I love clever titles but not ones that say something like "Need Help!" and then don't put anything descriptive with it.

Jodi-

I agree with you completely.

I'm sure I've been guilty a few times, but I do try to put as much info as I can in the subject line.

It's actually a subject that has been brought up many times, and you see just how much attention it has gotten. I often use the first sentence of my thread as the subject. I'm likely to open a thread anyway regardless of what the title. It doesn't really require that much effort to open and close ..Truthfully I have learned not to sweat the small stuff....It's very liberating.

I too prefer subject headings that tell me what the post is about. I know everyone is just trying to be clever but I have very little time to spend on the computer so want to make the most of it. I try to make my subject headings describe what I wrote about in the post. I guess that is boring but at least it saves everyone's time.
Clare

It only bothers me when I open it again without remembering what it was about.

Did that make any sense, lol?

One of my peeves is having the same subject spread out all over instead of on one thread. It's hard to follow updates without knowing the details of the original thread, especially if you're not here constantly to follow everything.

What bothers me is my bad memory. After opening one of those and reading it, I will come back to the forum in a couple of hours and see it again, and can't remember for the life of me what it was about, so I have to read it AGAIN, LOL.

Ya, what Donna said.

Of course I agree that this is a relatively trivial matter, and I've been through too many big things to react to the little ones very often.

But like Clare, I try to make the most of my computer time. I want to minimize what I call "screensucking"--which I believe is Dr. Andrew Weil's term for mindless Internet use (or, in some cases, TV watching). I can also add that the older I get, the more precious time becomes and the less I want to waste it.

It only bothers me when I open it again without remembering what it was about.

Oh, yes! I do that all the time . . . which in my case is probably age-related, too. :-)

OT ....Or here is another pet peeve...say it's a holiday...4th of July and someone pretend it's me...starts a thread...Happy 4th everyone...and then every one goes to that thread and says Happy Fourth Ruthie...then someone else comes and says ...Just wanted to say happy fourth and so it goes till the whole page is full of happy 4th posts and you feel obligated to answer every one of them when one thread would have been good for everyone to use.

should I have asked:"What happened on the program that comes on after the bachelor that I don't remember the name of? Long subject lines...turn me off...so...

Forum Motto: This is a place where you can chat about topics not covered by the other forums. Like, why is one leg of the table always shorter than the other three?

I agree. In fact I nearly posted this same topic on the Pet Peeve thread that ran a few days ago. I find it's helpful- not just to help you decide if you want to read the post or not but as others mentioned, it serves as a reminder so that you don't keep opening the same thread over and over.

It must be my old age kicking in, but I need all the reminders and clues I can get.

I like knowing too.

It sure helps when searching back later.

I prefer better subject lines too.

This topic comes up all the time on various boards I am on - but some people don't care, or they want to be provocative, or they want the 'views' on their thread to increase...

I'm with you susan sometime you can recognize what a post might be about from the poster. but I like a clearer title

I have probably done that a few times...I like when they have "? about knee pain", or "income tax ?" Just using your title for an example because I KNOW nothing about knee pain (or income taxes for that matter!LOL)
I am a great one for opening a post that doesn't have a proper subject in the title....and re-opening and re-opening! LOL (see my bad memory post)

Makes no difference to me. I'm only going to open what I care to open anyway. It takes a lot more than opening a few threads to make me weary.

If the title has no content, I just don't open it. Teaser subject lines always irritate me, so unless the post has more than 50 replies, I won't open it. After 50 or so replies, I figure it might be funny, but usually they aren't worth the effort.

It doesn't bother me. It's just a click.

What annoys me are the prayers needed for someones sister's friend's, older brother's,ex-wife's,bosse's cat who is getting spayed tomorrow.

I am also not going to pray for someone to pass a test,graduate,get a promotion,get the color car they want etc. Those are personable responsibility issues. God helps those who help themselves.

Guess you and I pray to a different God, WC.

