnr]

67. You reply to your own posts? Why didn't I think of that

I'm a :dunce:

[ScreamingMeemie]

69. These things take time...

:hi:

[ScreamingMeemie]

68. I'll be on the lookout for you then!

:hi:

[ogradda]

71. well...uummmm..well

it's late and not many to see so i'll tell you.. i've never started a thread. i've never been able to figure out how..

[ScreamingMeemie]

74. Up at the top of your screen when you are on the main page of any

forum there is a post button. Click on it and voila! Now you will become a posting fool! :hi:

[ogradda]

81. i'll be damned!

i've been looking frantically for a start a thread button. thank you!:loveya:

[ScreamingMeemie]

83. You are most welcome!

I look forward to your threads! :loveya:

[slinkerwink]

72. yes, and Dookus never replies to me

:-(

[ScreamingMeemie]

75. Awwww. He only replies to me because of my dog...

:hi: :hug:

[Chovexani]

73. I dunno, really.

I rarely have anything intelligent to add to a discussion that hasn't been said already, usually several times (I'm usually late to the party on most threads).

It also doesn't help that I'm a moody smart ass, and am in none of the cliques around here. So I usually just pick something that leaves me an opening to snark on.

I don't usually get responses to my own posts. The few are usually indignant, or asking me wtf I'm talking about. Sometimes I get a giggle and agreement. I really need to remember that 90% of the time I speak in nerd jargon that's only understandable to other dorks with no lives who spend way too much time watching tv and posting on the internets.

[ScreamingMeemie]

76. What you added there was intelligent. I spend too much time on the

internets (I wonder if we can push Webster's to include that in the next dictionay...) as well. It's a wonderful life. :) Have a great day!

[Magrittes Pipe]

79. I only respond to people in my insular clique.

;)

[ScreamingMeemie]

84. Well I knew that. So why are you in this one?

;) :hi:

[TOhioLiberal]

80. Most of my threads...

...get 5 or less responses. That's a little disheartening. Then again, my thread about my mother passing got, IIRC, more than 75 responses. I personally responded to 99.9% of them, and it was overwhelming.

Speaking from the perspective of a post responder, I usually read the whole thread first, and respond if I have something beyond the 5th or 6th repetition of the same point.

Trek

[ScreamingMeemie]

86. I hope all is well with you trekkerlass. I remember you doing that

and I thought it was incredible of you to respond to each and every person. :hi: :hug:

[TOhioLiberal]

88. Basically...

I was on autopilot. I remember thinking that if I responded to just a few that the rest would be offended (I know better), or worse, that if I didn't respond at all, that everyone would be offended.

It was actually kinda cathartic (I think thats the right word), giving me a chance to reflect on my mom and help the pain.

Getting by one day at a time,
Trekkerlass :hug:

[kick-ass-bob]

82. sometimes someone will say the same thing as someone before...

and I figure its already been answered.

I really don't check anything in particular, sometimes it just works out a certain way.

Unless hedges says something. Then I must respond.

[ScreamingMeemie]

87. Repetition comforts me.

:hi:

[underpants]

85. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Congrats