How far back?

it's completely up to you!

With some topics, like the one about immigration, you can jump in at
any time and give your opinion, as this is mostly a repetitive subject
where people state their point of view over and over again in trying to
convince the other side (to no avail, I might add).

So yes, it is up to you if you want to jump in at page 50 or not.
Sometimes a new perspective might resurrect a stale thread again.

i read it through to see if anyone else has already posted what i have in mind...

I look at it as joining a group of people that are in the middle of a conversation. Even though I missed some of what was already said, I can still enter in and voice an opinion or anecdote.
The worst that can happen is someone will say that that point has already been made.

Well, usually that's the worst that can happen.

Sometimes, if I am joining a thread that is a few pages advanced, I will quote the original post so that I dont confuse people with my responce.


Sometimes, the conversation has moved from the original topic, and an answer that i would give would lead people to believe I was drinking...


or


wait..

is this too far into the thread?

Thanks guys. I shall be more upfront in future! :wink:

Re: How far back?


I do worry about the part of the thread I don't have the time (or inclination) to read. The thought of being redundant to someone else's prior point is disconcerting to me, unless I say specifically I agree with that prior point.

Coming into a thread, without really understanding all the points made, is my being too obtrusive, in my opinion, in my own "thread habits," so I don't want to do it. If others choose to do that, I understand not everyone wants to approach a thread in the way that I think reflects a "complete" and methodical and analytical way. Anyone's "thread paradigm is one's own choice, and it's none of my business. Nor, should I comment on it. I just have my own "thread obsessions."

In the way of analogy, I don't want to be like a kid at the beach that sits down, next to other kids, that just spent the last hour building a sand castle, and I start to dig and shovel sand like their past hour-long effort means nothing to me. I know kids up to a certain age only do "parallel play." I would hope at this point, I'm not doing that.

The choice is up to the individual. I, however, make a concerted effort to read the entire thread. If is is extremely long, I will peruse each page rather than absorb each post. I consider it a courtesy to the author of the thread and those who have taken the time to make responses. Even if some of those responses are made withouth the writer fully understanding the thread.

It is quite evident in some of the trivia game threads that some posters do not even go back 1 or two posts before hastily making a submission.

I've noticed that the "New Threads" search now includes a "repy" button--which I assume takes your response without forcing you to scroll past other replies first.