In a store if someone says "God Bless you" as part of their habit I reply "Thanks I need all the blessings I can get" no sense making an issue out of it. Some people do have to know that someone is wishing them good thoughts. it makes it easier for them and others. JMHO

I prefer that it give an idea of the content. It's much like getting an email or phone message saying CALL ME!!! and have no idea what it's about. Much prefer having people continue in the same thread too, but that's never going to happen and we all know why. OK. Just wish people would at least LINK the old thread to it since I don't get to check the forum continually, but again, that'll seldom if ever happen.

Of course there's exceptions. Topics like treatment updates and the like are good topics for new threads as there's progress.

And risking religious persecution by the FGs my churches taught you there were certain things you shouldn't pray for. But again, everyone's beliefs are different. Some gods might give people self-clipping toenails! LOL

"screensucking" LOL I like that one!

I agree with you 100%, Susan. To me, the title is the clue and without a clue, I might not be curious enough to open it, if time is short. And then later, that same title or clue will lead me back to it more easily. I waste more time, like some of you, opening and re-opening posts only to remember later that I've already visited that one but couldn't remember it because of its generic title.

I'm with Ruthie

It doesn't really require that much effort to open and close ..Truthfully I have learned not to sweat the small stuff

What I would really appreciate is knowing a post is about an animal......especially when I think the post will be about kids or a family of humans.
I like reading about pets but would like to know first.

I'm not much on guessing games, I'd like to know what I'm getting into!

I agree 100%. I would like to know the topic of the post before I open it. I don't like posts that say something like, "Did you know about this?". I have to open the post only to find out it's not something that interests me in the least. It's a waste of time to have to open this post. Please be more specific.
Donna

Case in point as an example of a good subject line: "Do you like the geographic area where you live?" by McMann.

It tells exactly what it is about. It's put in question form. The author gives his/her opinon and invites others at the table to share theirs.

I'm sure there are lots of interesting posts I've SOB because of the uninformative subject lines.

Cream

I think people forget, too, that for folks who are on dial-up, it isn't necessarily "just a click," it could take a few seconds to open each post. And when you're limited on time, why waste it on something that you have absolutely no interest in?

Maybe it's my time in the business world, but I also prefer posts with a subject line that tells you what you're going to be reading about. For those times when I'm checking-in during the last 10 minutes of my lunch break, I need all the time-savers I can get!

It's annoying to have a subject line which gives no information as to what it's about. There are just some topics I don't know anything about, some I don't care about, and some I just really don't want to even think about. But for the most part, here on KT, people are pretty good.

Now I visit a knitting site where some of the topics are "need help." That's not the way to get help.

I'm another that opens and reopens and yet again hits the enter button.....but it really doesn't bother me, other than my brain being half gone! LOL!! I have to pick my battles or I'd make myself crazier than I already am.

Sorry if I'm guilty of that - I try to tell what I'm about to say; i.e. a msg to someone in particular or my topic. I will do this .... if it will be continued as the sentence.

Re: prayer requests - my personal belief, mine; I'm not forcing it on anyone here, is that people who are asking for prayer are seeking a believer to join them in praying for something that is not trivial to them.

Cynic, are you referring to LINK as in referencing an old post or an actual way to LINK that post to another?

Minnie Tx - my husband thinks the same way about people who say "Have a nice day" when they really don't care and people who ask you how you are.

I agree completely, Susan. I rarely open posts that don't give a clue or those that end in ..... (teasers) so that you have to open it to see what the person is talking about. A shame, really, because I'm sure some would be enjoyable and on some perhaps I could help. But it's just annoying to me. And no, it's not "a big thing", but why have to open something, look at it, then close it to see if you're interested? I'd like a glance to do the same thing.

I think of it like at work when an email (or Memo, in "the olden days! Lol) goes out. You give your reader the courtesy of knowing what the topic of your memo is. I know this isn't work, but when time does matter, I just SOB threads that are teasers or give no clue about their content.

Oldrustybucket, I don't at all mean to call you out, but you questioned how else you could've defined your post (I hadn't opened it, btw, but I am sure many people did, so no problem either way). But just as an example, no, you wouldn't have had to say what you suggested above. How about "Program After The Bachelor - Question". That would've done it for me. Again, I hope you don't take offense - I'm just responding to your question.

