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It's just easier to write. You start with an idea about where you want to go, and then every step forward is published, so there's no editing or revision possib

It's just easier to write. You start with an idea about where you want to go, and then every step forward is published, so there's no editing or revision possible. Sure, the quality of the writing might suffer, but it makes up for it by allowing so much more writing to happen without getting killed by second thoughts or hesitations. The prevalence of these threads on HN is a great example of how systems can succeed by optimizing for production instead of consumption.

jefftk 4y ago
Is that actually what's happening? Or do people write out the whole thing ahead of time and then paste it into Twitter/Mastodon? (I had assumed the latter, but maybe not?)
- nightpool 4y ago
  Yes, my anecdotal conversations with people who post these things is that that's mostly how they happen. The closest I ever get to writing the whole thing out ahead of time is just writing two or three posts worth of text into the reply box and then splitting it up before posting. Maybe e.g. journalists or writers with more long-form experience do sometimes write out their whole thread ahead of time and then post it, but I think that's a very small percentage. (For example, notorious thread-poster Foone elaborates on their process/why threads work for them here: https://foone.tumblr.com/post/700185724820078592/one-of-my-few-problems-with-adopting-tumblr-as-my https://foone.tumblr.com/post/700185724820078592/one-of-my-f...)
  - jefftk 4y ago
    Is the 1/25 or whatever a guess? Or are those cases where people have composed them in advance?
    - nightpool 4y ago
      Yeah, good question. Most of the threads I see are marked e.g. 1/, 2/, without a set end number, so yeah, I would expect that most ones that DO have it are composed in advance. (Although maybe not always posted all at once, because people definitely do still elaborate & extend on points and sometimes overrun their "pre-written script"). For example one Twitter user I follow who I most expect to write his threads ahead of time is Bret Devereaux, since he has significant long-form blog experience where he puts a lot of thoughts into high-level structure, pedagogy, etc. However, this thread of his from this morning does't have a set end-point: https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux/status/1610457226451484672 https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux/status/1610457226451484672. I wonder how it was composed?

jefftk 4y ago

Is that actually what's happening? Or do people write out the whole thing ahead of time and then paste it into Twitter/Mastodon? (I had assumed the latter, but maybe not?)

nightpool 4y ago
Yes, my anecdotal conversations with people who post these things is that that's mostly how they happen. The closest I ever get to writing the whole thing out ahead of time is just writing two or three posts worth of text into the reply box and then splitting it up before posting. Maybe e.g. journalists or writers with more long-form experience do sometimes write out their whole thread ahead of time and then post it, but I think that's a very small percentage. (For example, notorious thread-poster Foone elaborates on their process/why threads work for them here: https://foone.tumblr.com/post/700185724820078592/one-of-my-few-problems-with-adopting-tumblr-as-my https://foone.tumblr.com/post/700185724820078592/one-of-my-f...)
- jefftk 4y ago
  Is the 1/25 or whatever a guess? Or are those cases where people have composed them in advance?
  - nightpool 4y ago
    Yeah, good question. Most of the threads I see are marked e.g. 1/, 2/, without a set end number, so yeah, I would expect that most ones that DO have it are composed in advance. (Although maybe not always posted all at once, because people definitely do still elaborate & extend on points and sometimes overrun their "pre-written script"). For example one Twitter user I follow who I most expect to write his threads ahead of time is Bret Devereaux, since he has significant long-form blog experience where he puts a lot of thoughts into high-level structure, pedagogy, etc. However, this thread of his from this morning does't have a set end-point: https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux/status/1610457226451484672 https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux/status/1610457226451484672. I wonder how it was composed?