A request to people posting

[Amaryllis]

There have been a lot more posts lately with just a few words or a phrase that assumes that all of us know what you are referring to, and that we are either watching news and /or on the internet most of the day.

I respectfully request that you provide enough context that we know what your post refers to, and that if we want to know more, we at least have an idea of where to search.

We are all in this together. Please provide enough info in your post that those of us who just got online can share in what is going on. It is another way to stay connected when we are social distancing and for us all to feel a part of things.

Thank you.

[Totally Tunsie]

1. Thank you.

[SCantiGOP]

66. No more clickbait!

Some post titles are: Boom; This; I’m just going to leave this right here; etc.
That kind of cuteness is rude and inconsiderate of the other people here.

[hangaleft]

82. "This" posts in OPs are a pet peeve of mine, I *hate* that shit!

Write a meaningful subject line, people, it’s not that challenging.

[lagomorph777]

85. "This!" is the one that irritates me the most. I never click on it.

I also ignore blind links to Twit. Twit and Falsebook are Putin's Platforms.

[Chowlie]

109. THIS.

I would seriously like to see a count of posts with the title “THIS[optional punctuation]”

[hlthe2b]

2. A continual problem... I agree.

[erronis]

48. I've complained about this in the past. Call these titles "click-bait"

and then get lambasted for being insensitive.

[BComplex]

3. Hell yeah!

It's about time it was made a "rule" of some kind.

[Skittles]

4. did you see that on TV just now?

HOLY SHIT!

yeah, I know what you mean

[Amaryllis]

6. Exactly. Or just a reporter's name.

[ProfessorGAC]

46. Those Are The Posts!

[Brainfodder]

5. Agree!

[Maraya1969]

7. YES! And please explain what that string of letter means! I am tired of googling

them.

[Rebl2]

19. Yes please!

some of us don’t always know what that string of letters means!

[lunatica]

20. THIS!,

I’m not yelling at you. But I am yelling!

[Lulu KC]

107. LOL

[klook]

34. IKWYM

I know what you mean

[cos dem]

61. TDM TLA

Too damn many three letter acronyms. TDM? TFM!

[nitpicker]

8. I know a lot of people would get confused at my self-blog abbreviations

Maybe they would get PPEs.

But what about Vs?

[Harker]

31. Geese fly in Vs.

Right?

[wnylib]

54. Do you mean vs. as in versus? That

was around long before texting, computers, etc.

[Stuart G]

9. Or....some abbreviation that most of us do know the meaning of..

[wnylib]

51. Like BTW, OTOH, OMG, AFAIK and the

very common LOL. Most people know those, but beyond that, I have to look them up.

[Stuart G]

53. Yes, I have to look a lot of them too. ??

[dweller]

10. and instead of just a link

if you've been to the site and think it's important, copy up to 4 paragraphs
and paste in your post ... the internet is slowing down, don't make ALL of us seek out that info ...

pls?

✌🏼

[wnylib]

56. Cut and paste is theoretically

possible on my cell, but in reality, not so much. When I give links, I have to write down the url on paper and then type it in and test to make sure I got it right and that it works.

[FakeNoose]

76. Yes the cellphone limitations are making everything difficult

I wish that weren't true. Cut & paste is damn near impossible with a cell phone tiny screen.

[Roland99]

11. Context! Context! Context!

[Cousin Dupree]

12. TY for this post. I'm tired of trying to figure out why GHI is preferable to VNW when the

SPECT14 shows lower than the QQQ.

[Amaryllis]

13. Exactly again!

[klook]

35. YMMV. (nt)

[MyOwnPeace]

63. F'n A! (nt)

[Takket]

14. thank you......

i'd even go so far as to say that posts without context of any kind should be a alertable offense on DU. They clutter up the board and push down relevant topics. It is a form of spam.

only for OPs of course... if it is a reply that's fine since it should be obvious what you are talking about when replying.

[Amaryllis]

17. THank you. You said the part I forgot; that those posts push down the ones with relevant info

and clutter things up. It IS a form of spam. Takes so much time to go thru when the posts are coming fast and furious and it is really a waste of time when you have to go thru so many without context.

