When does a thread get too long?

[Cedric]

We've all seen those forum threads that seem to go on forever, with page after page of comments and discussions. But at what point does a thread have too many pages? When does it become too unwieldy to keep track of, or too difficult to jump into as a new participant?

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this topic. Some forums may have a specific limit on how many pages a thread can have before it's locked or split into multiple threads. Others may let the conversation continue indefinitely, regardless of how many pages it spans.

So, where do you stand on this issue? Do you prefer to keep threads short and sweet, or do you like to see discussions unfold over multiple pages and weeks? And if you do think a thread can have too many pages, what's your threshold for when it's time to wrap things up or start a new thread?

Personally, I think there's a sweet spot somewhere in the middle. I like to see discussions evolve and grow over time, but I also don't want to see threads become so long that they're impossible to navigate or engage with. Let's discuss!

 

[Cory]

When it becomes too cumbersome to have an ongoing, continuous conversation it may be time to lock the thread up and start a new one.

It's really dependent on the type of thread too; forum games or general chat threads could probably go on for miles. Conversations more specific may need more breathing room.

 

[Arantor]

When you make the thread long enough to forcibly break the forum software just to spite the forum developer who tells you that topics should remain short and on-topic at all times.

Just imagine what you can do when there's no-one else online and you can spam a topic like it's a shoutbox, to the point that you can put each line of a song in as its own post because you can rapid-fire posts at it without even clicking on anything.

 

[Shortie]

I feel there is a base where a thread is too long and too short. When the thread is only about 10 words long or a little over I feel that is too short but a thread that is a few sentences and doesn't take a lot to read and go through like you were on a blog over a forum would be the perfect sweet spot. Many people would rather come on a forum to read things and give their opinions or knowledge or even just to chat and relax, if they have to sit and read a full essay of a thread before they even know how to reply, it is more likely they will turn away. Informative and to the point seems to work the best.

 

[-JuNioR-]

I guess it depends on the type of forum. I run a visual novel discussion forum. There are many novels and their respective authors selling them on Patreon. No one will read the whole thread from the beginning and it doesn't matter if someone joins the forum later because these VNs are created on the fly and updated with new episodes/chapters so there is always something to discuss, and new members just go with the flow. Longest thread so far is 152 pages and growing.

 

[Uncrowned]

Definitely depends on the topic and quality of replies being generated. A topic asking a question that can be answered in a few words, should likely not go on for 10 pages. However, a topic about an ongoing world event might have a consistently developing storyline to it and that can go on for quite some time. Although the purpose of the forum needs to be taken into account too. A gaming forum may do well to have a 50-page topic about the Ukraine war as it is mostly for a small subset of users on the forum, while a world news, politics, or military forum should try to break that topic apart as new users are going to want to engage and will be lost.

 

[Cedric]

Definitely depends on the topic and quality of replies being generated. A topic asking a question that can be answered in a few words, should likely not go on for 10 pages. However, a topic about an ongoing world event might have a consistently developing storyline to it and that can go on for quite some time. Although the purpose of the forum needs to be taken into account too. A gaming forum may do well to have a 50-page topic about the Ukraine war as it is mostly for a small subset of users on the forum, while a world news, politics, or military forum should try to break that topic apart as new users are going to want to engage and will be lost.

That’s a very well put reply.

 

[Kale]

I have had threads go on for a while and never have once as a staff member thought to close it. I only close down threads if it's turning into an argument or getting out of hand.

 

[Henrywrites]

When it becomes too cumbersome to have an ongoing, continuous conversation it may be time to lock the thread up and start a new one.

It's really dependent on the type of thread too; forum games or general chat threads could probably go on for miles. Conversations more specific may need more breathing room.

I also think that when the purpose for the thread is being driven away by the members, then it is time to close the thread because it doesn't make any sense to start discussing a different thing on a particular thread.

 

[Cory]

I also think that when the purpose for the thread is being driven away by the members, then it is time to close the thread because it doesn't make any sense to start discussing a different thing on a particular thread.

True, some people derail topics into something other than the discussion of the OP. A new one can always be created and stricter moderation can be put into place to try and keep it more streamlined.

 

[Matt C.]

IMO a thread gets too long when it starts going off-topic. Best to close it and start a new thread.

 

[Henrywrites]

IMO a thread gets too long when it starts going off-topic. Best to close it and start a new thread.

That is something the moderators should always look into. You don't sit and watch things go out of hand without taking an action especially when the thread is entering 7 pages.

 

[Arantor]

What happens with a 50+ page thread that has stayed on topic the whole time?

 

[Cedric]

What happens with a 50+ page thread that has stayed on topic the whole time?

I’d split the off topic replies.

 

[Dan The Man]

General topic threads can get very long and that's okay. Otherwise, I cap threads around 10 pages, they usually get off-topic, have run their course, or slow down the forums load time, tbh.

 

[Strawberry]

Like others, I don't think there's really a limit unless the forum started to become laggy or the thread went off-topic, then you'd have to have a look at this.

 

[Arantor]

I’d split the off topic replies.

What if there aren't any because they're all still basically on topic the whole time?

Specifically I have in mind https://xenforo.com/community/threads/xf-2-3.185937/ where the entire topic is, as far as I can tell on topic for 'what is the next version of XF, when is it coming and omg the developers said it was here soon but akshully'

 

[Cedric]

What if there aren't any because they're all still basically on topic the whole time?

Specifically I have in mind https://xenforo.com/community/threads/xf-2-3.185937/ where the entire topic is, as far as I can tell on topic for 'what is the next version of XF, when is it coming and omg the developers said it was here soon but akshully'

Then the thread needs to go on. 😃

 

[Xilia]

If your server (like jcink does) have a "search" function for specific areas of the board, I really don't care how long it is because it's easy to quote/grab a post from something earlier in the thread.

 

[Heatman]

In most cases when this kind of a thing happens with a particular thread, the likely reason is that most people have been derailing discussion which makes it to go far too long but I believe that if people still stay on subject and the things being discussed are still relevant to the thread, it doesn't matter if it goes for a very long time.