Unpost count

[uni57]

Sometimes I craft a reply to a thread, work on the post, correct the spelling, edit for brevity (really!), improve the post, change it around, proof-read it again, think about it, clarify the wording, re-work a paragraph, delete a paragraph, improve the flow, think more deeply about the idea I'm expressing, ...

... and decide it's just not working.

It's not interesting or funny or worthwhile for others to spend their precious time reading. So I delete it.

I delete the post. It's finished (as good as I can make it). And instead of hitting submit, I hit the X on the browser or go back to the list of threads. I've done this with long posts that have taken considerable time to write. And short posts, the most recent being in the Easter Egg thread today. I spend less time on posts that work. Posts that aren't working require time to fix. Sometimes they can be fixed (and get posted) and sometimes they can't (and contribute to my unpost count).

Thoughts? Comments? Who does this? What's your unpost count? Mine's probably about 30 or 40 (over four years).

[harper]

My unpost count is quite a bit higher than yours and quite a bit lower than most would like.

[James_Potter]

I do that a lot too...sometimes I even try to start a new thread, and then think twice and decide not to. There should be a record of how often someone clicks the reply button, compared to how often they actually leave a reply.

[uni57]

Ah, the better posters have higher unpost counts. I shall endeavor to unpost more then.

I wonder if there is a correlation of unpost count and overall quality. On the other hand, I suspect there are those among us who know when to hit the Reply button and when not to, know exactly what they want to say, have the skill to say it well, and make the post. Their unpost count is zero. And then there are the rest of us.

[Hazmat]

Ah, the better posters have higher unpost counts. I shall endeavor to unpost more then.

I wonder if there is a correlation of unpost count and overall quality. On the other hand, I suspect there are those among us who know when to hit the Reply button and when not to, know exactly what they want to say, have the skill to say it well, and make the post. Their unpost count is zero. And then there are the rest of us.
I guess we're all different and that's what makes us unique. Hey at least you made a new thread uni57. :D :D

[uni57]

I guess we're all different and that's what makes us unique. Hey at least you made a new thread uni57. :D :DI only delete a few of my posts. It's not like I have a complex or anything. I'm not worthy! Don't post this! No!!!!!!

What got me thinking about the issue was how much time I occasionally waste by writing a post and throwing it away. But it's better that I waste my own time than waste everybody's time.

[Hazmat]

I only delete a few of my posts. It's not like I have a complex or anything. I'm not worthy! Don't post this! No!!!!!!

What got me thinking about the issue was how much time I occasionally waste by writing a post and throwing it away. But it's better that I waste my own time than waste everybody's time.
You shouldn't feel like that my friend. You're a worthy person and nothing or no-one is going to change that regardless of what they say,do or feel. Also you're always entitled to your opinion and shouldn't think that you're wasting other peoples time. If you wrote something to me. I would definitely read it and wouldn't think you were wasting my time. :D So keep writing. :D :D

Take care
Hazmat

[harper]

What got me thinking about the issue was how much time I occasionally waste by writing a post and throwing it away. But it's better that I waste my own time than waste everybody's time.

This clearly slipped by Hazmat. Put it in bold caps and repost it.

[Hazmat]

This clearly slipped by Hazmat. Put it in bold caps and repost it.
? :confused: ?

[kington99]

Funny I've been thinking about starting this thread for a while, I often start writing a reply and then think , 'who does this actually benefit? am i posting my opinion as fact? am i just trolling? (hence i pretty much avoid gun and religion threads now) am I just time wasting?' I probably unpost about one in ten posts for these reasons, or because I just can't express my self clearly.

[harper]

I probably unpost about one in ten posts for these reasons, or because I just can't express my self clearly.

I don't understand. What do you mean by this?

[JJuggle]

and quite a bit lower than most would like.
It is curious that you know us better than we know ourselves.

[Nepsis]

...at least you post...participate in the community...etc...

[Keldridge]

I find that I "unpost" often too...

I read a thread and type up a reply... Then I sort of have that release of saying whatever I wanted to say... I then feel like what I wanted to say doesn't really matter to the conversation, has been said in so many words by other replies, or whatever... and don't actually post it.

For me, its like saying something without annoying anyone else... :D

Keld

[kington99]

I don't understand. What do you mean by this?

What i meant was... well kindof i meant to say... oh nevermind.

[Hazmat]

What i meant was... well kindof i meant to say... oh nevermind.
He probably means that 1 out of 10 posts he does, he isn't satisfied with them and doesn't put them up. Either that or he finds it hard to say what's on his mind and doesn't type them up because of it. Is that right kington99??

[maestro8]

I "unpost" regularly for two reasons:

1) Sometimes I look at a post and say "does this really contribute anything to the thread?" and realize it's just blather. Sure, it's popular to post complete nonsense on the fora these days, but I'm not one to follow trends. Ctrl + F4, and I'm done with the thread.

2) I'll have written an inflammatory statement and realize the monitor has started smoking, even before I clicked "Submit". I don't want to make any more enemies than I have space to bury them, so when I get too hot-headed to post, it's time to leave the thread. If only our local trolls knew the wrath I've saved them...

Unpost count? I'd say one or two each day I'm on the fora. Whatever that adds up to...

P.S. Dave, what happened, how come we can't argue anymore?

[kington99]

He probably means that 1 out of 10 posts he does, he isn't satisfied with them and doesn't put them up. Either that or he finds it hard to say what's on his mind and doesn't type them up because of it. Is that right kington99??


