UKC

As a general  rule of thumb I don't read threads that go past 50 contributions. It seems to me that by  the 50th comment everything worth saying has been said at least once and later entries seem to be either repetitious or have descended into arcane personal spats of no interest to anyone but the hardened keyboard warriors concerned.

Does anyone else set their own arbitrary cut off?

I’m the opposite and am drawn in to the long threads as I always think there might be something interesting going on there.

As an aside, UKC is unusual in not allowing long running threads and not paginating long threads. This sets up a peculiar dynamic of oft repeated themes and attention seeking threads.

Contrast this with almost every other forum I visit (the other channel for a start but also Bikeradar, Supertopo, Electrical Audio, various natural history etc), there are threads on these which become old friends. The successful ones are representative of the interests of forum members and can be really informative. When they’re paginated there’s no obligation to troll through the whole thing.

In my opinion UKC should move to this model.

10 posts max. Snoose you loose.

It’s a factor but also depends on the thread title and the OP. If they’re engaging I’ll scan read the replies.

I'd like to see posts being achieved less promptly too.

Most forums never archive. It’s only because UKC have written their own forum software that it’s so unusual.

I wouldn’t like the ten posts max thing. I like to get a flavour of which way the debate is going before I post a load of shit

Argh, archive, not achieve. Right, I see. 

I have a cut off. As soon as Wiley Coyote2 posts, I'm out.

Ooops

I hate paginated threads. UKC works just fine.

Threads that descend into tit-for-tat between two intransigent souls get rather tedious. They're generally the cause of the longer-running threads.

Good call!

After 60 posts all threads revert to the mean, i.e. Rom and Postmanpat having argument about semantics.

Or Jon and Coel arguing over the nature of Islam (Jon's right BTW).

Yes it does but it could be better.

Paginating threads won't make it better; they are shit...

Can you explain your objection to this very particular thing?

Two reasons:

1) I prefer scrolling to having to keep clicking 'next page'. It's just a pain in the arse

2) Saving a thread in entirety is much easier; simply not possible with paged threads

It usually takes me 50 posts to get on the internet.

At 100 post I'm ready to compose a pithy, one sentence entry.

By 150 posts somebody has usually changed the subject anyway.

Depends on the topic. Pub and Off Belay often don't revisit after 50-100 posts depending on content of earlier replies. Rocktalk, Gear etc tend to be shorter anyway and quite often later posts have useful information. Also, possibly because I don't have a smartphone and am often away from own internet access  I may look at older threads. In some older threads I start at last reply and read back, often deciding its not worthwhile.

I like UKC closing threads with no recent responses. If a subject is worthwhile it will be raised again and particulaly on climbing topics its surprising how often new information comes up. It makes UKC different from say Mountain Project (incidentally the ability to respond to ancient posts there doesn't prevent new threads on exactly the same subject). 

I 

I was going to read your post but rule of thumb is once it's past 20 replies I don't bother ! 😉

Not reading past 50 posts would have meant you missed most of this epic thread: https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/expedition+alpine/eiger_north_face-608172