@VeryHappy
Almost all posters share their own anecdotes about dodgeball, most from their own childhood but some from dodgeball experiences of their children. About 70% take the position that dodgeball is great fun and that the study authors are being ridiculous and the other 30% mostly defend the researchers. Eventually most of the first group exits the discussion, leaving the two “sides” more equally balanced. If you have anything you want to add about dodgeball, do it now because the thread is on a glide path to getting locked.
I’ll try to read all of the posts.
Even the dodgeball thread.
If I hadn’t I would never in a million years have learned it’s the biggest non alcoholic event of the year at Princeton. Dodgeball. Who knew.
You can learn interesting things if you don’t let it grate on you, but it does at times. One in particular right now.
I am letting it go. I am letting it go. I am letting it go. ?
It depends on the topic, and how strongly I want to voice my opinion and how long the thread is and my energy level. If I’m asking an opinion, it doesn’t matter to me if those who give theirs have read through it. It probably is more valuable if they haven’t and I see similar responses. But typically I’ll read through the posts.
I am a regular participant in the long retirement thread, but I don’t think I’ve read or will ever read every post. I often read and very occasionally participate in the wedding thread.
In most cases I try to read the OP and response posts before mine, but if I have something I think may help the OP, but don’t have time to read all responses, I will say “I haven’t read…” and post my thoughts.
^^^ Ahh, I wondered when someone would use this thread as an example!!! 
I too almost always read the whole thread too unless it’s too long before I even peek in. I have not looked at the dodgeball thread. I am wondering what could possibly be taking it to the multiple pages it has! So I might be curious and just check out the last couple pages to see where it’s going - but I’m unlikely to post on it.
Possibly OT, but my favorite long-running threads are about some trainwreck future event, where everyone weighs-in about what will happen, and then waits anxiously until the OP comes back to give an update. An example of that was the “step-mom wearing white” thread: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/2124263-grrrr-step-mom-wanting-to-wear-white-to-my-sons-wedding.html
If I didn’t read all the posts I’d miss some great stories in the middle. Really good one in the middle of the dodgeball thread…lol.
But sometimes I have to return to OP to find out the original topic.
I really hate when someone ressurects a thread by answering a question that’s years old. Exception is when OP comes back with the conclusion to the story.
So now I read OP, first page or two then maybe skip to last few pages. Depends on length of thread and interest level.
I generally read the OP and all the comments before adding to the discussion. However, if I am late to a thread that is already pages long I may skim after the first few pages, especially when the discussion goes off on tangents.
The most frustrating threads are those where the OP asks for advice or assistance and never returns. I always appreciate when posters come back with an update.
Read the OP post and (mostly) all posts after that - then comment
I typically read the entire thread. If a thread is more than 10-15 posts, I generally assume everything I could add has been covered and move on. Only when I may have personal experience to add will I read a long one.
Whenever an OP comes back to update their thread, I always try to give a “like” regardless of what they say. Reward good behavior.
It depends on my participation in the thread. If I happen to catch a thread that’s a few pages in, I’ll read the OP and all the comments before adding my own post. If the thread has already exploded to multiple pages and I haven’t participated, I rarely join in. In that case, I don’t read every post. I’ll read the OP and then a few, then skip to the end to see where the discussion has landed. Unfortunately once I see that a discussion has gone into double digit pages, it’s usually jumped into entirely new areas that I don’t want to touch.
On the subject of adding a unique addition rather than echoing what others have already said, most people think they are adding something unique but rarely is that the case. In general, people agree with others, restate other points of view in new words or offer an amalgam of various posts, or follow up on a particular point. There’s nothing wrong with that. It adds to a complete discussion as long as it’s not overly repetitive or tedious or derails the discussion. I do try to offer something when I post, either to the OP, a previous poster, or the general audience out there reading along but never posting.
Usually, I read the entire thread before I post.
There are occasional exceptions. For example, someone may have posted a comment of page 8 of a 17 page thread that needs a response from me, whether or not others later in the thread have said the same thing.
This does not happen too often, but I have done it from time to time. Afterward, I virtually always read through the rest of the thread and then post agreement with anyone who may have said the same thing before I did. I suppose my second comment is really redundant at that point, but I feel that I ought to acknowledge the earlier posts. On the other hand, there have been times when no one has made the comment I needed to make, in the entire thread.
I read the entire thread first. If anything I intend to add has already been mentioned I go about my business and leave the thread to run it’s course.
What REALLY gets me is when I click on a thread than stop paying attention, or check out for a while, then find that little gray box next to the title with the number of new posts. It wreaks havoc on my undiagnosed OCD…
@GKUnion 
I hear you! Same with me. It’s like “Why did I ever click on that stupid thread?!”
@3girls3cats
Agree completely. And if it’s someone asking for advice and it’s quickly jumped to 2+ pages, I find the first reply that approximates what I would have said, click “agree” and then quickly exit before I get pulled in.
The only thing I can add.
When reading a long thread and something comes up that you really want to respond to - make sure to be patient and read the rest of the posts before doing so. It may have been hashed out to death In the pages following and by the time you finish you no longer care to respond anyway.
@privatebanker This is the main reason why I avoid long threads to begin with. Clearly others care more about the topic than I do, so leave it to them.
I’m influenced by who wrote the latest post. There are so many CCers who are wise, that I gravitate to the thread.
@privatebanker Definitely agree. I have written a response to a post in the middle of a thread and then realized there were five more pages of comments which made my post irrelevant so I often will delete and be annoyed at myself for wasting time writing something useless!