Deep or shallow forum posts?

General Discussion
1

I often have two forms of posts:
A max. 2 paragraph short thing about a certain topic, something funny, obscure, or a filler and the spicy opinion of today.

Then we have a multiple paragraph, critical, volatile, judgemental, direct, thoughtful thread ramming itself DEEP into the ropic, and as quick as it gets in, it gets even quicker out. Because I can’t be bothered to write an essay. It’s often something critical, where I’m much more serious. See my “Should we revert to Season 8?” post.

Anf of course there is a thing in between. Like this thread.
Now, what kind of thread is the best? Make it too long and people will lose interest, too short and it looks like it’s not worth even bothering to think about it.
Then there are replies - replies get attention and keep the momentum up. So you should do what you can to get your replies. But at the same time, it should be funny, or a quality read - simply something good. But people don’t like it too deep and long, nobody wants to read an essay on their free time.
No sane person, that is.
So a deep thread is a good read, but the lack of replies limits how much people see and discuss it.

…Why even post here to begin with. If I don’t want to read essays on free time, why do I then bother with… this? This right here, I’ve… I’ve lost what this is even about. It should’ve been an easy in-easy out thread, now I’m questioning the fourth plane of reality. Only a matter of time before everyone stopped reading and I can finally close this damn long write. But why stop now when this feels like the right path? To freedom? Is it really worth everything - anything else we could get done? Not only questioning what we like, no, I also just have to blow up the dam and now I’m holding the shotgun against myself and daring my other self to shoot. Easy food for thought, that. You’d think a consciousness would act in the present rather than dwell on the past.
But only through reflection do we evolve past our own selves and avoid the mistakes we once have done, with all their consequences. Only by seeing what we can do better, we actually move forward.
If we choose to not go with time, we go with time.
Great. We’ve come full circle.
Are you… Are you gone? Ugh, FINALLY, I can wrap this thing up.

So… do you like your threads short or long? Superficial or deep?

7 Likes
2

the threads that are the shallowest get the most engagement usually. People aren’t really here to have their opinions challenged in an open-minded detailed discussion, theyre here to farm likes and read takes that they disagree with because anger is stimulating and addictive. At least that’s what I observe

The first reply is usually unrelated to the thread, a quip or popular but probably wrong take of forum dogma, just to ratio the OP and discussion follows the reply and maybe the title of the thread instead of the content of the OP. Said first reply is usually posted by one of a small group of people who are here all of the time and seem to only want to farm likes or repeat the same unrelated things

6 Likes
3

I may have written stuff with 50+ paragraphs before……maybe :sweat_smile:

2 Likes
4

I like a healthy mix of silly as funk & super in-depth analysis. Both types have an important role on the OW forums :relieved:

4 Likes
5

This is a serious place for serious discussion!

:pouting_cat: :smile_cat:

6

I like reading both the deep & thoughtful threads with big ideas to ponder, and the short punchy & often joke-y threads. Overall I’d say I have a slight preference for the deeper, more meaningful topics tho. I wish I could write such threads myself tbh, but I barely possess the intellect required to operate a microwave oven, so I think it’s best I leave that stuff for the people who actually know their stuff, y’know c:

4 Likes
7

Me Gen Z

Me have attention span that of squirrel :chipmunk:

What were talking about again?

Gyat, Skibidi :open_mouth:

2 Likes
8

Honest opinion?

Issue with moderation or lack of for medium or longer posts.
Going full off topic or derailing the topic is not something where mods will intervene. You have to actively moderate your own thread, which is well just somewhat feasible.

9

I’d rather someone wrote a well thought out paragraph, than go on a rant for three pages about nothing.

That being said. If they have several well written paragraphs on the same topic, I’m not averse to longer posts.

Today I read a small novel someone had chat GPT vomit up… and I can honestly say that approach to forum posts is not very engaging at all. I don’t want to read the crazed hallucinations of a large language model.

6 Likes
10

I’ll be honest, I don’t care for the longer posts. I’ve played since 2016, and I couldn’t give a hoot or howl about the balance; if I’m having fun, I’m playing. If I’m not, I’m not. That’s what most of the longer posts come down to.
If it’s about a single thing in the game (i.e; one hero’s changes, or one gamemode, one map, etc) then I’ll give it a read over and maybe share my experience/opinion, but the whole thing altogether? Eh. It is what it is.

Shorter, funnier threads are usually where the humanity is. People just having a good time chatting about this or that, sharing music videos, all the nice things. I know you gotta mix some dismal despair in with the sunshine and rainbows, but, you know… I get enough just existing sometimes. :sob:

3 Likes
11

I do this a lot. I can’t help myself :upside_down_face:

1 Like
12

It is hilarious, I will write 15-20 paragraphs to my prison pen pal and always feel as if I am coming up short. If I write more than 2 paragraphs here, I assume nobody is reading past the first. I am usually pretty concise because every time I have tried to have a real discussion, we did not end up having a real discussion. That’s fine, though, it’s still better than YouTube or Twitter.

13

Short or long, doesnt matter. Ive made both, most people who actually make posts have. At the end of the day who cares? 99% of the garbage posted here is, in fact, complete garbage.

I come here to vent and rant about the disgusting design choices Blizzard makes, and to keep my ability to reason and think on the fly sharp, because Id rather argue and insult people over Overwatch than to deal with the alternative argument subject, aka politics.

Political talks with random humans is a far more cancerous thing to deal with than someone having a bad take on a video game. Id even argue with AKJ before I talk politics with a stranger.

3 Likes
14

This would be similar to going to a preschool to debate theology. You are going to end up as sharp as a used butter knife, son.

15

Except for how it isnt? I came to the place that likes to debate about game design to debate game design, which is what I do.

And no matter what topic you debate about, how you go about forming and articulating your thoughts is all the same, same with deconstructing someone elses words.

I didnt say I came here to be captain of the debate team, its just that you either use it or lose it, so when Im bored enough I come here and waste time.

16

You are off to a great start, Calcium. I can see that I am truly eating my buttery words right now. That was the perfect response that really got me to think twice about the intellectual integrity of a video game forum. Well done!

17

Hey no problem man, if you want to be like me some day you should try posting on the Overwatch forums

1 Like
18

I tend to prefer essays, actually. A topic should be worth both the writer and reader’s time. Mostly I want a topic that can be discussed instead of something shallow.

Likes don’t concern me so much. That said, if I manage to get a few, it means the topic was worth it to someone.

2 Likes