eterna-paragraph posts 0

[JKK]

Just curious. Do you even bother to read fifty-line posts in one enormous paragraph, when the poster cannot even be bothered to make it more readable? Or do you just look, say "nope nope nope," and move on? I originally tried to post this as a poll, but the forum threw up in the sink.

[RWB]

It can be tough to wade through a poorly written post of any length.

[James Zyskowski]

I’m still new enough that sometimes I feel a duty to respond and try to settle them in so you and others can answer a specific question. I hope that doesn’t sound wrong. I just remember the odd questions from me. Plus it’s a good chance to put into practice what I’m learning. 🤓

[Mohawk]

On 8/21/2021 at 5:39 PM, JKK said:

Just curious. Do you even bother to read fifty-line posts in one enormous paragraph, when the poster cannot even be bothered to make it more readable? Or do you just look, say "nope nope nope," and move on? I originally tried to post this as a poll, but the forum threw up in the sink.

I'm in the nope, nope, nope camp for sure.  If you can't bother to use paragraph breaks, I can't bother to read your post.

Edited August 22, 2021 by Mohawk

[Just Bob]

If it is a new poster, I read it all the way through. I am curious enough to see what they have, and what they want to know, to overlook a poorly written post.

[Mohawk]

On 8/21/2021 at 9:10 PM, Just Bob said:

If it is a new poster, I read it all the way through. I am curious enough to see what they have, and what they want to know, to overlook a poorly written post.

Then you are a better man than I, Bob.  Don't get me wrong, I've been more than prepared and willing to do my fair share of shovel work since coming back home, but I think having multiple paragraphs in a fifty line post should be a given.

[Jason Abshier]

I read them , not like anyone forcing me to read them or not 

[J P M]

I hate to type, I am from the old school of just say what you have to and get back to work. I can be long winded some times  but try to be quick and to the point. I do read the new members post they need the support when just starting out. 

[JKK]

Just to be very clear, I don't have a problem with the length. My problem is with massive posts that don't use some form of paragraph breaking. If people have a lot to say, great--present it so we can read it. But if presented in unreadable form, that basically shows to me as "I can't be bothered; even though I'm the newbie, YOU adjust to ME." And for me, that's nope nope nope, not going to bother.

[Just Bob]

I am much more likely to skip over a regular poster's poorly written or rambling post, since I already know what their normal content is like. I tend to treat newbies with a little more leniency. However, let them develop an attitude, and I am done.

[JT2]

with this arthitis i would have to be in the nope cata gory becasue sometimes it hurts to hit these little keys on this laptop   why do they make the board so small that someone with slightly larger hands hit three keys at a time? 

[Conder101]

On 8/23/2021 at 6:34 AM, JT2 said:

with this arthitis i would have to be in the nope cata gory becasue sometimes it hurts to hit these little keys on this laptop   why do they make the board so small that someone with slightly larger hands hit three keys at a time? 

Can you handle a standard keyboard?  I don't like the keys on the laptop much either, so I have it on a slight raised platform and I has a USB full size keyboard plugged into it.  Gives me the advantages of a lap top (enough power and portable if I need it to be, and usually cheaper) and the typing ease of a desktop.

[JT2]

On 8/26/2021 at 8:34 AM, Conder101 said:

Can you handle a standard keyboard?  I d

10 -4 bud!!  yes sir i have a full on docking station with keyboard, mouse, and dual monitors at home  problem is i only get to use it on the weekends.........all of the other times it is go go go........

[RonnieR131]

I usually skip the ones with no punctuations, small cap letters where they don't belong, etc... Sometimes I read a few so called sentences, but it's so distracting I lose focus on what they're trying to convey, and I read a few more sentences for my own amusement. 

[Mohawk]

I also have to add anything with text message abbreviations gets ignored by me......the first "u", "ur" or "n" that I see, I'm gone.

[JKK]

On 8/27/2021 at 6:31 AM, ronnie stein said:

I usually skip the ones with no punctuations, small cap letters where they don't belong, etc... Sometimes I read a few so called sentences, but it's so distracting I lose focus on what they're trying to convey, and I read a few more sentences for my own amusement. 

I skip all the ones without punctuation because they are completely unreadable seriously people it is not that difficult to find the period even on a cell phone in fact I find it difficult to even write in this way it is obvious that we need to use at least some rudimentary form of sentences in order to be understood the person choosing to write this way is basically saying ur not important enuf 2 bother communicating with but I still expect u 2 go to needless extra trouble in order to help me in such a case I figure nope nope nope life's too short if you can't be bothered that's fine neither can I

[Mohawk]

On 8/27/2021 at 1:39 PM, JKK said:

g ur not important enuf 2 bother communicating with but I still expect u 2 go to needless extra trouble in order to help me in such a case 

Yes, exactly!!! I've put members on my Ignore list for typing that kind of garbage!!! It drives me insane!!  If I receive that kind of garbage in a text message, even, I'll just delete it.  If you cannot bother to use proper English, then I cannot bother to read what you type.

