Serious question about posting style here on DU.

[Bouncy Ball]

I was wondering something: when you post something in a thread that someone else started, do you like it when they respond to you?

I know a lot of people don't really mind if the person doesn't, especially if you just wrote a little one-liner that didn't really need a response.

But what if you complimented the person, or you wrote out a long response, or asked a question for clarification?

Do you like it when they respond, or do you just see it as them kicking their own thread?

I'll reveal the reason why I ask after I see some responses.

[ikojo]

1. I like it when anyone responds to something

I have written. It does not necessarily need to be the originator of the thread.

[yardwork]

20. Yeah, me too. I'm starved for attention. Any response to me is good.

It never occurred to me that somebody might just be kicking their own thread. It's all about me.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. It depends

If I asked a question I like a response.

I don't see it as them kicking their own thread. Can't they just do that by posting 'kick'?

[intheflow]

8. Self-kicking

...may be frowned upon as bad form. I'm not sure I agree with that, I think there are some things that should be kicked. Good threads can sink pretty fast at times, no fault of the poster.

But I've seen some obnoxious vanity-kicking, too. :shrug:

[proud2BlibKansan]

46. I might try that

vanity kicking - if I ever have the nerve.

[Zomby Woof]

3. You're on the right angle there

My expectation or pleasure derived from a reply is usually proportional to the work or thought involved. Of course, exchanging frivolous patter with friends is rewarding in its own right for other reasons.

But, if I get no reply, I am okay with that, knowing full well that a person can't reply to everyone, nor am I everyone's favorite... hehehe...

[jpgray]

13. Fuck you

See, now I don't expect or need a reply. But my random and unprovoked insult leaves me feeling great.

:dunce:

[Zomby Woof]

17. LOL!

Of course, everyone knows by now, I welcome and encourage perverse insults! :D

[jdots]

29. If anyone responds to me the brain police are notified

along with the sector 7 Zimdarian "Diffy" cult members who know your eating patterns.

[HeyManThatsCool]

44. ROFLMAO! My god that was warm & friendly

[autorank]

4. Senor Ball, if I write something at length, a response is appreciated.

Even if it's brief but interesting or provocative, it's always fun to get a response. When I start a thread, I like the interaction with people. I use "My Posts" a lot to make sure I respond, if appropriate (which it usually is) to those who respond to me. Common courtesy and interaction make for a great thread. I find that the most responsive folks are in The Lounge. Those interactions often evoke hallucinogenic flash backs, which I find amusing. It's good I don't read The Lounge while driving or operating heavy equipment.

[Lady Effingbroke]

5. I don't post very often, but it is nice to see responses to my posts on

a thread, especially when I have taken time to think through (and carefully edit - I'm very anal retentive about spelling and grammar) my replies.

Lack of response to throw away one-liners doesn't bother me.

[progmom]

6. I do appreciate a response.

Yes indeed, I do.

[WMliberal]

7. I like responses! Without them, there's really no conversation.

Posting and then not tending to the thread is like walking into a crowded room, saying something, then leaving. It's not rude. I don't take offense to people who don't take part in conversations they started. I just start a conversation if I want to be in it.

[graywarrior]

9. I need constant admiration and recognition or I wither and DIE.

I receive lots of non responsive responses. I mainly entertain myself at DU, but response to my idiotic posts are somewhat surprising and pleasant.

[BikeWriter]

10. Some people post...

...just to up their post totals...

[loudestchick]

51. Have you ever done that? I can't imagine.

[realisticphish]

67. neither

[realisticphish]

68. can

[realisticphish]

69. i

:D

i know im playing with fire via the spam filter, but i'll risk it


:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[candy]

11. I love responses--my ego needs constant reinforcemnt.

[crispini]

12. I *always* like it when I get a response of any form.

And if the person is asking a specific question or looking for advice and I ask them a question back, I almost kinda expect it.

That said, this is a busy board and if I don't hear back from someone I don't mind.

P.S. nothing wrong with a little self-thread-kicking -- I don't consider it self-thread-kicking if it's a conversation anyway!

