I banned myself for a month on another forum that I ran, but I don't think Xenforo allows the Admin account to be banned.
I am interested in all your stories, but so understand why you would want to spend your forum time on more fun topics and humor. Very few read long posts and the short ones with humor seem to be the best liked. It is great in my opinion when we can joke about our maladies. Yesterday after waiting 2 extra hours for my double ended surgical scoping Lady Doctor - surgeon, oncologist, gynecologist --- "Sorry to be so late Faye, but I have been up since 4 AM, rushed out with no breakfast, and so far have done an emergency complicated C section and one case of serious hemorrhaging and I ask your understanding in a further delay because it is now 10 AM and my 30 minute lunch time because I am very hungry." Faye - "Well join the club doc. I have been up all night, had only a clear liquid dinner and then your recommended Gatorade antifreeze laced shake for breakfast, but since my happy lunch depends on your having a happy lunch, then take an hour and enjoy." Doc - "Thanks for your understanding so an hour it is." She did in fact take an hour and I was glad she did because I received the most in-depth exams and she addressed an issue the gastrointestinal male doctors had downplayed. I am now on treatment for 3 months and then another scoping of the upper to check for progress. No cancer!
Real life conversations meander from topic to topic. I would think forum conversations would follow the same pattern. I think conversations get more interesting when they flow naturally. As far as encouraging contributing longer, more wordy posts, I've noticed a lot of seniors no longer have the concentration (or inclination) to wade through long posts and appreciate the more "to the point" posts. I am one of them. When I see a post that's half a page or more long, I either speed read through it or skip it entirely. It may just be me, but at 74 years old, my power of concentration has diminished. Just thought I'd add my two cents.
We older people are set in our ways and that makes it harder to live and let live or allow much discussion outside our own belief', like religion and politics. For example, I think people who refuse to get along or have radical opinions or agendas may be able to learn to be more accepting of others' opinions if they are given more time to adjust, like a temp ban maybe a week, then a month and finally permanently banned. Some won't come back after the first one anyway. People don't usually come to these social forums because they have a satisfying social life. So even if I don't really agree or care much for a subject I will usually try to comment or give them a like to let them know somebody is paying attention, why at times SOC looks like a Marei Mallory board. I learn from others too, gardening, music, politics and religion etc. I'm outspoken, sometimes too much so. I like correction and have been corrected many times, both personally and not so personally. Then I'm also hardheaded. Last but not least, we all have good and bad days and dealing with some sort of health issue, either mental , physical or both
(This is not directed to anyone in particular, I've been meaning to make this comment a long time .... ) What forums DON'T need is more posts complaining about what people DON'T like. Even when there is a rare positive suggestion in this thread, it's often followed by a "rather than." "I would like to see A, rather than B." When everyone posts what they don't like, it kind of spoils the mood for posting anything, in my opinion.
It's already been said, but brief posts are more likely to be read by myself. I don't spend a lot of time at a website or the computer itself at one sitting. It's in and out for me.
Question. Does that mean if you post something and someone else posts their opinion; different from yours? example: I like azaleas bordering my driveway. Well, I don't like them as they don't grow here well. I prefer petunias.
I think people do, as long as there are paragraphs, depending on what the topic is. When someone starts a thread with one or two lines of text, that's not usually enough to draw anyone in. Maybe "most people" would prefer short, humorous posts, but there are "enough people" who enjoy more in-depth conversations to be able to carry them on. There's room for both. There's room here, too, for radical opinions, and someone's radical opinions shouldn't be a bother to others, since they are free to ignore anything they don't want to take part in. I'd rather not have to ban anyone, and generally only do that when someone is sabotaging a discussion by making it personal.
I think this is as much our current "culture" as it is anyone's age. I noticed a while ago that I lost the patience to sit down and watch a movie. And I agree, a "wall of text" can be off-putting, although I recently admitted my own lack of brevity. edit to add: As Ken just said, formatting (and content) are mitigating factors.
My lack of concentration seems limited to reading. Watching movies, TV show marathons, and endless games of Words With Friends don't seem to be a problem. I just can't even read a few paragraphs in a magazine without my mind zoning out.