Edited August 27, 2021 by Mohawk

[JKK]

On 8/27/2021 at 2:17 PM, Mohawk said:

Yes, exactly!!! I've put members on my Ignore list for typing that kind of garbage!!! It drives me insane!!  If I receive that kind of garbage in a text message, even, I'll just delete it.  If you cannot bother to use proper English, then I cannot bother to read what you type.

I can live with a few shortcuts depending on context. For example, I rarely use upper case when texting. But texting isn't the same as approaching a group of experienced professionals to seek their help. It's like making an appointment with an important executive who has volunteered his or her time, and showing up to his or her office in need of a bath, wearing torn jeans and a stained wife-beater. And acting like the executive is the bad guy for not appreciating that.

[Mohawk]

On 8/27/2021 at 6:41 PM, JKK said:

I can live with a few shortcuts depending on context. For example, I rarely use upper case when texting. But texting isn't the same as approaching a group of experienced professionals to seek their help. It's like making an appointment with an important executive who has volunteered his or her time, and showing up to his or her office in need of a bath, wearing torn jeans and a stained wife-beater. And acting like the executive is the bad guy for not appreciating that.

Jonathan.....you read my mind!! That's it EXACTLY!!!! You never get a first chance to make a first impression and I cannot think of a worse way to make a bad first impression in our little community here than typing a bunch of text message nonsense.  It's a complete and total turn off to me.  And some shortcuts with texts are okay, like you said.  A lack of upper case letters is perfectly acceptable.....your message is still easily decipherable and understandable.  But all of these stupid abbreviations.......they can quickly send a message into the level of complete and total nonsense on par with what our old pal Slicky-Poo types.

Edited August 27, 2021 by Mohawk

[JKK]

It's very simple. There's another board I frequent, one where the knowledge of the members is vast compared to mine. There, I'm not the authority; I'm the noob. Most there are using English as a second language, so a very slangy approach is a terrible idea. They ask only that one post decent photos, properly oriented if possible, with weight and diameter, then ask a clear question. If I were to show up there with cruddy photos, and ignoring the other guidelines, and writing in some slangy and semi-comprehensible way, they might not be inclined to do extra work in order to help me. They might just find other things to do.

So, to show them respect, I follow their guidelines and ask clear questions. They've been fantastic. If I posted fifty lines of unpunctuated, unbroken crapularity, they might be less inclined. I think their requests are minimal, reasonable, and all to the point of helping them to help me. I should not refuse those simple requests.

[Just Bob]

A related topic:

How do you deal with posters who have obvious psychological or mental issues? I don't mean someone who just wants to argue - I mean someone who may actually have a chemical imbalance, or some other issue. I am no psychologist, nor do I have any experience in that area, but I can often recognize when someone views things much differently than most other people. I am referring to posters who are convinced that there are actual images in their coins that were put there by the mint, or that the mint is secretly re-using old U.S. and foreign coins, sending them back through the presses, or that we are all members of some secret society that is trying to keep prices artificially high (or low). . Some of them obsessively read everything they can get their hands on about their coins or the minting process, and apparently latch on to key words or phrases, often applying them wrongly to their situation. Their posts are often rambling, disjointed things, and they obviously assume that we automatically know exactly what they are talking about, when we rarely do. 

It is easy to criticize them for the way they write or the things they say, but is that always the best response? Does that really improve the situation or solve the problem - not only for them but also for other newbies who read the thread? There is no way for me to view the world the same way they do, so I honestly don't know the best way to respond. My usual approach, once I determine that a poster is not going to agree with my opinion, and is going in a direction that I can't follow, is to just back out of the conversation. I may step in to correct obvious errors that are stated as fact, just to avoid confusion on the part of future readers, but, if I know I can't change someone's mind, I think the best thing for me to do is to stay quiet.

[Woods020]

On 8/28/2021 at 11:50 PM, Just Bob said:

A related topic:

How do you deal with posters who have obvious psychological or mental issues? I don't mean someone who just wants to argue - I mean someone who may actually have a chemical imbalance, or some other issue. I am no psychologist, nor do I have any experience in that area, but I can often recognize when someone views things much differently than most other people. I am referring to posters who are convinced that there are actual images in their coins that were put there by the mint, or that the mint is secretly re-using old U.S. and foreign coins, sending them back through the presses, or that we are all members of some secret society that is trying to keep prices artificially high (or low). . Some of them obsessively read everything they can get their hands on about their coins or the minting process, and apparently latch on to key words or phrases, often applying them wrongly to their situation. Their posts are often rambling, disjointed things, and they obviously assume that we automatically know exactly what they are talking about, when we rarely do. 

