How often do you respond to a question without reading the details?

Rarely, which is why I usually won’t respond to long essays about “my boyfriend didn’t apologize for farting”.

On Fluther, I pretty much always read the details, even if they are volumes thick (some of the relationship questions are like that). I’ve found that the details are often slightly, or very different from the OP’s question, or if not different, the details give you something you need to provide a decent, well thought out answer.

If I’m reading the newspaper, I often skim the headlines. I think newspapers, because they are professionally run organizations, as opposed to a site like Fluther, which is mostly laypersons, goes out of its way to make sure the headlines are clear and concise, rather than misleading. I don’t think people on Fluther try to be misleading on purpose, it’s just that sometimes, the questions are not exactly telling the whole story, but the inside details usually do. If not, I will ask the OP for clarification. Sometimes I get clarification, sometimes I get yelled at and told that I’m mean, or that I’m a bully for daring to ask a question about an unclear detail. I’m about as far from being a bully as the sun is from Pluto.

If the details are really long, I’m guilty of skim reading and consequently of missing potentially important points. If the question is fairly brief, I think I normally read the details.

I admit to occasionally doing so and usually being embarrassed for it. I also misread the questions on occasion or, perhaps, misinterpret is more correct.

On here? All the time.

Questions should be self explanatory.

(Heavy emphasis on the word “should”.)

I know, however, that questions are sometimes posed that have little or nothing to do with what the OP wants to know or communicate. Lengthy details are usually an indication that the OP is seeking justification of a position or opinion already arrived upon.

They’re venting.

So in most cases, if the question is interesting enough, I’ll ignore the detail and address the question as posed.

I used to a lot and find out my answer was outside the realm of what was being discussed all because the OP provided other information in the details that essentially changed the question being asked. What also has happened more than a few times is when I write an answer on the wrong question…a classic Homer Simpson moment…DOH!

When the OP is written concisely enough.

Every 6 days, 9hrs, 47mins & 19secs…approx.

Too often, but I’m getting better! Too many times the gist of the question gets muddied up by the details and then I bail out of total confusion. Keep it simple, folks!

Well, gosh, even if you read the details, if you answer late enough in the question any input you have is meaningless becasue people are on to a whole different aspect.

I’m going to follow @zenvelo‘s lead. If for some reason I don’t want to read the details, I won’t answer the question.

I read the questions/details so I can decide if it’s a question I really want to respond to.