So, your going down the list of posts on the Model Railroader Forums and you see this post which simple states “REQUEST”? Well, that’s not a very descriptive title for a post; but, O.K. I’ll bite! Then you get to the 1st page and find out this post has nothing to do with model railroading; or, that you have no interest in the subject, durrrrr!
Similar to what you have just found, there are many posts which start out with a similar lack of information in the title! When you go to them, you find you have absolutely no interest in the subject and you become a tad bit dismayed/annoyed with the Original Poster!
I think it should be common courtesy that the title contain enough information to allow a viewer the opportunity to pass the thread by, instead of it being a hook to draw them in and make them feel like a sucker!
Yes, there will be times when the subject can’t be described in the short sentence that will show-up in the thread title; but, come-on guys, put just a little effort into it!
It really is annoying, and, aside from the annoying nature of it all, I often feel sorry for the OP because his failure to be more specific probably leads to a lot of readers skipping right over the post.
On a somewhat related topic, my son-in-law never includes subject titles on his personal emails which drives me nuts and makes it impossible to find these emails for future reference.
At least the forums require that you type some form of subject title.
Now what if the information in a long title that attempts to convey the information you desire is slightly incorrect and you don’t check it out and miss out on something you would have liked to get in on?
At the opposite end of the spectrum, how about this one?
RE: Do trains understand human error ? Should everybody in the world be concerned about this one topic or is there more to what I am saying to you and it just isn’t written in this blog !
A short topic header (Title) is fine; but, be descriptive! Of course it will likely never change, there are no editors requiring it to be so and some people don’t give a “Rat’s Patoot” about anybody; or, anything!
If an OP does a vague job in the subject line, that is not my problem - and why is it yours?
I certainly realize the importance of descriptive title line, and make it a priority when I originate a thread. But, I just don’t have the concern about what others do or don’t do - for it is their loss, not mine.
It is a problem for me because I am one of the suckers that gets drawn into looking to see what the O.P. is asking! I am only asking people to be courteous, I don’t see a single thing wrong with requesting something that you realize the importance of and if you realize the importance of it, at least you care enough to try to be explicit. So, thanks Mobilman44!
Yes! If you want to get questions answered or sound off about something then a lot of forethought should be expended on your post’s title. This is a common malady on just about every forum I have ever visited and this one is no exception.
A good title may not guarantee a good post, but it will drag more people into your narrative, whatever it may be.
A title says a lot about your thought process and ability to handle the english language in a communicative way. We should all strive to put our best foot forward. A good, descriptive title is that foot.
This has long been a sore point with me on all forums. People are on the forums from all over the United States or actually the whole world, and there is all kinds of people , it will never change. I have mentioned it a few times on different forums. Abbreviations that are apparent to you might be Greek to someone else, and slang also.
I am going to try to copy your post and then post it on CTT. I’m not good with computers and never have tried that so I hope it works.
You do of course realize that you have probably spent more time writing and reading the responses to this thread than it would take you to read the first couple sentences of dozens of poorly labeled posts.