What influences you the most in reading messages? Is it the topic / subject, the person that started it, the board it is located in or the aura of how it was presented?
These are the factors (in order) which influence me to read a post.
Board it is posted in
General topic it covers
How the topic is presented ie how the question/issue is posed.
I dont usually care who has posted because I trust the posters in this forum to put out good thought-provoking topics.
I read a lot of posts, as many as I can, but I don't always respond because I don't always have something to say (believe it or not!). If I don't have anything constructive to add, I won't reply to a thread that has "said it all" already. Just adding my "I agree" isn't really necessary (and it's hard to say that in 15 words )
So, I read based on:
Topic - Is it something I'm interested in?
Board - Some boards (like T&T, entertainment) I don't know much about
Who - I have my faves
"Aura" - Is the title presented well?
Roz
Here is the list of my preferences, I added 'person who last posted' because this can also apply in replying to a thread:
Board- I usually post answers to the hot topics board first and this is one of the first places I go after logging on. The boards are important for me to find the topics that I'm interested in posting in or even just to look at the different boards to get an idea of what topic looks good to post in if I don't have any other topic in mind. Also, I am trying to post in the zero replies board more.
Topic/Subject- I think most people like to reply in topics that they are interested in and/or know something about.
Person who posted last- This is not really important to me, but I listed it third because it is a bit more notable than who started the thread. A thread can be started by anyone and be full of great and informative replies or not so much.
Person who started thread- Again, not real important to me.
Aura- This is least on my list because people can surprise you with anything that they may have to say or that they may know that I never would have guessed. As for the style and/or wording of the post, I try to just get the meaning without worrying too much about that.
Topic - the most relevant. I usually answer only posts from the hot topics, so various topics are presented, from different boards. If the topic is interesting, I will reply.
Person who last replied - There are several people with whom I tend to share opinions, or like the same subjects, so if they have replied, maybe I will find the thread enjoyable as well.
Person who started it - If the person who created it is not a member anymore, or is not that active, or has a past of bad posts, I will be more probable to skip the post.
Aura- the aura of the thread might be important in first impression and attracting my eye and rousing the curiosity. Nothing more, though.
Board - as long as the subject is interesting, I don't much care about the board it is in.
My father used to be an Advertising Manager for a National Newspaper and one thing he thought me is no matter what the content it is the title that wins and woos the client. Hence you will notice that the posts of the Bots are mostly intriguing and 'colorful'.
When I became a moderator, I tried to look through all the topics, especially in my particular boards, looking for any new messages. Of course, I fell further and further behind.
Finally, a tiny, tiny light bulb lit above my head, when I clicked on the "Hot Topics" button. D'oh!
Now, as soon as I log on, I hit the "Hot Topics", then proceed from the bottom of the list upwards. The only problem with this is that since I frequently hit the forum in small chunks of time, I may come back to the forum to find that I was automatically updated so that a lot of topics show that they are "read" already.
I try to read every message and topic. I feel it is part of my responsibility here.
First, I check out the "Hot Topics" and see what others are talking about. From that list, I find topics/titles that interest me and look at them. If it is a bit slow or I do not see anything that particularly peaks my interest, then I go to specific boards and look for topics/titles of interest. Finally, if I am still searching for material, I will not check "who started the topics", but rather check "who posted last" and maybe that will spark me to read on. I have to admit it, I do look for the enforcers as the last replies...GOOD ADVICE FOR WHAT NOT TO DO AT TIMES!
Just me,
Vincenzo
Edited: Vincenzo on 16th Feb, 2005 - 3:33am