How long before you tire of a thread here?

[Corinnguard]

How many of you stick around on a thread where the participants are posters you happen to know, or happen to be familiar with?

 

[payn]

How many of you stick around on a thread where the participants are posters you happen to know, or happen to be familiar with?

Usually, I get into threads because of such folks. Though, they and myself usually fade out in the later pages.

 

[Reynard]

How many of you stick around on a thread where the participants are posters you happen to know, or happen to be familiar with?

There are definitely some combinations of sparring posters that I enjoy watching.

 

[Clint_L]

How many of you stick around on a thread where the participants are posters you happen to know, or happen to be familiar with?

I'll automatically engage with a Snarff thread.

 

[Deset Gled]

Most threads here are pretty good. What happens is branching, where the point of conversation shifts in another direction and a few people go that way, then another branch in another direction, then the original conversation is still going. SO often you can post early in a thread (my MO), but when you return to it hours later, there are three different conversations going on. Which, I actually think is good and bad, but if I can't find anything interesting in any of those conversations

IMNSHO, this is the opposite of the problem most people have. Branching can be a good thing. When people post information that is actually new, interesting, or innovative, threads can be very long and still be very interesting.

However, the problem that the OP is talking about isn't branching. It's circling. Whirlpooling. Death spiraling. There are certain topics that seem to pull in the exact same arguements with the exact same talking points and the exact same posters over and over again. Over time, I've actually become suspicious that there may be posters who keyword search for certain terms, then latch onto threads like a rabid badger as soon as they see one of their pet topics get mentioned in passing, pulling the thread into their favorite death spiral with no regard to what the thread was originally about.

Generally speaking, I don't mind when people have particular interests. But there times/people on ENWorld that make it feel like you're not allowed to even mention certain words without risking a thread being derailed and sucked into one of these zombie circle talks. I've modified my vocabulary here to avoid problems. And an ignore list helps, too, of course. But it only takes one member of a clique to latch on and the rest of the group will show up and swarm.

 

[Autumnal]

I tend to tire pretty quickly, since there is a tendency for reiterating points over and over and entrenching in one's positions.

Well, okay, as far as it goes, but I have to reiterate…

[The ensuing strange noises off are revealed during a slow pan to be from Bruce getting stuffed into a sousaphone, which is in turn being folded in unusual, even remarkable, ways by angry homunculi.]

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

I stay engaged if:

• the topic is educating me on something I’m interested in. So, sparring over a specific rulesy thing can be good if the debate is showing two sides and constantly bring in new evidence to show specific points of view.
• someone asks for a creative outlook on a problem and the community is actively engaging on the subject.

When I disengage:

• when two people have a circular argument and never add any new evidence to support their perspective. Honestly, if you have derailed a thread so much that you have been the only ones posting for two pages, please take to DMs. Otherwise, it’s just rude.
• when threadcrapping outpost the productive posts
• when I get emotionally invested. This one is hard and it has taken me time to learn. Sometimes I have to decide it’s not worth my time to post. I’m here for my enjoyment and, if a thread is making me angry, it’s time to go, regardless of how much I want to post.
• when I’ve read the first post but realize it already has 200 posts and there’s no way I’m going to catch up.

 

[DinoInDisguise]

I lurk in any thread that contains topics that interest me. I don't know enough people, well enough, to really care about who the posters are.

I generally limit my posting to what I think can be productive. Which leads me to reading but not replying to many responses, just because I have nothing productive to add. This also limits any chance I get emotionally charged, which is a good thing. Did that once, regret it immensely.

As for disengaging, a few things will make me disengage immediately, politics and hostility. I have no interest in being lectured on politics over the internet and have even less interest in hostile responses. I will also disengage pretty quick if people are dismissive or claiming proof without providing anything. It's just an exercise in frustration in those cases.

I'm a pretty simple guy. Keep it respectful, kind and about the game. If a thread meets those, I will at-least lurk for a bit.