[crickets]

28. Agreed! nt

[RGinNJ]

15. Also city or town names without state or country identified.

[yonder]

18. +1.

"police in Springfield...."

[SCantiGOP]

96. That's usually about that Simpson kid

[tosh]

27. Yes please!

[jberryhill]

60. Here in Portland, we get upset about that

[marble falls]

70. As in "How's the weatha back up theya in Maine, eh?"

[jberryhill]

71. No the other Portland

[marble falls]

72. Ahhhh, Portland, Oregon! ...

Neva bin thar.

[jberryhill]

93. Nope, not that one either

[Captain Zero]

99. Portland Indiana ?

Trust me go to Oregon or Maine.

[jberryhill]

100. Well, I'm thinking of moving to Newton instead

[lagomorph777]

90. Oh - I thought we were talking about the REAL Portland:

Portland City, Alaska, was founded in 1907 but renamed in 1915 to Hyder, Alaska
Portland, Arkansas
Portland, Fremont County, Colorado
Portland, Colorado in Ouray County
Portland, Connecticut
Portland, Georgia
Portland, Illinois (disambiguation), a former name of two places
Portland, Indiana, a city in Jay County near the eastern border of the state
Portland, a former name for Fountain, Indiana, in Fountain County near the western border of the state
Portland Township, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
Portland, Iowa, census-designated place in Portland Township
Portland, Kansas
Portland, Kentucky, a community in Adair County
Portland, Louisville, Kentucky, a former town and now a neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky
Portland, Maine, the largest city in Maine
South Portland, Maine, adjoining Portland, Maine
New Portland, Maine (not near Portland, Maine)
Portland, Michigan
Portland, Missouri
Portland, New York
Portland, North Dakota
Portland, Ohio
Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the world named Portland
Portland, Pennsylvania
Portland, Tennessee
Portland, Texas
Portland, Dodge County, Wisconsin, a town
Portland (community), Dodge County, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community
Portland, Monroe County, Wisconsin, a town

[jberryhill]

92. Yeah, that one

[not_the_one]

105. Bwahahaha!

[marble falls]

69. News papers do that too! What ever happened to the 5 W's???

[treestar]

88. I'm always googling those!

For some reason, I just have to know the state!

[Cha]

16. A timely request, Amaryllis.. TY!

[Old Crow]

21. AMEN!

This is one of my chief complaints about the DU boards -- frequent posts like the following (not an actual post):

WOW! What Jared Kushner just said is outrageous! Incredible to me how he can demonstrate such callousness regarding our veterans!!!

No context. No quote. No summary. Just a reaction. Please, people, before you hit the Post button, think a bit about your readers.

Thanks.

[Amaryllis]

22. Yes! Yes! Yes! Consideration, courtesy; put yourself in the place of someone who has not just

read/ watched what you have and has no idea what you are referring to. We need to be INCLUSIVE, always, but especially now more than ever with social distancing. I live alone and am spending a lot more time on DU but find it reallly frustrating to have to go thru so many posts with no context. It feels like being shut out.

AND you are exactly right; most of those posts are just REACTIONS with no information. I have never been good at mind reading.

[tblue37]

38. While we're at it, when people post a link to a video without closed captioning, we deafies

would appreciate a brief summary of its main point.

[ChazInAz]

50. Oh yes!

I can hear some, but poorly. Closed captions are lifesaver for me.
Rachel Maddow seems to have a very nice voice. Alas, I hear only some of it and miss the meaning!

[The Mouth]

110. Any video not using captioning is

by definition worthless.

And the persons posting same are rude and insensitive.

[warmfeet]

23. Excellent point.

Nothing wrong with being as helpful as one can be.