Or most likely it was joke, pretending that he didn't understand because I said I'd found it difficult to make myself clear. My replied was intended to be in a similarly humorous vane.

[gkmac]

I've unposted about five times I guess, but I very often Edit my posts just after making them. I do it mainly when I express my opinions in such a fashion that other people could misinterpret them wrongly.

Unposting from a thread reveals a bug in the forum search. If you search by username and show results as threads... it will return threads that you've posted in, but it also returns threads that you've unposted in, even ones that as a result of your unposting means you never posted in them.

I picked a thread at random in the Test forum, added a reply to it and then deleted it afterwards. As a result, a search on the username "gkmac" in threads leads to believe that I replied to a recent Test thread by musketman, even though I haven't.

[uni57]

Interesting. Deleting a post AFTER posting it is an advanced form of unposting. I usually don't get that far. I just close the browser or click a different link.

[uni57]

Speaking of closing the browser...

I've been wondering where to put this little factoid. It didn't warrant a new thread. I'll put it here.

For those of us who type in the superior Dvorak keyboard layout, caution! In Internet Explorer, Ctrl-W closes the browser. Unfortunately, it's right next to Ctrl-V, which is paste. I've pasted text into a long post only to have the entire window vanish. Bye, bye post.

I usually need the mouse to copy text in another window, then click back on the forum window. So, my right hand is off the keyboard as a result. Rather than put my hand back on home row and touch-type the Ctrl-V, sometimes I use the hunt-and-peck method and just peck at the V. Once in a while, I end up hitting the W, which closes the window (maybe I carelessly jab and hit both keys).

The keycaps on my keyboard are still in the ancient QWERTY layout, so W is < and V is >.

For those of you who type in QWERTY, you don't have this danger. But why are you using a keyboard layout that was devised in the 1800s? Get with the program!*



* - yeah, I know... I should get with the program and use Firefox. I do, sometimes.

[JJuggle]

But why are you using a keyboard layout that was devised in the 1800s?
Why could you possibly care?

[kington99]

For those of you who type in QWERTY, you don't have this danger. But why are you using a keyboard layout that was devised in the 1800s? Get with the program!*


Because it's the one I've learnt to use, the one that comes with any computer I buy, the one I have to use all day in university computing facilities, the only one available for any laptops I use and the one i will be expected to use in any future job. I can't see much benefit in forking out for a different keyboard for my PC and confusing myself using two different keyboard layouts.

[maestro8]

I've pasted text into a long post only to have the entire window vanish. Bye, bye post.
Even worse, I often work with a text editor called "emacs" in which Ctrl + W is the default key combination for cutting a region of text.

After hours of working in emacs, if I dare try a cut-and-paste in any Windoze browser, goodbye thread! Meh.

It's happened more than once. I just don't bother posting diatribes anymore.

[johnfoss]

I unpost sometimes, but probably not often enough. I post too often. More commonly I will edit my posts after submitting. Most of the long ones I'll read back to see if they still come across the way they're supposed to. I also do a lot of editing and revising on my longer posts.

Respect for all of you that unpost! Too bad more of us are not so thoughtful!

Is it possible to delete a reply after the edit time limit is up?

[JJuggle]

Because it's the one I've learnt to use, the one that comes with any computer I buy, the one I have to use all day in university computing facilities, the only one available for any laptops I use and the one i will be expected to use in any future job. I can't see much benefit in forking out for a different keyboard for my PC and confusing myself using two different keyboard layouts.
Don't stoop to defending a practice that requires no defense.

Ask him why he continues to use an alphabet developed 2000 years ago.

[kington99]

Don't stoop to defending a practice that requires no defense.

Ask him why he continues to use an alphabet developed 2000 years ago.

Hmm, the QWERTY keyboard was designed to stop the keys jamming on old typewriters, the use of keyboards has changed dramtically, to the point that this is a totallly irrelevant factor, and a different deisgn may well be more appropriate. I don't think that the requirements we place on our alphabet have changed so much.

[JJuggle]

I don't think that the requirements we place on our alphabet have changed so much.
Fair enough. But that it was designed in the 1800s then is completely irrelevant. :)

[monkeyman]

Ah, the better posters have higher unpost counts. I shall endeavor to unpost more then.

I've been trying to unpost more recently. I've realized that there is toooooo much crap on the forums, and some of the stuff I'm posting isn't helping. At least I'm trying.

[dudewithasock]

+1

Sorry, someone had to.

[TheObieOne3226]

I would say 1 in 4 of my posts are deleted before postage.

[uni57]

I typed a reply to Raphael in this thread. Then I deleted it without posting it.

[monkeyman]

I typed up a hilariously witty response to Dave about the irony of him talking about a post he deleted (so that he wouldn't make a bad post, of course).

Then I realized that I'm not funny. :(

[dudewithasock]

Then I realized that I'm not funny. :(

'Bout time.

[GhettoSmurf]

half of my would-be posts are un posts
icall them abortions.

i almost aborted this post as well

[Jerrick]

I think I have done it about 5 times.

Mainly, ill type out a nice long debate about something, then look at it, and just delete it all, or stop half way through cause its not worth it.

[mill_mobile]

I do this quite a bit too, not as much on here as i do the other forum i am a member of though.
I take time to right out what i think will be a good post, once finished i read it over, try change a few things if it doesn't seem to flow..... If i cant get it to flow, feel its a useless post that noone will care about, think it will cause trouble, or just cant be bothered hitting the submit button, i too move the mouse up to the X and click or just go back to other posts and read.
I think this is a very common thing for everyone!!!!