What are your deterrent words and length in an Enworld's post

[Turanil]

So, I saw a thread which subject title attracted my attention. Then, beginning to read it I notice that the starting post is hideously long, and I wonder if I will have the courage to read it in its entirety. Then, two lines later I stumble upon the words "Forgotten Realms" and at that I stop and goes back to the list...

This got me thinking: what are the words and the length of a post that discourage you to read it further. Myself I don't like too long posts, and there are subjects I am simply not interested in: Forgotten Realms; Min-maxing; Help me choose a feat/class/spell/etc.; Gameday (don't even know what it is); Dragon/Dungeon magazine issue #XXX. And well, that's all that I remember (to shun almost automatically) for the moment.

What about you?

 

[Crothian]

not certain words...though rant usually gets me...or a certain length, but the long posts that don't ever say anything bug me.

 

[Morrus]

Formatting usually does - if the post isn't formatted reasonably tidily, I can't read it. I also don't tend to read anything that is setting-specific.

 

[der_kluge]

I won't read any Eberron thread, or any thread about some 1st edition modules. All those "your experience with..." threads I've never read, since I've never played or ran any of those old modules.

I usually always like to read the ones that look like they'll into a great flamewar, but not if they've already gotten to 10 pages, and then I just don't have the time to read the entire thing.

 

[IronWolf]

I'm with Morrus. Formatting is the biggest thing to keep me from reading a thread. If there are no paragraph breaks or the person posted forgetting that some us use the Stealth skin and light text doesn't show up there. Either one of those and I will pass on by.

I don't play Eberron, but I will read Eberron posts. I can often find something useful even from threads that aren't about a campaign setting I play. Same with lots of other areas, there are lots of people here with a lot of experience, so I try to take it all in. Unless of course the poster couldn't take the time to format it in a legible manner (and really, these cases are rare).

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

I'm with Morrus: formatting is the worst sin.

After that, it's length. And when it's poorly formatted--e.g., no paragraph breaks--well, that's the kiss of death.

I'll read most any topic. Edition wars get old quickly. And I skip threads about Order of the Stick because someone usually posts a "OotS is hilarious!" thread about once a week.

 

[Darkness]

Same here - formatting, then length.

 

[the Jester]

If a post runs off my screen, it better be good or it'll lose my attention.

Poor formatting is a huge turn-off for me too.

I have very little interest in threads on campaign stuff for published worlds I dislike- FR, DL, etc.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I will read anything but it is the mouse over I use, if what shows in it does not grab me I move on.

 

[mythusmage]

In no particular order:

Formatting, spelling, grammar, compositon. If the post manages to be interesting I can over look any or all of the above, but a post that is poorly formatted, has bad spelling and bad grammar, and reads like a government regulation is very rarely interesting. When it is interesting it is invariably by somebody for whom English is a newly learned second language.

Beyond that, posts that really have nothing to say, antagonistic posts, and posts that miss the point. Thread crapping needs to be flushed as soon as it's discovered. Threadjacking, on the other hand, I'll tolerate because it's dang hard keeping people focused when you can't whack them upside the head.

What else ...

Insults and other forms of personal attacks. Polemics. Me too posts that quote long essays in their entirety. Posts that reiterate what another has said, adding nothing to the conversation. Posts that reiterate what the poster has said, adding nothing to the conversation. Posts that disagree with another post not because of what the original post says, but because of who posted that post.

And misanthropic powertrip fantasies.

That pretty much covers it.