[sarge43]

24. Thank you. n/t

[Talitha]

25. It's like being invited to a party and not being allowed in... thanks for posting, Amaryllis!

[Amaryllis]

29. Yes!! Exactly like that.

[wendyb-NC]

26. Good idea, thank you.

[progree]

30. I rarely click on those posts. Exception being if its got a zillion RECs then after awhile

I eventually cave and check it out. But it's irritating that certain people think we'll read everything they post, even if the title is "Excellent Comment" or "OMG!..." or "Posted Without Comment"

[jberryhill]

32. They said the same thing just now!

[ornotna]

59. Shame on you

[dameatball]

33. Yawn. Must be nice to be able to complain about something that is such a miniscule problem. Exactly

how busy ARE you people? Seriously. Ya'll have nothing more to complain about in your busy schedules?
Reminds me of grumpy old people saying "Get off my lawn!"

Okay, fire away.... I have time.

[klook]

42. First of all, it's "minuscule."

Yes, I'm a spelling nazi.

About the other part, well, nevermind, I need a nap. But first, get off my lawn!

[VOX]

67. "OMG! He went there! This changes EVERYTHING!"

Not you, but that’s the kind of subject-line that the OP is talking about: Hair on fire, away all boats, and not a scintilla (dig the big word) of context. It’s actually a long-standing issue here. We’re not all telepathically connected. Just a few words about who/when, etc.

Now, what the heck are you doing on the new rye grass I just put down?

Cheers—

[dameatball]

73. you people with scintilla coats are equally as annoying....or is it scintillating?

[VOX]

111. Both, simultaneously. Scintillating chinchillas. Also scintillating Chihuahuas when available.

9 out of 10 doctors recommended them. Your mileage may vary. Do not operate heavy machinery while using this medication.

[flibbitygiblets]

36. I never click on any title that doesn't include clear meaning or context

"And another thing that bugs me" as a subject line, or anything along those lines...is another thing that bugs me!

[Turbineguy]

37. It is strictly forbidden

to leave DU. Even for coffee. Especially for a bathroom break. It uses up the toilet paper.

[Amaryllis]

39. HA! Good one. :)

[Dream Girl]

102. And you must keep MSNBC on in the background at all times

[scarletwoman]

40. After so many years here, I've sort of gotten used to it, but it's still really annoying.

It doesn't seem to matter how many times people complain about the practice, it still goes on.

But thank you for bringing it up one more time.

[Amaryllis]

44. Right now it's happening much more than usual. THe posts are coming so fast; maybe is the same

% as usual but seems like a lot more just because there are so many posts due to the "unpresidented" times we are living in.
Because of social distancing I am more aware of what connects and includes VS what leaves people out and have been making a conscious effort to be inclusive whenever possible.

[left-of-center2012]

41. Agree 200%

Happens too many times.

[left-of-center2012]

43. likewise ...

People who only post a link to some story,
with no clue what it's about.

[sab390]

45. We may have 2 or 3 million looking

There are a quarter million registered but how many lurkers. Short hand we know, streams or shows, I've been here for a while but we would like to keep drop ins. I don't look up the imo's or whatever, I don't really care. Clarity for the passer by would help. And, not to toot our horn, but we should be able to communicate clearly, we are SOMEWHAT literate. I must admit, as a librarian, I am a bit of a stickler for citation and reference, authority and provenance. It is a blog and that means some trash, but like has been said, it pushes somethings out. The admins here do a great job but we should help by not giving them too much work.

[smirkymonkey]

47. Thank YOU!

[Butterflylady]

49. I admit

Sometimes I'm completely lost at what their post is about.

[Pacifist Patriot]

52. "OMG you should be watching right now""

<end of message>

Countless posts for two decades. I hear you and totally concur. Thanks!

[lynintenn]

55. So frustrating

SOme will post the name of a city or county without posting the state. Lots of states have identical city and county names.

[Locrian]

57. THANK YOU

Now if we could just get rid of click-bait style posts.... you know the types with misleading titles and then its about their cat or whatever...

[FiveGoodMen]

95. Oh! I second that one.

Total waste of time.