[UTUSN]

14. If I Didn't Kick Myself, My Threads Would Be Zero

I'm erratic. Can post garbage. But often (or sometimes) put a lot of effort and research into a post. So. Kick for EFFORT.

[Pithlet]

15. I always like it when someone responds.

But, I don't always take it as a slight when they don't. I know that sometimes people just simply miss posts. After thousands of posts and interactions, I'm sure I've missed a couple myself. I hope I've never hurt anyone's feelings by not responding. I always answer a question posed directly to me whenever I see one, and I thank a person if they pay a complement.

[intheflow]

16. I go for days sometimes without a response back from anything.

Then I'll have a run when everyone replies to everything I post. And then there are times when I don't post responses because I'm not sure how to take the post.

Ultimately that's why I try not to take anything personally. I'm sure some people here think I'm a total freak. :hippie:

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. Unless it's an obvious throw off thread, I think it's utterly rude

not to respond to the people who respond to one's thread.

I've had times that I spent a fair amount of time writing a decent, well-thought response, and get no response back. And it doesn't even have to be a response to me exactly - it could be a generic response of "Thanks everyone!!" within the thread.

But if I go to the time to respond to someone, then they should have the goddamned courtesy to acknowledge it.

[jpgray]

19. Jesus. You should change your name to HotHouseFlowerrrrrr

:D

[Rabrrrrrr]

21. I don't get it.

:shrug:

[jpgray]

27. Well you see, hot house flowers require a lot of care, attention, &c.

Think high maintenance. And if this was a ploy for you to greedily nab another reply from me, you are pathological. Did I mention how much I love explaining a joke? Always makes it ten times funnier.

:silly:

[jus_the_facts]

23. Yeah....what HE said....

.....GODDAMMIT! :D

[msgadget]

22. I usually reply.

It's like a reflex. But, since I'm relatively new here I don't know how far to take it. So, I'll reply to their reply and if they reply back - depending on the content - and then it's like, "okay, are THEY just being polite too?" which is cool with me but maybe annoying to them if I drag it out.

[FM Arouet666]

24. Honest question

One liners or comments don't need a reply. Comments that specifically ask for more information or provide an insightful analysis should have a reply.

Some people do reply as a means to keep their posts on top. More power to them, most of us are guilty of the same. I find it rude, or perhaps my feelings are bruised, when I post a response which should have a reply but is ignored.

[pres2032]

25. depends

sometimes i'll post random song lyrics or movie quotes in the hopes of starting a convo on that band or movie and will sometimes self-kick it if it sinks like a rock. other times, i'm happy starting a thread and letting others talk about it (see my jamming thread). of course there are times when i reply to someone else's thread in the hopes of taking part in their conversation and i like it when they decide to include me. The key is whether i want conversation or am just looking to add my opinion to the myriad of others' opinions.

[TOhioLiberal]

26. I appreciate responses...

...But my world doesn't end if no one responds. Plus I try to make the effort to respond to everyone who posts on my threads.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

28. I like to respond to each person individually

If it's a compliment or congratulations, I feel crappy if I don't say thanks back.

[JohnKleeb]

33. I do the same thing

I tried to respond to all the posts thus far in the post about my nana too.

[crispini]

30. So is this enough responses?

Are you ready to reveal the reason? inquiring minds want to know.

[Bouncy Ball]

34. I think I typed my post below just as you typed this!

Sorry, was putting the child to bed. Talking politics with her for a bit.

LOL!

[Bouncy Ball]

31. Ok now that I've ignored all your responses, LOL

I can post why I asked that question.

I was accused by a rather bitter person of responding to people in my threads JUST as a way to kick my thread to the top. I argued that I don't even respond to everyone in a thread (it's rare to do that) and that when I do respond, it's because they have asked a question, have written something really thought-provoking or interesting, or *I* have a question about something they wrote. Or maybe they said something nice. I was taught to say thank you in those instances.

I was really quite baffled by that accusation. I thought vanity kicks were when you deliberately "kick" your thread. Not when you simply respond to people responding to YOUR thread.

