I’ve come to the conclusion that a good number of people don’t actually click thru cut text. This is actually been partially supported by (almost) subversive research.
So…
Why don’t you tell me ..
An interesting poll to support a theory…
The only time I prefer people to use cuts sis when they are posting something so huge it will throw off the format of my entire friends page, or if they are posting something very oddly sexual or violent. Not only do I read at work, but I read lj at home with my child running around sometimes.
I use lj cut in those circumstances but also for long posts, polls, memes, quizzes, or what is called “TMI” mostly because I get sick of hearing other people complain about it.
I prefer, and use, cuts on really long posts — “more than a few paragraphs” doesn’t capture it; I mean more like “more than a couple ‘pages’ as viewed on my friends page”. I will sometimes cut stretches of a couple paragraphs if I judge that the cut text will be of interest to few readers, e.g. when I’m footnoting or otherwise explaining the Jewish minutiae in my liturgy/halacha/etc posts, or when I think the cut stuff is kind of fluffy.
Other than that, sexually-explicit or non-tiny pictures should be cut, including the ones that come with the quiz memes (“what kind of eggplant am I?” etc).
cut it out!
My thoughts on cuts
I usually click through an lj-cut depending on the content it’s indicated lies within. So if somebody says they’re going to rant at length about their job, then I’ll only click through if it’s someone I know pretty well and therefore care about their job … or if it’s someone who tends to write very amusingly about stuff that sucks.
There are certain people on my friends list who I will click through no matter what. I’ll read anything they write, because they are important in my life and I care about everything that happens to them. This, however, is a rather small group of people. Others, I decide on a case-by-case basis, depending on lots of factors: the topic of the post, how alert/tired I am at the time, the attitude of the writer, etc.
And I must admit that I do occasionally take people off my list for their lj-cut behavior, but only in extreme cases. Someone who posts lots of pictures and/or stupid quiz results (with stupid pictures) and/or extremely long posts (several screens’ worth) without cutting is just going to bug me, so I stop reading them. I also have in the past stopped reading journals of people who wrote about things that really bother me (such as dieting, particularly Atkins), but I’ve kept reading people who write about such things and put them behind lj-cut tags.
The other lj-cut behavior that bugs me, though, is cutting everything. No matter what the person writes, they put it behind a cut tag. I’m not going to click through on every single post. Those people I don’t usually take off my friends list, I just end up not reading their journal because I don’t click through unless they grab me with their subject line.
your theory
“An interesting poll to support a theory…”
Shouldn’t this have been “…poll to investigate a theory”? What if your results do not support it?
It also probably is biased now that you told people what the theory was *before* the cut.
Re: your theory
This is a valid point. Except, that I do have my (almost) subversive analysis as well. The results of the poll are only showing who actually responded to the poll, as opposed to how many saw the pre-cut posting.
I’ll know more about that later.
If you’re really curious what my other research is, you can either ask me via IM or see if you can figure it out from the rather obvious clues 🙂
Re: your theory
“The results of the poll are only showing who actually responded to the poll, as opposed to how many saw the pre-cut posting.”
Yes, I assumed that was how you were getting your data. My point was that people may have chosen differently as to wether or not to click through when told that this was a poll to provide results for a theory regarding how frequently people click through cuts.
But then, I don’t know what your other data is.
2 comments plus 1 related note:
I generally only put stuff behind the cut if I think only a few people are going to want to read it. It’s the “read if you really wanna, but I ain’t forcing you” option. Not everyone on my friends list is interested in the nox signs. I put them behind the cut rather than decide who I want to show the post too. I allow my readers to decide if they want to read it, not me. I have been surprised to see some people read stuff I wouldnt think they were interested in. Of course I also get responses on stuff I do not cut and people wish i did. Can’t please em all.
For your cuts, I would rather you let it all hang out, personally. I just think that’s the beauty of lj. Everyone has something different to say. Long or short, emotive or not. I enjoy reading what you have to say and find the cuts an annoying diversion. Mainly b/c I work wireless and sometimes I could have finished reading what you would have cut in the time it took to get the link to load. It also takes me a minute to figure out where the new material starts from the old, once you get to the linked page(sometimes).
If everyone put their stuff behind a link then it would take me twice as long to read.
On a related note, I do not think people should apologize for what they write, or even how, in their personal journals perse. Like, “sorry, another meme here”. Or, “just dull me posting again”. I think we should be proud of who we are and what we are all ON about.
Agreed…
On a related note, I do not think people should apologize for what they write, or even how, in their personal journals perse. Like, “sorry, another meme here”. Or, “just dull me posting again”. I think we should be proud of who we are and what we are all ON about.