[NBachers]

58. Non-context posts are annoying, and i'm not-reserved- about calling out the posters who do it.

DID YOU SEE THAT?

or

THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!

or

SOMEBODY FINALLY HAD TO SAY IT!

or

TURN ON RACHEL RIGHT NOW!

or any number of annoying time-wasters that convey no information or links to whateverthehell they're referring to.

Please, no more info-free posts!

[MartyTheGreek]

62. Include Content Here in Subject or Title Line... Discussion and links below! n/t means done! n/t

[Cetacea]

64. I see yours and raise you "Link To Tweet"

Good OP. Thank you

[lagomorph777]

86. +1 I don't do Twit or Falsebook. Both are heavily corrupt and dangerous.

[XRubicon]

65. On scribing in real time

I have maturely reflected on the subject of your post, and the more I have reflected, the more I have become convinced that I could not without manifest impropriety make the avowal or disavowal which you seem to think necessary.

At times, when a human being is experiencing total shit buggery, they may feel the need to post something your honor doesn't quite understand.

I stand ready to avow or disavow promptly and explicitly any precise or definite opinion which I may be charged with having declared to any gentleman. More than this can not fitly be expected from me; and especially it can not reasonably be expected that I shall enter into an explanation upon a basis so vague as that which you have adopted. I trust upon more reflection you will see the matter in the same light with me. If not, I can only regret the circumstances and must abide the consequences.

Sir, I have the honor to be
Your Obdt. St

[marble falls]

68. Just wanting to say something exactly like this today! Thanks! Also add Tweet link only OPs.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

74. TL; DR. NT

[Mister Ed]

75. Thank you. n/t

[Blue_true]

77. Thanks for this OP. The practice of writing stuff with exclaimation points

and giving no other detail is really annoying. Like you, I wish that people would stop it. Explain what the fuck they are talking about, or don't set up an OP to begin with, IMO.

[CaptainTruth]

79. Agreed. Thank you.

[calimary]

80. Yep. Excellent point!

Not everyone has the time to do the extra research.

[Nitram]

81. I, too, prefer titles/lead ins that provide context , or at least a hint of a topic.

What passes for snarky or cocky often looks more like clickbait to me.

[rictofen]

83. Thanks for posting this

The worst is the combo of info-free titles and a message consisting only of a tweet by some random person.

[BobsYourUncle]

84. I suggest...

a secret decoder ring be made available from the Democratic Underground Store, yours at any price. Maybe some forum-specific add-ons.

[raccoon]

87. I suggest posters include a Senator/ representative's state

And party. Especially when it’s someone who is rarely in the national news.

[treestar]

89. It's part of DU charm

I love ones like "Joseph Bluestone just lost it!!!!!" and I'm like, who the hell is Joseph Bluestone?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

91. Are you referring to anything specific? What'd I miss?

(jk)

[uppityperson]

94. CALL CONGRESS RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!!!

Yup

[Paladin]

97. Getting really tired of having to use Urban Dictionary....

...to repeatedly interpret words, phrases and abbreviations used by people aged 20 and younger. Cut your elders some slack, howsabout? We're likely to get nailed by this fucking virus sooner than you youngsters, so go easy on us, for the time being....

[HeartachesNhangovers]

98. Put me down too for auto-banning "Link to tweet" posts.

If all you have is a link to a tweet, you don't have anything worth posting.

[CrispyQ]

101. And no blind links.

WTF? At least give the rest of us an idea of where and what we're clicking on.

[DarthDem]

103. Agreed fully

The "XYZ just WENT OFF!!!!!111" posts without an explanation are generally not helpful.

[Sogo]

104. I'm fairly new here, and thought

it was just my problem, because some of the worst offenders are posters in the six-figures number of posts.

So, thanks for bring this up. I totally agree....

[Amaryllis]

108. Definitely not just your problem. It's just worse right now because there is so much going on and

lots of people staying home, so there are MANY more posts than usual. And you're right; some of the worst offenders are posters with a lot of posts. I think they are the ones who hang out here the better part of a day so are super up on what's going on in the world and don't put themselves in the position of those who don't.

[stopdiggin]

106. DU is not Twitter. If you don't have time

to say something .. then DON'T say something.