And after reading your responses (thank you to all of you who did), I've decided my gut feeling was right. It's not just self-kicking, it's being considerate and not just posting something then running off.

And by the way, just for the record, I don't even look down on vanity kicks. I mean, really, who cares? Someone can kick their thread all they want, if it's doomed to die, it's doomed to die.

[msgadget]

35. That IS bitter.

Gee, there's obviously much I have to look forward to around DU! Maybe being ignored is better than the alternative.

[RagingInMiami]

37. Maybe that's why they call you bouncy ball

Cause your threads are always bouncing back up with a little help from you

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

38. Fuck people who will just create shit to tear you down

BTW, you are a hot topic on another web site so perhaps that person was "visiting"

[Bouncy Ball]

40. I am????

What website? That's freaking WEIRD.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

43. check your pm

[progmom]

47. Yikes. I wasn't going to mention that.

I was hoping Bouncy wouldn't have to see that. Those assholes are evil.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

53. I think Bouncy could take those asses with one hand tied behind her back

A website ABOUT a website? Who doesn't have a life?

[progmom]

55. Point well taken

:hi:

[crispini]

41. some people

take this internet stuff waaaaay too seriously (not you.)

[Left Is Write]

45. Wow.

It simply would not have occurred to me to think (of anyone), "Oh he/she is just kicking his/her own thread!" when an OP responds to someone within the thread. That's conversation, right? Back and forth? Give and take?

Of course, I'm with you on vanity kicks also - who cares? Let 'em.

[saltpoint]

61. I wish you hadn't been accused of that, bouncyball, because --

-- for me it's a quantity -- no, but quality -- yes thing. A lot of DUers are smart, informed, and funny, and I'll read their posts no matter what the subject is, no matter their favorite politician, or sports team, or music artist, etc. I just want a hit of those brains and their sense of humor.

And there's a lot of good will on these boards, too. Including from you and others just in this thread alone plus many others.

For me, a hit of that is really good stuff. Whether it's 3 responses or 300, it's still that good stuff we're after.

[miss_kitty]

75. It's utter bullshit, that accusation.

Maybe THEY were trying to get their post count up by flaming you.

Who cares if you are posting to keep it kicked-I know you aren't-your threads are consistantly hilarious as are your answers. Is this person going after people who do "Shameless self-kick" when their sad sack threads fly onto page 3 or 4, due to total lack of creativity? No, probably not. Screw whoever said that to you. They're jealous because they don't have your chops. (It was JimmyJazz, wasn't it? :P j/k)

[fortyfeetunder]

32. Sure, at least I know they are interested

after all, it's all about communication, eh?

[Left Is Write]

36. I never really thought about it.

It's nice to get a response if I feel like one is warranted, but at the same time, it doesn't necessarily bother me if I don't. People get busy, threads get buried, and sometimes being away just a few hours makes a new post irrelevant.

It never once occurred to me to wonder if someone was just responding to kick the thread, or to wonder if people think that's what others are doing.

[Bouncy Ball]

39. That's been exactly my experience, thank you.

[Katidid]

57. Very well put ...

me too.

[yellowdogintexas]

42. if I do a response in reply to a query, I love finding out how the

problem was solved or whatever happened.

I don't get bent if my stuff doesn't get responses

I do like getting responses to the running dialogue type threads though.

and I hate it when a thread I am really interested in drops off the radar, or gets so heavy that it has to go to archive

those are some of the really fun threads too.

i sign myself

"hopelessly addicted to the stream of consciousness threads"

[kick-ass-bob]

48. I don't much care if they respond or not

I know how some things can get lost in the shuffle or just can't think of what else to say. Or if the point is made somewhere else, why answer?


Plus, if someone responds to you, then you respond to them - where does it end?

[sniffa]

49. i try to respond to everyone

because 1. it's poLite. and 2. it sucks to be ignored. :P

[kick-ass-bob]

50. But if you reply to everyone,

then the one who is not replied to knows they are on your ignore list!

