In most cases we should not make a post or comment on one.
In some cases we can improve things for everyone by making a post or commenting.
When we post or comment we should realize we are asking others to expend some attention or energy to comprehend our words.[1]
My point:
Spend some time composing and reviewing what you post and remove as many words as possible in order to magnify the effect of the actual point you are making.
This post started out with the idea that posts and comments should qualify as poetry but I scaled it back in order to be brief :-). ↩
Does paying to post affect this reasoning at all?
How about if the payment went directly to the reader?
My desire to use the surgeon's knife on my posts and comments is tempered by the fact that my model for effective internet writing is GameKyuubi's "I AM HODLING" post. -- a post which I suspect escaped from the editorial ward without a scratch.
true.
still i think the length here is important to its meme-ability. op talked about paring down.
i sort of see where you're getting at, but im having a hard time imagining a world where this happens willingly.
readers seem to be paid by writers on sn only when they engage with what's been written, not by merely reading.
Wow, friend... I didn't even know where the story of that phrase came from...!!
I don't understand this.
Yes I paid a premium to post this in Culture.
nice distillation. i reflect on this too. its part of the reason that i encourage short(er) posts while others argue that compression culture is killing us. the truth is likely somewhere in between.
Brevity is the soul of wit
For those who prefer to read long texts and those who prefer short texts, as long as the long one has content and the short one is objective, I think the number of words used is of little importance. I write a lot myself, and I believe that every word I type is part of the construction of the idea I am building, and I know that many people must skip my comments when they see the number of lines it takes up on the screen. Practicing writing is important and soon becomes natural; writing will become less verbose and more fluid. I understand that this is the point you are raising.
I really appreciate the sentiment here. In a digital world overflowing with noise, this reminder to pause, reflect, and refine before posting is refreshing. Treating each post or comment as something that demands attention and energy from others is both respectful and mindful. The idea that brevity can magnify impact resonates deeply there’s a kind of poetry in precision. Maybe not every comment needs to be haiku-level minimalism, but striving for clarity and intentionality is a discipline worth cultivating. This post captures a principle that could improve not just our online discourse, but communication in general.