How Long Do You Make Your Discussion Posts?

United States
July 22, 2008 8:35pm CST
What length do you think is appropriate for a discussion post? I tend to post on the longer side, but other people tend to go shorter. Do you think that there is an advantage either way? How long do you make your discussion posts?
2 people like this
9 responses
@blue825 (105)
• China
23 Jul 08
Well,I don't mind how long the material people respond to a discussion,as long as the response is given with his sincere..
3 people like this
• United States
23 Jul 08
I agree that a response should actually respond to the discussion. What about the discussion itself? Should the discussion starter make the original post long or short? Are you more likely to respond to a long discussion or to a short one? Thanks for your reply!
@blue825 (105)
• China
25 Jul 08
I would like to respond to a long discussion as possible as I can ,as long as I'm not lazy enough and I have a lot of advice to give.^_^
1 person likes this
@blue825 (105)
• China
25 Jul 08
sorry,there's a mistake in the sentence.I mean I 'd like to give a long response to a dussion as long as it interests me much , when I'm not lazy enough and I've got much advice to give.^_^no matter how long the original discussion is.
1 person likes this
• India
23 Jul 08
Content writing require about 350 or more words per article. But here there is no such restrictions. Anyway it is good to have more than 3 sentences per discussion. Other than length, sharpness and strength of content is more important. Complex sentences have a special emphasis.
2 people like this
• United States
23 Jul 08
Hello, josechukkiri! I was waiting for a response along the lines of what you are saying. There are "industry standards" for things like blog posts, which are generally considered normal for 250-600 words (or some target range along those lines). There are no particular restrictions here at myLot. I do not know the absolute minimum number of words that a person could use to start a discussion post. (Three maybe? This could turn into something like that gameshow, where the contestants said, "I can name that tune in three notes..." - "I can start a discussion with three words...") I think it could be done in three words, not including the title. But you are right; myLot makes no restrictions so far as I have read about a minimum or a maximum number of words for a discussion post. Content is key - sharp, strong content. But do you think that you have a personal preference for your own responses? Are you more likely to respond to a short discussion post or to a longer one?
@98765m (1017)
• India
23 Jul 08
Oh well,it depends.I sometimes post longer while sometimes I post short.I prefer to post accurate short understandable questions instead of posting a lot of opinions while starting a discussion. While responding to discussions its exactly the opposite.I tend to make them understand what I am saying better by adding a few more lines.So,I think its not bad to post short questions.Here what I mean by short is definitely NOT one-liners.At least 3 or 4 questions. If you are to start only one question,then I would recommend you to post your opinion also while asking he question.But,make sure that the line where you ask your question stands out.Don't immerse it inside your opinions. I also recommend you to ask 2-3 questions at least based on what the opinion others may give you[possible answers to your question] Cheers! Have a nice day Happy mylotting and happy earnings.
1 person likes this
@98765m (1017)
• India
24 Jul 08
Have you noticed any trends in any of your posts? Not really,or may be I haven't noticed it yet. What kind of posts are more likely to generate a lot of responses? I think discussions in interests which has a lot of members will likely to generate a lot of responses.Also,the discussion should be interesting and generating a lot of curiosity. What posts did you expect a huge number of responses, only to watch it sit with nothing? Well,there was this particular discussion about "dumb crook" started by me,and I thought I would at least receive 5-7 responses,but I got only 1! Cheers! have a nice day Happy mylotting and happy earnings.
1 person likes this
• United States
24 Jul 08
Jay Leno has a series on The Tonight Show called "Headlines". He takes stories out of newspapers where the editor made a mistake, or there is something odd or funny. One of his favorite stories to tell are the "dumb crook" stories... and these seem to be very popular, so I am surprised that your dumb crook thread did not get very many responses. Do you think that it could be improved -- a discussion thread title that says: "Have You Heard a Good Dumb Crook Story?" or "Share Your Dumb Crook Story; I've Got a Good One!"? Something in the title that invites participation may be a key to getting people to stop in and reply. A guy robbing himself... that is pretty sad.
1 person likes this
• United States
23 Jul 08
I believe that asking questions is a definite key to a successful discussion post. It gives people something to think about and something to which they can respond. Have you noticed any trends in any of your posts? What kind of posts are more likely to generate a lot of responses? What posts did you expect a huge number of responses, only to watch it sit with nothing? Thanks for your reply!
1 person likes this
@liquorice (3887)
24 Jul 08
I suppose an appropriate lengthed answer is one that answers the question and gets your opinion across. I think that most people don't really appreciate posts that are one sentence long, and especially not "yes" or "no" answers, or if people continuously post "thanks" in reply to responses. The point of this site is to have discussions after all! Another advantage of longer discussions is that I believe myLot pays more for discussions that are at least four or five lines long, but obviously it helps if they're relevant, and they need to make sense too, lol!
1 person likes this
• United States
24 Jul 08
Hi liquorice, and thanks for your replies to my discussions! (^_^) What about the original discussion post itself? Do you think that a user who starts a discussion would do better for generating responses if the discussion was longer, or are shorter discussion posts better for stimulating the interest of others to respond? The one word responses are not in line with myLot's rules. And I agree, that it seems that I get paid more when I post longer discussions and longer comments... Thanks again!