:o

[sniffa]

54. i onLy have a few steeLers' fans on ignore

:P

[loudestchick]

52. I love to get replies. If you don't reply, songbirds die.

[pres2032]

77. lol!

mass euthanasia!!!!!

[sundog]

56. some people will talk shit no matter what you do

fuck it.. I like your threads ;)

I got yo back :hug:

[welshTerrier2]

58. GD posts ...

when i post in GD or GD - Politics, which is where I make probably 90% of my posts, I usually have something to say that's important to me ...

so yes, i hope people will respond ...

what's unfortunate is, in these times of short attention spans and sound bites, i'm often tempted to "spice up" the subject line ...

for example, "Kerry total blows off Kennedy's call for withdrawal" will get way more responses than "Subtle but important differences exist between Kerry and Kennedy on Iraq" ... it's too bad that so many of us seem to crave the "if it bleeds, it leads" mentality ...

[miss_kitty]

59. I consistently get no answers

I am posting less and will probably quit altogether soon. Since I'm apparently invisible, or so fucking boring that no one gives a shit, I'm sure NO ONE WILL NOTICE.

I'm not talking about the one liners so much either. Or the things that don't warrant an answer.

[johnnie]

60. I know how you feel

I wouldn't let it get you down though. It's pretty obvious that there are a handful of people here who will get responses to anything they post. Most of us here though have a small amount of replies to things we say, but I am pretty sure they are at least read.
I used to think I was just boring and not funny..lol, but now I know that's not the case really. I just haven't made it in to the cool crowd. :)

[miss_kitty]

62. Thanks. but it's a case of diminishing returns

I'm not getting out what I put into it. By a long long shot. I have crafted well thought out and well educated answers in a forum where my expertise lies, and not even a 'thanks' shows up. I posted a little story in a thread the other night. The person above me, a picture. The OP thanked the pic poster for the post and no acknowledgment of my post.

When it comes to posts like "What is the least likely thing a DUer would say?" or "Use a DUer's name in a sentence" no one comes up with anything for me. I had over 5,000 posts in about 3 months or less, so it's not like I never posted. But ya know, I quit posting for a week a while back, and no one noticed.

I don't have to be the corpse at every funeral, nor the bride at every wedding, but I am used to getting a little more attention than the parking valet or the busboy. :(

/self-pity party

[JimmyJazz]

63. I didn't respond to your post about the lunch money because I

couldn't think of anything to say. It was funny. I usually try to respond to everyone in my thread, but sometimes it gets really long and sometimes the one liners don't warrant a response. :hi:

[miss_kitty]

66. I never made a post about lunch money. :(

and I wasn't talking about you as the OP. You are pretty much THE exception to the rule.

[JimmyJazz]

71. oopsie daisies - I meant to hit Johnnie with that post! Damn!

Even in my sober state, I messed up.

[miss_kitty]

78. How sad the one person I can depend on to reply,

and she did not mean to reply to me.

[johnnie]

72. Lol

I wasn't directing this at any one person. I just know that it can be frustrating if you expect replies and get none.
I have been here 2 years and I am well past the part where I feel like I must suck..LOL :hi:

[JimmyJazz]

76. I'm just always thankful when people respond to any of my threads!

And, I do try to hit most, if not all of them in response. I look for newbies and people that don't post to me that much and make sure I respond to them.

[JimmyJazz]

64. you didn't sign the attendance book this morning missy!

:P

[miss_kitty]

65. I just asked for a hall pass, ma'am

:hi:

[ComerPerro]

70. Yes, I like when the origional poster responds

And, althought I don't often start threads, when I do I always try to reply to as many posts as I can.

And, I love getting replies to any of my posts anyway.

Actually, I probably spend a good deal of my DU time checking "My Posts" for responses.

Maybe its a bit self-absorbed, but I like to have feedback.

[Lavender Brown]

73. I don't think too much about it

The only thing that bothers me is when the OP responds to everyone in the thread besides me - only because I imagine I must be on their ignore list. I don't really care otherwise.
:shrug:

[dr.strangelove]

74. When I make a comment I don't expect a response, however a question

deserves an anwer. I hate when I ask a question and I get nothing in return.