why do some posts

Post Reply New Topic

Why do some posts on Wrongplanet get no replies and others get many?

Is there some unwritten rule of how to write a post that will get replies or comments?

Is this one of those social skills I just will never really figure out?

I think it's largely random.

No, I don't think there's an unwritten rule about it. Posting depends on many factors such as:
1) Is the topic interesting
2) is it in the correct forum for the topic - where people likely to be interested might be browsing
3) who's online or will be online soon - there are times most of WP has almost zero traffic due to differing time zones etc and some posts simply get snowed under by newer posts in popular forums.
4) The special interests forums don't get so many visitors except from those with similar interests

You can see when each forum last had a new post - we can see that some forums get a lot more attention than others, but they're not always deserving of that attention! For instance PPR and News/Current get more than their fair share, whereas specialised forums such as Maths, Science and Computers for example, don't get a lot of traffic. Sometimes the most interesting stuff might not break the popularity stakes, but somehow politics and suchlike seem to draw more attention simply due to controversial posts...

It depends on the topic. Some topics I have posted didn't get any replies. Usually if I create a thread in the television and film section I don't get many replies unless the topic is about American media. But most of the movies and music I like aren't very popular among Aspies. It seems Star Wars threads get loads of replies and other boring geeky stuff like that, and music like metal and rock seem to be more common among Aspies than pop music. I prefer pop music.

If you add Trump or Elon Musk into the title of a thread it might get 100 replies before you can blink.

I think it's mostly the luck of the draw. But I suppose if somebody took the trouble to do an analysis of the subjects that got the most replies, they could figure out a way of "winning" like that. Me, I can't be bothered, because it would be too much work and it would feel contrived. It wouldn't make me intrinsically popular or interesting, it would just show that I could wear a popular mask. It would also involve my creating threads I wasn't necessarily interested in, which would bore me even if it interested others, so it would become a burden to me. I very rarely create threads anyway, because I never got many views or replies when I did. I prefer to just comment on existing topics, which sometimes attracts replies and sometimes doesn't. It's much the same on Facebook.

There's something about creating a topic and seeing it ignored that stings more than making a reply that gets ignored. At least with an apparently ignored reply it's possible that people have read it with interest without it causing them to say anything about it - with a topic, you can see how many views it's had, and if few people have viewed it, it's harder to deny that they were uninterested.

If we had "like" buttons here it might help - I often use them on Facebook when I'm interested by a comment but can't think of anything worth adding to it.

I think there are some rules.

1. The topic has to relate to something the poster experienced, not something broadly general like a news report or some of the vague questions I notice a certain user makes a lot of posts of. If it is too general it doesn't feel like a conversation when you reply so it is less enticing to reply.

2. The topic or experience described has to relate to something the reader experienced as well, to entice them to reply, so they can share it. This isn't something the poster can control.

3. The topic can't have been talked about a lot already, otherwise the readers will feel like they've said all they have to say a few times already and won't be enticed to reply.

Yes.

You just exposed our "unwritten rule"!

We all conspire with each other (we all pm'd each other and we all agreed to take the blood oath) here on WP, and we all agreed to "not respond to any original post made by Fenn".

Just kidding.

No. Like some TV pilots become popular series that go on for decades, and some TV pilots flop at the start. Its just random. The public here is like the TV watching public - fickle.

Original posts differ by how interesting the content is to others. They also differ by how they are phrased. If your OP is framed as a question it invites an answer when saying the same thing as a declarative sentence would not invite a response.

Threads like "what was your craziest latest dream" go on for years. Others dont get any responses at all. Largely because in Dream threads the responders get to talk about their own experiences.

The site is weighted toward the US because of its majority American membership. So if your OP says anything (good or bad) about Trump, or mentions guns at all, you will get a blizzard of Americans responding. But if you mention the election in the Central African Republic you might not get a response.

I think I don't get many responses because I am the type to relate: I relate. You relate. I relate. I don't like to ask questions or offer direct advice. And perhaps I am not easily relatable. I notice that in some of my in-person Autism groups, even amongst ASD folks, I am different amongst the different. At work it is the same. Either that or I need to change my name and style to that of John Smith who is relatable.

I've noticed some people make threads but they don't ask a question or ask if anyone else has had the same experience. They're just summaries of what the OP experienced, or general statements.
When that happens I don't know if I'm supposed to add my own story or not.
Then I wait to see how other people reply.

Another thing I notice with some people is their thread title doesn't match the post.
They'll be close enough but seem opposites in terms of what they're asking.
Example: (Sorry it's hard to make one up)

Title: Are red cars faster than blue cars?
Post: I had a car but it broke down so now I take the bus.

I see that type of thing a lot, where I don't know what the person wants to say.
I don't recall you doing it Fenn, but I'm answering in general about threads I don't answer.

I might find a topic interesting but I just don't have anything to say about it. Or someone asked a question or advice and I have no answer or advice to give. Or it's about something I haven't experienced so I don't have anything I can add. Sometimes the topic seems very personal and it feels intrusive to comment on it. It doesn't mean it wasn't worth reading, or reading the responses.

Posts which contain just a link or a youtube video. If they can’t even be bothered to add a comment then I can’t be bothered to read it.

I don't comment on a lot of posts because either I can't relate or I know nothing about the topic that is brought up. Nothing personal!