I know I do this from time to time. But to be honest, I really try not to apologize for my posting. I will at times offer regret for comments made in an emotionally heated state… but I try to post as I feel I should post.
Now…
On an unrelated note… Musickal… Are you originally from #thelema on IRC? I knew a Musickal there several years ago.
Re: Agreed…
🙂 I had noticed you were friends with lots of #thelema people 🙂
I have always gone by musick and I am on Law’s website from so long ago.
http://www.tech-gnosis.com/Friends-01.htm
Sinny created a picture site years later, maintains it more too, and it has recently moved; but I never got on hers due to timing I think.
what was your handle then? Was not the same as now, was it? I have been trying to catch up with old friends recently, but it’s been so damn long!
Re: Agreed…
Yep, that’s her! Hiya Musick!! (((HUGS))))
Re: Agreed…
oh wow! Loveeee your lj pic!! It has been entirely too long since I have seen you!! I hear I might get to see you when I come to LA? I wrote S. but have not heard back yet. I cannot wait!!
Just in case, my email is musick@mac.com and I am on AIM as musick000.
much love and hugs!
Pictures
I prefer cuts on posts with multiple pictures, or one picture if it is very large.
Although I normally click through; I almost didn’t click through this time just because it felt like a challenge.
I click through depending on time.
I think LJ-cuts should ABSOLUTELY be used for any NSFW material.
I prefer that LJ-cuts be used for memes.
*curtsey*
I don’t use cuts because I’m still learning how but after reading the poll results and the comments I’m thinking I better learn!
your cuts
I can’t recall ever seeing a place where I felt you should have cut. However, if you’d like to learn how, it’s pretty easy. You just put <lj-cut> and </lj-cut> around the part you want to hide. By default it will say “Read more” I think. If you want it to say something else use text=”whatever you want to say”, like this:
<lj-cut text=”the answer to the joke behind this cut”>
The baby was stapled to the chicken
</lj-cut>
More info:
http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=75
Re: your cuts
<lj-cut text=”the answer to the joke behind this cut”>
Of course she’s a McDonald, She’s served over a million
</lj-cut>
I click through cuts most of the time, but if I’m reading my filtered lists it’s usually because I have limited time. If someone tells me in their cut that it’s a meme I may skip it. If they tell me that it’s long, I may skip it but bookmark the link for later. I do get annoyed when my friends post pictures without a cut tag — sometimes I have to use dial-up and it can take forever to load a page with just the usericons, let alone a picture with any kind of high resolution or size.
I don’t care about cuts in other people’s stuff much since I started using your handy-dandy RSS reader ;). The cuts don’t even show up there.
hee hee hee *blush*
There! See! Count it!
One, One happy user!
Re: hee hee hee *blush*
RSS reader?
Re: hee hee hee *blush*
Mac application I wrote to read Livejournal without a browser. It organises journals and makes it easier to page thru info. Also remembers who’s filtered posts you can read and marks filters stories.
Re: hee hee hee *blush*
I don’t suppose you’ve got one for non-mac’s?
Re: hee hee hee *blush*
this is me you’re talking about. Mac bigot galore.
Re: hee hee hee *blush*
Sounds like an exploitable market niche to me…
And my .02 on the cuts is, as I said in the poll, if its long, if its piccies, if its a rant, it should go behind an appropriately labelled cut. Since I work in the pr0n industry I don’t really have to worry too much about NWSM, heh! However I have dropped people from my Lj for long ass ranting about nothing without courtesy cuts, especially repeat offenders. 🙂 You, on the other hand, give good post.
More drive by IM’s please?
Since I rarely post these days, and if I post a long entry it’s usually important, I hardly ever use cuts.
When it comes to reading, if I am in a huge hurry, I’ll skim past any cut that doesn’t seem to contain dramatically important information. Or naked pictures. (You have to have priorities.) Other than that, I usually check behind most cuts, unless the announce that they’re cutting for a meme…I see enough memes uncut, I’ll rarely click for a meme.
I really appreciate people using cuts. I normally post with cuts if more than two or three paragraphs. Sometimes I leave things open for a few days, then chop them. If I am trying to find a post on my own journal pages, I like to be able to scroll through all of the [subjects/cut text] quickly without actually going into the archives, because many times the subject does not “say it all” but the [subject/cut text] together gives me a better clue.
I have my 21″ monster set to 1600×1200 res. most days, so if I have to scroll through someone’s post on my friend’s page — it should have been cut as far as I am concerned. I hate having to pagedown a million times just to get through 3 or 4 posts.