Long posts v Short posts

[Arakial]

I see a lot of discord, and dare I say, snobbery, on both sides of the subject. What further exacerbates the problem is that communities often adopt a common style, short or long respectively, that reinforces alienation of those of the opposite methodology. So, which is better, what makes it better and, if I may ask, what do you feel are the drawbacks to your own preferred style?

And thus, I am here to canvass what people's opinions on the matter are. Of course, feel free to read into the question how you will--eg a cost-benefits analysis or just supporting your view on the matter. Also, to avoid obvious fallacies, I will assume whether the methodology is that of brevity or loquacity, the arguments thereto are well-formed.  With that said, let the discussion commence.

[GenesisOne]

I like to keep my posts short for a number of reasons:

1. I can always sum up my arguments and opinions like one sums up a movie in a treatment.
2. Essays should be for English classes and journals/magazines.
3. Should I find myself engaging in wordiness, I do a hard edit to whittle it down.

Anyways, that's my M.O. in these parts.

[Thought]

A post should start at the beginning and, when it reaches the end, it should stop. As long as a post does that, then the length, whatever it is, is perfect.

That being said, many posts end too soon, or begin too early, orstay up too late. The properly sized post is the one that no one thinks is too long or short. The improperly sized one is, well, all the others.

[Dapifer]

I try to leave my entries short, but I often find myself lost in some tangent, I am like that in person so I believe it's alright(?)

I say a long post is not necessarily bad, but that's my humble opinion.

[GenesisOne]

A post should start at the beginning and, when it reaches the end, it should stop. As long as a post does that, then the length, whatever it is, is perfect.

Disregarding length, I think the above statement falls under common sense, since every single post here does that.

I must admit, though, that quoting someone else has a bit to do with post length.

[Arakial]

That being said, many posts end too soon, or begin too early, orstay up too late. The properly sized post is the one that no one thinks is too long or short. The improperly sized one is, well, all the others.

Keep in mind I accounted for 'bad' posts, by assuming that arguments thereto are well-formed (valid, accurate and non-trivial). So it is assumed that posts are of acceptable form.

[Temporal Knight]

Depends on the topic really, and what I'm replying to. If I feel I need a wall of text, I'll downright post on. If I can summarize what I want to say in a paragraph, I'll do that as well.

And if I can reply in a single sentence or two, just like now, I'm fine with that as well.

[ZombieBucky]

its not the length of the post, but the meat of it. i can say a bunch of fluff and make it into a wordy wall of text, or i can get to the heart of the matter and post something as short as a simple line. i prefer to go for the shorter post, only because i tend to just skim over the longer ones.

[Lord J Esq]

It depends on what needs to be said, which in turn depends on the people involved in the conversation. In all honesty I think the worst offenses of "snobbery" are committed by those who feel entitled to their opinion on even the most contentious subject but aren't interested in doing the intellectual legwork necessary to own their position.

Thought put it pretty nicely.

[Ramsus]

Usually if I find my post is about the size of my head or bigger, I can go back and cut it down some more in order to clarify what it is I'm trying to say. I rarely have that much to write though, so it's not even a typical concern of mine.

Although honestly, longer posts tend to keep discussions going by giving others more of an opportunity to point out the subtle flaws in your thinking; whereas, short posts sometimes end up being the written equivalent of TV soundbytes.

Regardless, the length of your writing should be determined by what it is you have to say and how you choose to say it, as well as a thoughtful consideration of the target audience. In that sense, even a two sentence post may be too long and a nine paragraph one too short.

Do as you please. This is not the rest of the Internet... THIS IS THE COMPENDIUM!!!!

[FaustWolf]

THIS IS THE COMPENDIUM!!!!

I vote for new meme time. THIS IS SPARTA THE COMPENDIUM!

[Crono666]

For me I try to explain my views as quickly as possible when I post something. But there are some topics where a longer post is needed. At the sametime I don't like my posts to be too short ether.
So to sum it up, I don't want my posts to be too long, but at the sametime I also don't want them to be too short.

[Truthordeal]

One thing I dislike about Youtube and the main reason I don't have a twitter is that both limit the number of characters you can use in a single post.

I'm not particularly long winded about most things, but when there's a subject that needs some technical explanation or a thorough analysis, 500 characters just ain't gonna cut it, buddy.

[TriforceofEternity]

as well as a thoughtful consideration of the target audience.

Wow wait a minute.  What does targe audience have to do with anything?    I am seriously

[Ramsus]

as well as a thoughtful consideration of the target audience.

Wow wait a minute.  What does targe audience have to do with anything?    I am seriously

I don't know what kind of connotation you're associating with the phrase, but in my post above, target audience simply means the person or people whom you're writing to. For example, in this post, you are the target audience.