For every thread, someone is the thread killer. Yes, by definition, someone is the last to post. Occasionally, the thread is a single post -the original post is also the last post. The Original Poster is the Thread Killer.

In fact, more than one person can feel like the thread killer. If I post and no one posts after me for a day, a week, or longer, I'll feel I'm the thread killer and the person who finally posts after me will also feel like the thread killer. How sad.

Thread starters are "validated" by having someone(s) anyone(s) contribute to their thread. However, interim posters may only "feel validated" by having someone refer to their specific post by name or quote. If you look at the thread count and realize people are reading the thread, your comments are being read whether they comment or not.

Why do people feel that being the last person to post is killing the thread? Perhaps readers feel that at that point, everything has now been contributed and new posts will just be repeats. Perhaps that last post has done a masterful job of summarizing and it will be too hard to follow. Perhaps a new topic has come up and interest has shifted. It can also have to do with the time of day you post. Post at 3 am and by the time people get caught up that post can be buried or roll below the page. If your last comment is a "Wow, I agree with everything you said.", there's not a whole lot for anyone to add.

In the email world, I have co-workers who unable to not respond to an email.

B: "Here's the file you requested"
W: "Thanks"
B: "You're Welcome"
W: "That's very kind of you"
B: "Any time. Just let me know"

If you don't "Kill the thread", your in-box will be filled with useless emails. You'll never have time and space to move on to something new.

When threads get to the point that new posts aren't contributing anything new, they die. They die for other valid reasons that are no reflection on the last poster. I guess for some folks there's an underlying fear that if their post was the last, it was judged as lacking in some way, thus the name "thread killer". As you can see, the thread can die a perfectly naturally death unrelated to the last poster.

Ok, I'll bite (you are off the hook as a potential OP thread killer now, lol).

I also hope that my reply won't be last. I do, however, sometimes make an effort to post in threads that are lacking response, so that ups the "risk" a bit. I rarely start threads myself, so I feel I should support those who do.

And, in general, I have a rule of thumb to post only once in a thread (unless it's an ongoing support thread).

Usually I don't notice when I'm the threadkiller, because of how I read the threads here. I don't subscribe to threads, I check New Posts and read through them. So when a thread I've contributed to dies, I don't always notice (or know that I was the last to post) that it disappeared or that I was the last to post when it did.

However, when I do notice, is when the conversations was really fun and interesting and I'm looking forward to that thread and can't find it, then go looking and see I was the last to post, and my opinion was very different than everyone else's in the thread.

Those are the times I hear crickets and wonder "was it something I said?"

Hee hee hee, Yoyo, I won't let you kill this thread! This could be dangerous because a lot of people are probably away or busy this weekend, but I'll survive. I guess I really have nothing to add to the thought at hand, but I couldn't resist jumping in...

"LAST!"






(The threadkiller version of those annoying "FIRST!" comments on blogs)

Oops, I wasn't fast enough. Sorry, but I'm just waiting for my fake fudge to be done in the oven, so I can't go get a life at the moment. I'll add this:

LOL guys.. Nice picture Auntie g!

Ditto Kaplods..

This is a really goofy conversation.

STOP POSTING HERE!











kidding

Gary wants to be the thread killer!

I can see this turning into a competition...who will kill the thread?

Probably me because I'm sure I've killed many threads before

Or it could be me.

This could go on forever, like a demented game of hot potato, or would it bemore like tag?

Ok, has anyone else noticed that the other thread, in which we mentioned thread killing has now disappeared as well.

I'm feeling like I'm in the Twilight Zone episode where the scary kid wishes people away into the cornfield.

Oh, oh, oh!!!!! Pick me!!!!! I've been called a ball buster, now I need a new title.