When a thread or reply is over a couple of paragraphs long do you....

[INTELBYTES]

Man, I may be petty but I hate the replies or threads look more like a thesis than a statement. Sometimes I wonder if those long-winded posters are just trying to impress us with their letter count and not their substance.

So what do you do when you see a reply that takes over a page?

[KCDem]

1. depends on how interested in the subject matter I am

And who the person is. Normally, I read a little and then give up.

[blondeatlast]

2. MY NAME IS BLONDEATLAST AND I AM A FRIEND OF SKITTLES.

I've been guilty myself. But I'm trying to reform.

[DuctapeFatwa]

3. My impression is that there is a small, and very precious reading minority

and it is probably a larger % than you would find in the general US population.

[fleetus]

4. Depends on the subject.

And how well written it is.

Sometimes people have a point that takes longer than a sentence or two to make. As long as their text flows along nicely, I'll usually read (and enjoy) the longer posts.

[DustMolecule]

5. I enjoy reading a lot of them

First, I'm impressed with the overall writing ability of many DUers. Secondly, when I see a long post, to me it (usually) signifies that the writer is passionate and/or very knowledgable about the particular issue/subject. A lot of time and effort goes into writing a long piece, so if they took the effort to write it, I feel obliged to at least start reading the first few paragraphs and decide if it's worth continuing. I feel reading a few 'long' ones can be much more valuable than reading 100 short 'sound-bit' ones (sometimes).

[INTELBYTES]

6. kick