Your Formula for replying to threads.

[bobmus]

10% luck

20% skill

15% concentrated power of will

5% pleasure

50% pain

And 100% reason to remember the name!

Damnit, and now I'm listening to Fort Minor!

OT: I usually only post without quoting someone in very low post-count threads, or where I feel a new opinion could actually be of interest. Normally I try to add something of wit where I can, but failing that I just stay as pretentious and clever as possible.

 

[DanielBrown]

Skim through OP if it's a wall of text, read it all if it's short.
Read a couple of posts.
Start typing my reply.
Then there's a 50% chance I'll just close the tab when I'm done. Often can't be bothered to post.

*forces self to press post*

 

[Danoloto]

Posting? What's that. I usually just lurk on the forums.

1. Read OP until I think I've got the gist, or it goes to TL;DR mode.
2. Check if someone has expressed roughly the same opinion as I have.
yes) Nothing left to do here
no ) Type up a post, lose the will to type halfway, and go back to lurking and hope someone else posts my opinion anyway.

I would say more than this, but I'm losing the will to typ....

 

[deathninja]

Write what I think on the topic, most likely in a humorous manner, maybe in addition, write something slightly off topic.

Proceed to get replies to the slightly off topic statement.

Reply to those statements, veering further off topic.

Thread gets derailed.

Chaos ensues.

1) Plan eloquent, succinct post

2) Get distracted by Daystar's avatar (or Frappe's for that matter...)

3) Spew nonsensical words onto page

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Read OP
Read through some comments
Type out thought
Delete comment and retype it
Edit comment for derp
Pray to God I don't get an angry reply

 

[Luftwaffles]

Write what I think on the topic, most likely in a humorous manner, maybe in addition, write something slightly off topic.

Proceed to get replies to the slightly off topic statement.

Reply to those statements, veering further off topic.

Thread gets derailed.

Chaos ensues.

You left out "get yelled at for derailing thread".

Me its

See
Read
Read comments
Form post in head
Type out post
Delete post.
Type out post again.
Read post carefully.
Then its either
1)Delete post
or
2)Hit 'Post'

 

[Danoloto]

Write what I think on the topic, most likely in a humorous manner, maybe in addition, write something slightly off topic.

Proceed to get replies to the slightly off topic statement.

Reply to those statements, veering further off topic.

Thread gets derailed.

Chaos ensues.

1) Plan eloquent, succinct post

2) Get distracted by Daystar's avatar (or Frappe's for that matter...)

3) Spew nonsensical words onto page

Actually you're right. Some of my thread time is allocated to staring at Amaterasu. How could I forget.

 

[shrekfan246]

6. Make a joke that isn't very funny.
7. Keep typing for too long so that the post becomes rambly and uninteresting.
8. Return to Escapist homepage and await reply in stolid terror.

If there's no reply:
Assume my post contributed nothing and further wasted precious seconds of my life. Then store this insecurity deep, deep down so that it can erupt at some point and cause a mid life crisis.

If there is a reply: Click on the notification with trembling hands as my brain conjures up the worst possible theories as to what sort of reply it is. I fear it's either a belligerent, argumentative one or that perhaps I made an enormous logistic or grammatical mistake and am about to become ridiculed for it.

More often then not probably something like this:

1. Read thread
2. Start typing out a reply. Reply content will vary from attempting to be smart to attempting to be stupid
3. Decide I don't actually like my reply and hit the back or topic index button

...ah, screw it

Both of these are typically what I do. In fact, I'm having a hard time deciding whether to actually post this post or not. Though I usually read through the entire thread no matter how long it is, depending on how much free time I have on hand. I've read through the entirety of 20+ page threads before, a couple times, just to get to the end, have nothing to say, and close the tab.

But I also try to keep from saying anything that will rustle anyone's sensibilities, because I don't really care for how up-tight some people can get when it comes to arguing a point with other people over the internet.

 

[Sassafrass]

Read thread, post reply, wait for quotes, reply to some quotes if I feel like it.

Rinse and repeat.

 

[Vuliev]

See thread.
Read thread.
If I can post on first page and feel like posting about the topic, do so.
-->Otherwise, have to find significant post to respond to.
Ignore thread unless someone quotes me.

 

[DANEgerous]

Find something i do not want to so, do it till i get annoyed.
Get on teh internet
Oh look escapist... no now new videos
look for interesting title and click
If no such title exist stumble upon or click at random
Leave reply that is sort of odd perhaps kind of dumb. Not so much meant to antagonize as creat discussion
typical fail at that goal but hope people thought about something for at lest .00054 seconds
If successful have some discussion

Better than my Yahoo Answers account.
Get on.
Try to piss of the dumbest asshole I can find
lulz
Save hate mail about how I should quote "Suck Lion penis and die of AIDS because you are not saved by Jesus" because even if that is a troll it is still astonishingly stupid.

 

[DeadFOAM]

1. Open thread
2. Read original post
3. Scroll down and read comments
4. Laugh at inevitable flame-war
5. Laugh at pretentious "holier-than-thou" posters
6. Decide whether or not to post
7. Write wall of text
8. Erase wall of text because I know few people will read it and will only be nitpicked on minor insignificant details
9. Post heavily cut-down version of post.
10. If there is a response, decide whether or not the post is worth responding to. Usually not, but if so, repeat the above steps.

 

[Marter]

1) See thread.
2) Read thread.
3a) If I can find some tangential link between it and Scorpion King 3, reply.
3b) If it interests me but I can't find a link between it and Scorpion King 3, reply.
3c) No interest and no link to Scorpion King 3, leave thread.
4) Leave thread if not already done.

 

[Something Amyss]

Read as far as I can stand, multiquote or offer my own opinions. Or both.

 

[Nouw]

See thread.
Read thread.
Quote people if necessary.
Reply to thread if necessary.
Leave thread.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Write what I think on the topic, most likely in a humorous manner, maybe in addition, write something slightly off topic.

Proceed to get replies to the slightly off topic statement.

Reply to those statements, veering further off topic.

Thread gets derailed.

Chaos ensues.

You left out "get yelled at for derailing thread".

Me its

See
Read
Read comments
Form post in head
Type out post
Delete post.
Type out post again.
Read post carefully.
Then its either
1)Delete post
or
2)Hit 'Post'

They just be jealous of my mad unintentional derailin' skills.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

2(OP + Comments)[sup]2[/sup]
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_>

 

[The Diabolical Biz]

- Enter thread.
- Read thread.
- Attempt to form eloquent, poetic,[footnote]Yeah I just used an Oxford comma. Deal with it.[footnote][sub]And if you think I misused it, I was being ironic.[/sub][/footnote][/footnote] and coherent sentences out of initial convoluted ramblings, with perhaps a witty quip in there somewhere.
- Fail.
- Lament on inability to express myself on a forum anywhere near as well as I do in other walks of life.
- After brief posting spree, go back to lurking.

Rinse and repeat, and you have my (almost) 3 years on this site.

 

[Avery]

1.) Read thread.
2.) If OP's post is interesting, Reply. If not:
3.) Read rest of thread, If there are interesting posts, Reply. If not:
4.) Leave thread.
5.) When having responded to a thread, Check back occasionally.