Perhaps it really does boil down to the amount of time one has in their day. I work a long day and try to sneak in some on-line time in the midst of lots of other things. In addition, I just do find those annoying - sorry to be blunt, so don't bother. On the rare occasion that I do open one, when I find that it has nothing to do with any way I can help or anything I'm familiar with or care about, I growl at myself as I close it for even bothering to open it in the first place.

Again, as Susan has reinforced, of course this isn't a big thing. Most annoyances aren't. For example, the "Pet Peeves" thread has lots of input about pet peeves (and I contributed, too!). I'd venture to say that the vast majority of those aren't earth shattering. But still they mattered enough to lots and lots of people to vent about them!

Anyway, seems to be a mixed bag here of people who like teaser or ambiguous Subject lines and those that don't. I suspect that we'll all just carry on as we have been.

Suzieque

Add my name to Glenda and Ruthie....open it read the frist line if not interested click out....don't sweat the small stuff...life is too short....Stacy

So are we, KT'ers, gonna setup a commitee, on our own, and establish rules, beyond IVillage, that says the way we can/can't how we post subject lines? booooooo

Neither I nor anyone else suggested that, Glenda. In fact, I was careful to say I didn't want to criticize.

With that in mind, Suzieque's post was well said. I don't recall seeing the "Pet Peeves" thread, but I'll hazard a guess that some of the things that annoy some people are not a source of annoyance to others. And, as Suzieque said, most annoyances are not big things. But of course that doesn't stop them from being annoying . . . to some.

I guarantee that those of us who do find those teaser subject lines annoying (just annoying, mind you--we're not tearing out our hair or spiking our blood pressure or making demands) have plenty of small stuff that we don't sweat. And I'm pretty certain that those who claim to have learned not to react to little things have something (some small thing) they find irritating as hell.

I am very guilty of this. I am sorry for that, I never really thought of it the way that some of you have, but I completely understand the views of others. I especially never thought of the pain it is for those with dial-up speeds.

It doesn't bother me one way or the other. However, I will be better about adding more details to my subject line.

Its kind of like my DH once said "If you make something for dinner and I HATE it, if I'm not honest about it you will keep making it thinking that I don't mind it." :) Good point.

Gosh, I didn't get the feeling anyone was *upset* about vague postings, just puzzled why there isn't more information. The sense I got was more people will click on a post if they know what it is about. Certainly that's what I do. But if you post a zero-content post like "Help", or a teaser like "Do you have a ..., so be it. That's not a post I will open.

I don't see a need for a defensive response. People will read a post or not. Post your topic just as you wish!

I somewhat equate the "nothing subject lines" to subject lines in surname boards on genealogy websites, such as Ancestry.com. Say you're researching folks with the last name of Marshall. You go to the Marshall surname board, and you see that there are 2,564 threads; with a total of 5,110 individual messages. Then you see thread subject lines like (and these are actual ones from the Marshall forum):

Marshall family from Scotland

Looking for family members

Marshall

Help - Marshall

Marshall Ancestors

Document

I could go on and on... I can guarantee you that I won't open any of those threads, even though they could potentially contain a wealth of information that would be useful.

I read the original post as someone giving their reaction to an action that someone else had taken.

Some have come to a different understanding of how their subject line has been received and may well adjust their method in future ... some will not.

I don't see much reason to argue about it.

Sometimes I'm fairly descriptive when I post, occasionally less so.

Have an interesting week, everyone.

ole joyful.

I AGREE - DON'T do that - put the topic IN THE SUBJECT line, please!

As for "have a nice day," that doesn't bother me at all. It's a simple pleasantry, having become part of our social traditions. When it comes from strangers (store clerks, for example), it's just a way of saying "our transaction is done, thank you, bye bye." Seems I hear HAND more than "thank you" these days.

One thing I don't really like, though, is when I sneeze and a total stranger says, "God Bless You." What nerve.

I realize this isn't on topic...sorry.

I agree, put the topic in the subject line! I don't mind so much the first time I open it.(I have dial up) But when I forget and open it again now that anoys me.