Are the questions and answers on fluther way too long?

No.

Reading sucks.

It does become a chore to read some of these (you know who you are).

You should try harder to preserve your attention span in the Internet age.

Are you suggesting that there should be a cap on how long the answers or questions can be?

The long-winded writers should be aware that they are not reaching some of us who just skip their responses because they’re too long.

Hahaha…no.

I don’t want a cap. That is why I am dropping this hint.

I think some people just have more words…

You’re dropping a hint that you don’t appreciate when someone spends time and energy to help?

Kinda rude, aren’t you?

Do I seem rude to you?

Yes.

That is not my intention.

No, I do not think answers are too long. In fact, I think most answers are too short. That said, you can feel free to glide right past the long-winded answers. No one is forcing you to read them…

Some questions require long answers and some don’t… I think if someone has something meaningful to add to the discussion, long or short, i’d want to read it. I actually really appreciate it when someone takes the time to write out a thoughtful answer.

A lot of the long answers to the religious questions were repetitive.

You’re ‘dropping hints’ and saying that reading these responses are a ‘chore’. I just can’t imagine why you think that this needed a question of it’s own. You need not pay attention to answers you don’t like, and those that do spend the time and energy to write at length on any subject are appreciated by plenty of others.

It’s religion it’s been repetitive for tens of thousands of years, dude.

I wish people made longer questions. Questions with lots of info are easier to answer. Especially computer questions.

long comments = people don’t read them. well, some do.

I feel compelled to read what a person has to say, otherwise I would not be able to be an informed member of the conversation.

I think the people who don’t want to read the whole detail section won’t answer the question sufficiently and people who don’t want to read a whole answer can’t respond sufficiently. I have been guilty of not reading a whole detail section, but then I don’t answer the question. The same is true of long answers. I don’t respond to the answer if I don’t read the whole thing.

Yes and no on both questions and answers. We certainly do have some windbags here. I know, I happen to be one of them at times!!

So your beef is with your own personal feeling of obligation?

I don’t think that the people who write the longer answers would care that you don’t read them. People who can only process soundbites are probably not their intended audience.

I’m not bothered by the length of the questions or the answers. If I have something useful to contribute or just find the topic interesting, I read it all… if I don’t, I am free to skip them.

KISS i always say.

@charliecompany34 that’s what i always say, too, but the bouncer seemed to think that was “off limits”. ohwell

I agree with everybody who feels that it would be nicer to see more completely thought out answers and questions.

I realise that being able to concisely order your thoughts into words demonstrates a strong ability to write but most of the time the short answers can be a bit ineffectual considering the nature of some of the questions.

Sometimes I feel the need to expand in order not to get flagged/modded.

Also, sometimes it just takes that much to explain yourself—to get it all out.

But, yes, I am all for editing and cutting the BS.

So I guess you have your answer, steve.

No one’s forcing you to read things, steve.

Thank you for all the negative responses and the few positive ones.

Most important things in life cannot be boiled down to a soundbite and still maintain anything like accuracy.

I can be rather verbose myself and I’ve also been known to be loquacious from time to time. That being said, I’m also an articulate person by nature but that doesn’t mean I can make all of my answers succinct even when I use good vocabulary words coupled with just a few pointed thoughts. Sometimes I just have this overwhelming desire to expound on topics that interest me or when I really want to fully express my opinion on something.

It just seems wrong to me to even think that someone would or should have to limit what they have to say if they have a very good and long answer that covers all aspects of a question. For those that don’t have the time or patience to read several paragraphs into someone’s hard work, you can always skip right over it and move onto something else.

This answer is probably way too long for some. For me, it seems entirely adequate and I’m satisfied with it.

@Bluefreedom I’m in lurve!

@cak: Me too!

I do kind of groan when I click on a question and it has 39 other questions in the description along with 3 chapters of explanation.. but to each their own.. some people enjoy verbosity.

cough daloon cough :-)

I actually prefer getting longer answers for my questions. It shows the the answerer is putting some effort into it. It’s the short, unhelpful ones I’m not too fond of. If someone has a problem with long answers… don’t read them! :-)

cough.. agreed.. daloon.. cough.. sneeze.. oops

Longer answers I don’t mind.. it’s the questions with 42 parts that get me.

Plenty of silent opinions, too, being expressed here in the form of lurve (or not).

@Jeruba lurve for that! And that’s my opinion. :-)

I try to use as few words as possible. But that is because I am lazy and I hate typing.

Laconic and frantic – our modern affliction.

I think long answers can be okay sometimes, daloon writes excellent answers that are usually long, but worth reading in the end. I don’t like ones that are repetitive though, saying “This is my opinion, this is why I think this, this is my opinion.”

Only when they never get to their real point.

Wheres Dalepetrie at? :P

For reals.

Sometimes I read the long answers, sometimes I skip them. I think a well thought out long answer says the writer cares enough to take the time to write it out, rather than shoot off some quick quip and leave you hanging.

Same goes for questions, I prefer a question with an explanation rather than some short thing that leave me guessing (and usually guessing wrong).

And I get paid by the word, if you must know.

i agree with the adage: “Brevity is the soul of wit.”
but there’s a learning curve to some ideas. big ideas can be summarized only after the big ideas have been had. sometimes it takes weeks before you can come up with a one sentence summary for a paragraph of text.

i assure you, if i could be be more witty and brief i would be.

longwindedness is an act of necessity, not free choice.

I agree in a way. But mostly because I don’t feel like reading an effing essay (or 5, or 6) in every thread.