It is easy to criticize them for the way they write or the things they say, but is that always the best response? Does that really improve the situation or solve the problem - not only for them but also for other newbies who read the thread? There is no way for me to view the world the same way they do, so I honestly don't know the best way to respond. My usual approach, once I determine that a poster is not going to agree with my opinion, and is going in a direction that I can't follow, is to just back out of the conversation. I may step in to correct obvious errors that are stated as fact, just to avoid confusion on the part of future readers, but, if I know I can't change someone's mind, I think the best thing for me to do is to stay quiet.

I think that’s the only approach. One I’ve had to self evaluate and apply here myself. Once it is determined it’s going nowhere then let it fizzle out. The worst thing we can do is continue to engage. It can only make us (the responder) look bad solely because we want to be respected, learn from others, and be a solid member of the numismatic community. The person posting the garbage could care less. I think we owe it to them to give them the benefit of the doubt and not jump to snap decisions off a post or two, but once the writing is on the wall I think we would all be smart to read it. And that’s as much to me as anyone. 

[JKK]

I ignore them.

I can't help them; I can't teach them; I can't change them. If drawn into debate, I'd be drawn into ridiculing delusions. If I'm the one who isn't insane, I'm the one who's supposed to know better and have some mercy on them. Unfortunately, there's always someone who takes them at face value, and the situation quickly deteriorates to where the only good they can get is from manipulating regulars who cannot resist the urge to wade in. You can tell it's happening when mega-garbage threads keep being paddled back to life just when they appear about to die peaceful deaths. Usually it's the insane person thinking: "Looks like my attention is dying down. Watch. I'll post something preposterous and they'll all come flying in to ridicule me, right on cue. Someone will. Maybe I'll even get a devil's advocate to fight on my side. Works every time."

The only remedy is not to participate. So I don't.

[Coinbuf]

If the thread has not already gotten to the tipping point I will reply if I think I have some useful information to add.   Once the thread has devolved into useless drivel and petty BS I try and stay away and ignore the drama, sometimes I am successful in doing so and sometimes not.

[Mohawk]

On 8/29/2021 at 12:50 AM, Just Bob said:

A related topic:

How do you deal with posters who have obvious psychological or mental issues? I don't mean someone who just wants to argue - I mean someone who may actually have a chemical imbalance, or some other issue. I am no psychologist, nor do I have any experience in that area, but I can often recognize when someone views things much differently than most other people. I am referring to posters who are convinced that there are actual images in their coins that were put there by the mint, or that the mint is secretly re-using old U.S. and foreign coins, sending them back through the presses, or that we are all members of some secret society that is trying to keep prices artificially high (or low). . Some of them obsessively read everything they can get their hands on about their coins or the minting process, and apparently latch on to key words or phrases, often applying them wrongly to their situation. Their posts are often rambling, disjointed things, and they obviously assume that we automatically know exactly what they are talking about, when we rarely do. 

It is easy to criticize them for the way they write or the things they say, but is that always the best response? Does that really improve the situation or solve the problem - not only for them but also for other newbies who read the thread? There is no way for me to view the world the same way they do, so I honestly don't know the best way to respond. My usual approach, once I determine that a poster is not going to agree with my opinion, and is going in a direction that I can't follow, is to just back out of the conversation. I may step in to correct obvious errors that are stated as fact, just to avoid confusion on the part of future readers, but, if I know I can't change someone's mind, I think the best thing for me to do is to stay quiet.

I'm with Jonathan on this one, Bob.  Once we've reached a point where it's clear that someone has a psychological problem, I disengage.  I cannot help such a person, nor am I qualified to.  Like you, I'll correct anything that is said that could be interpreted as being true by future newbies coming to the forum, but beyond that I'm done.  If I cannot help them with their issues, I feel I should disengage.

[Hoghead515]

I try to read some of them. Certain peoples i just scan on by them. Dont waste my time reading them. I think its better to try and get to the point. Its ok to do some explaining but ones that take up half a page i dont bother to read them unless its of some importance by a trusted member. If its one such as the one slick coins wrote about the counterfeit that go on forever and ever i skip it. 

[Mohawk]

On 8/29/2021 at 4:25 PM, Hoghead515 said:

If its one such as the one slick coins wrote about the counterfeit that go on forever and ever i skip it. 

I skip anything with SlickCoins name on it, unless the thread has evolved into something better, such as the museum discussion going on there now.  Thanks to Jonathan for getting that one to a better place!!