@liquorice (3887)
24 Jul 08
Aha, it seems as if I might have misread your question, which perhaps was about the original discussion post rather than replies? Sorry if I did, but to answer the question about the opening discussion questions, I think that about four or five lines is probably optimal. If a discussion is too long, well unless it's extremely well-written you can lose people. They might get bored, or if it's too waffly they might not understand what you're trying to say. On the other hand, if it's too short, like one sentence ("Do you like cheese?"), then although you might get lots of answers, (as people like quick and easy discussion subjects) it's not going to be much of a discussion and you may not earn very much from it. Also, one thing I find very annoying about short posts is when someone posts a quick question without saying what their own opinion is on the matter; they're expecting us to share our views but their not willing (or are maybe just too lazy) to tell us theirs. If you write your question in the heading, then I think it takes around four or five lines to expand on the question; to clarify it, to let people know why you're asking the question (I think it's quite important to know this; it makes for a much more interesting discussion), and also to let other people know your opinion.
1 person likes this
@monaliu (344)
24 Jul 08
For me,I would like to read some short discussions. I wish he could tell his trouble or questions in a short story. he he...
1 person likes this
• United States
24 Jul 08
oh, monaliu! I wish he could tell his troubles or questions in a short story, too. If you were more comfortable with English, do you think you would still like shorter discussions?
@monaliu (344)
25 Jul 08
Yes, sometimes. I also like short Chinese stories. But sometimes long pages is needed to tell the details clearly. Both ok for me.
1 person likes this
• United States
23 Jul 08
I just started here on mylot and I have seen a wide variety of posting lengths. I think the post should definitely be long enough to answer whatever question is posed and advise your opinion. I do not think a post should only be one sentence. That is too short and basically pointless. I think by making your post longer and more intriguing you are truely showing that you are interested in what is being talked about here versus just wanting to make X amount of dollars the fastest way possible. Does that make sense?
• United States
23 Jul 08
I agree that responses should be substantial. Sometimes it can be seen either way, though, that a quick one-liner response is given just to rack up response points, or that a long-winded response is given... just to rack up response points... (LOL) Actually, I was wondering more about the question that is posed in a discussion. When I post a discussion question to which people respond, how long do you think it should be? Realizing that you just started here, are you more likely to respond to a three line discussion question, or one that is more substantial (several paragraphs)?
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
23 Jul 08
If you are referring to a New discussion that I am just getting started, it depends on what I am trying to refer too, and how much I feel needs to be portrayed to get some Good results with it as well. I know that if the Subject is interesting, you will get some decent results from it no matter what the length.
1 person likes this
• United States
23 Jul 08
Hi, KrauseHome. With 7200+ discussions and responses under your belt, you are a myLot veteran with some experience to share and words that are worthy of particular attention. Thanks for your comments on this discussion! I am referring to a new discussion that you would start. How much do you typically feel needs to be said in order to get good results on a discussion? Is less more? Is more less? Or would you say that the content is truly king, and discussion length is a servant at best? Thanks again for your thoughts!
@greysfreak (1384)
• United States
23 Jul 08
I tend to make them long too, most the time. What I do is, for the thing I want to hear people's opinions on, or a question I make that text bold, although you can't do that till 200 posts, so your best option if you wanted to make something stand out would be to separate that stuff, like write it up top or at the bottom and leave a blank line in between. Anyway, so my discussions are as long as the thoughts in my head make them. I pretty much write until I get my ideas or thoughts across, that is why I really try to make the question stand out, that way if someone doesn't have time or doesn't feel like reading a bunch of text before answering they don't have to. I mean, I certainly would like it if my whole discussion was read before someone answered, just because what I am saying may help them in getting their best responses out of the discussions. And the important thing is to try to understand where we are all coming from, so I really like long discussions, both from my own writing and reading other people's stuff, because then I really get a lot about what they think of whatever I am asking, or talking about. Certainly the more you write the better, because people have more to answer, or discuss, and also posting at least 4-5 lines is best for earnings. Also, from my experience, I have found even on days where I don't respond to or start many discussions, that the longer my responses are, the better my earnings are. So I think sharing all your knowledge and opinions on a certain discussion is a major advantage in every way!
• United States
23 Jul 08
LOL! We tend to think alike, greysfreak, on many of the points that you raise... until 200, separate important points out (after 200, bold and emoticon to your heart's content) ask questions for others to answer give people something to answer, discuss, or talk about the more you write, the better Agreed! Thanks for your contribution to this thread!
@sameroad (3179)
• United States
23 Jul 08
I post short and long discussions. I try and make them at least 4-5 lines usually though but sometimes that doesn't always happen. Also it depends on what kind of discussion i am starting or what type of discussion i am responding too. They both play a facter into how long or short my response is going to be..
1 person likes this
• United States
23 Jul 08
I suppose that the length of the discussion does depend on the topic being discussed. "Hey, what movie did you last enjoy?" will probably not take as many words to get the ball rolling as "Has anyone here ever tried to figure out pi? How far did you get past 3.14?" Thanks for your reply!