Do people read threads?

[Fuji Abound]

I have been around PPRuNe long enough even if I post less these days but still find myself wondering how many follow, or even partially follow, a thread.

I ask because in some cases it is almost as if people are determined to comment on the original question regardless of what has gone before. The current thread on zone transits is a case in point; if you distill all the posts the vast majority amount to saying the same thing.

Now I dont mind, and its nothing to do with me anyway. I also understand that people like contributing even if they have nothing knew to say - which is also fine.

I just wondered how people approach a new thread.

Do you read through the posts, do you scan read most of the posts, do you just read the last few, or do you just look at the original question or comment?

Do you like to add your thoughts, even if they are the same or very similiar to previous posts?

[Heston]

Well I've read all of this thread so far!
:ooh:
H

[Heston]

Actually I do find it annoying when I make what seems to me to be a killer point in a post, nobody notices it at the time (at least nobody comments on it) and then six pages later someone makes the same point as if its a brand new revelation...

Read the thread FFS!

H

[fattony]

I start at the beginning and read all the posts before commenting. That's unless I've been following the thread from the beginning, in which case I just read the new posts.

Personally, I don't like to post something if it has already been stated. However, it can be useful if there are several opinions on a subject for each individual to post their view even if it is the same as previous posts. That way you get a sense of whether there is a common view among PPRuNers.

One reason why sometimes people post the same view is that it takes time to compose, read, correct and submit your post. During that time someone else may submit a post that says the same thing as the post you're about to make.

[chrisN]

I try to read all that has gone before if I have a comment, but not necessarily otherwise.

It became a real problem on the AF447 threads, which amounted to thousands of posts. Newcomers clearly didn’t even try, and asked the same old questions or came up with same old disproved/discredited theories as others before, wasting everyone’s time except their own.

And one who looked a bit like a troll changed name apparently and started on his/her particular obsessions all over again - spotted by somebody else, and he/she never denied it.

Chris N.

[Swerve550]

I read the title, then I read the thread up until the point that it descends into needless bickering over who has the greater technical knowledge of aviation.

In other words, usually after four or five posts.

[4_blues]

Despite the 'Im New Here' declaration I have been on PPRuNe for a number of years and retired my previous 'handle' for a few reasons.

To answer your questions Fuji, I read some threads post by post and scan the others. I rarely add to the discussion as having only been in aviation a few years feel I am not properly qualified or experienced to have anything worthwhile to say. But thats not to say I don't spend a lot of time (too much 'her indoors' would argue!) reading, considering and learning from many of the discussions.

I gleam a lot of information from threads which are particularly relevant to me, be they current topics or some very old threads. Only this morning I was reading through a thread from 2005 to try answer a question I had.

Generally, as a rule of thumb, I find only the first page or two (three on occasion) to actually be useful. Anything after that has normally sidetracked the original post and has entered a new discussion around a new topic, or more often than not a willy waving contest. PPRuNe seems victim to this more than most other forums I visit. I have often wondered the reason for this.

I find if a topic comes along which I can comment on it is crucial that I find it early on and make my post. If I don't see it for two or three days I don't comment as although I do have input to share it would be entirely out of context on Page 5.

My rambles,
4B

[Pilot DAR]

Yeah, like to do most of my landings with full flaps... Oh, wait, it looks like I did not read the threat first.....

Yes, I read everything written in a thread before I formulate reply. To me, it speaks to the purpose of the whole exercise. Those who would only write, with little if any reading beforehand, would appear to me to hold that attitude that what they have to write is more important than anyone else's opinion. Happily, I often read and find that what I would have written, has been said. Unless to reinforce and support the other post, there's not much point in repeating it!

I do agree with ChrisN, that some threads are just too volumous to read everything. Though there would be important information in there, by that point, I usually won't take the time to read to get it - but I won't post either!

I suppose it's about the same as "listen before you speak"!

[ShyTorque]

Haven't we just had another thread like this? :rolleyes:

:E

[JW411]

I would not dream of making any comment on a thread unless I had taken the trouble to read the whole thing from the beginning. To do anything else is very stupid and is likely to end in tears.

Always remember one of the most important unwritten laws of aviation:

"Engage brain before opening mouth".

[S-Works]

Personally I think the A4 size kneeboard is to big. I much prefer to write everything on the bag of a crisp packet.

[dublinpilot]

I always read the thread before posting. Though obviously when following a thread for a few days, it may be a few days since I read the earlier posts ;)

[stickandrudderman]

What's this thread about again?;)

[peterh337]

I would not dream of making any comment on a thread unless I had taken the trouble to read the whole thing from the beginning

That's an interesting comment.

For P p r u n e it is probably correct, in that reading through the threads before posting is usually worth doing, and few threads run to a great length (the AF447 one was a different case entirely...). For Flyer it is probably a sub optimal strategy because they get very long threads in which few people bother to write more than 1 line.

Going back to searching, it is perhaps suprising that most people don't know how to do that effectively. There is a definite knack to it. It comes back to google, and it is usually much more effective to search forums using google than by using the forum's own search function! And google has a whole pile of its own tricks.

[RTN11]

So we're running out of topics to discuss, and have resorted to talking about what we talk about :}

I usually skim the first page, if it spills over to 2-3 I would read through the longer posts, before posting, If it's already 5+ pages I usually don't bother adding my 2p.

If it's something I've already posted on I would find my previous posts and try to read the ones after to see if they're relevant, but agree with the above when you make what you consider a killer point, and noone responds it is frustrating, especially when you then see a very similar point made in a couple of pages time.