This might be a bit mean

[GhostInTheMachine]

I understand we're all struggling here, and that some of us didn't get the resources or education needed to clearly convey what we're feeling, or that we're just feeling so god damned awful that we're simply not concerned about it. I also understand that english may not be the first language for many people here as well. However, some of ya'll desperately need to learn what a paragraph is. I don't say this to make anybody feel bad, but I've found it an common occurrence that somebody spills their heart out and I can't for the life of me parse the sheer brick walls of text with no spacing or formatting whatsoever.

It doesn't have to be a college-level thesis in chicago style or anything silly like that, just please space out your messages every few (usually 4-6) sentences. This range is flexible and can be adjusted to your needs, and it will immediately be much easier to read for not just myself, but many others too. This not only benefits the reader, but you as the writer since more people will be able to process and engage your message and offer any sort of advice, condolences, and/or support. It might be the difference between your post going unresponded to, and it creating a productive discussion.

 

[Carrot]

Oh absolutely, paragraphs are crucial. I mean, imagine trying to read a massive wall of text without any breaks - utter chaos, right? It's like trying to navigate through a maze with no exit signs, or trying to find the one clean dish in a mountain of dirty plates. Total mayhem. The beauty of paragraphs is that they give our brain a moment to pause and process. They're like the small breaths you take when you run a marathon—necessary to keep the whole thing from feeling overwhelming. Without them, you're just running, gasping for air, trying to understand what's going on. It's like listening to someone rant without taking a breath, you can only catch bits and pieces, and eventually, you just stop trying. Proper formatting is key! Every time I read something with neatly organized paragraphs, it's like my brain is getting a little hug. It's like, "Ah, I can see the structure now. This is the kind of thing I can work with!" It's like opening up a book where the chapters are perfectly divided and each section flows smoothly, guiding you from one point to the next. It's almost magical. You get to feel the rhythm of the conversation. Without paragraphs, though? Well, that's like wandering in a forest of words, no trail, no path. You might catch a glimpse of something interesting, but you'll never really get to the heart of it. It's just a disorganized jumble of words trying desperately to communicate with no clear path. Like a poorly written script for a movie where no one knows what's going on, and there's no direction at all. It's like reading an email from a toddler who's just learned to type—absolutely adorable but impossible to understand. So yes, I completely agree that paragraphs make the world a better place. They bring order to the madness and make everything so much easier to digest. Good formatting? Oh, that should be celebrated. It's like a symphony where every note is perfectly placed, and the overall result is harmony. It's not just about making things look nice; it's about creating a smooth experience for the reader. It's the difference between reading a well-structured novel and struggling through a random collection of words.

 

[TBONTB]

I understand we're all struggling here, and that some of us didn't get the resources or education needed to clearly convey what we're feeling, or that we're just feeling so god damned awful that we're simply not concerned about it. I also understand that english may not be the first language for many people here as well. However, some of ya'll desperately need to learn what a paragraph is. I don't say this to make anybody feel bad, but I've found it an common occurrence that somebody spills their heart out and I can't for the life of me parse the sheer brick walls of text with no spacing or formatting whatsoever.

It doesn't have to be a college-level thesis in chicago style or anything silly like that, just please space out your messages every few (usually 4-6) sentences. This range is flexible and can be adjusted to your needs, and it will immediately be much easier to read for not just myself, but many others too. This not only benefits the reader, but you as the writer since more people will be able to process and engage your message and offer any sort of advice, condolences, and/or support. It might be the difference between your post going unresponded to, and it creating a productive discussion.

Yes, for sure. Paragraphs are essential

 

[GhostInTheMachine]

Oh absolutely, paragraphs are crucial. I mean, imagine trying to read a massive wall of text without any breaks - utter chaos, right? It's like trying to navigate through a maze with no exit signs, or trying to find the one clean dish in a mountain of dirty plates. Total mayhem. The beauty of paragraphs is that they give our brain a moment to pause and process. They're like the small breaths you take when you run a marathon—necessary to keep the whole thing from feeling overwhelming. Without them, you're just running, gasping for air, trying to understand what's going on. It's like listening to someone rant without taking a breath, you can only catch bits and pieces, and eventually, you just stop trying. Proper formatting is key! Every time I read something with neatly organized paragraphs, it's like my brain is getting a little hug. It's like, "Ah, I can see the structure now. This is the kind of thing I can work with!" It's like opening up a book where the chapters are perfectly divided and each section flows smoothly, guiding you from one point to the next. It's almost magical. You get to feel the rhythm of the conversation. Without paragraphs, though? Well, that's like wandering in a forest of words, no trail, no path. You might catch a glimpse of something interesting, but you'll never really get to the heart of it. It's just a disorganized jumble of words trying desperately to communicate with no clear path. Like a poorly written script for a movie where no one knows what's going on, and there's no direction at all. It's like reading an email from a toddler who's just learned to type—absolutely adorable but impossible to understand. So yes, I completely agree that paragraphs make the world a better place. They bring order to the madness and make everything so much easier to digest. Good formatting? Oh, that should be celebrated. It's like a symphony where every note is perfectly placed, and the overall result is harmony. It's not just about making things look nice; it's about creating a smooth experience for the reader. It's the difference between reading a well-structured novel and struggling through a random collection of words.

m-dash

 

[Pluto]

 

[Carrot]

m-dash

Busted, actual chat gpt reply.

 

[R. A.]

I understand we're all struggling here, and that some of us didn't get the resources or education needed to clearly convey what we're feeling, or that we're just feeling so god damned awful that we're simply not concerned about it. I also understand that english may not be the first language for many people here as well. However, some of ya'll desperately need to learn what a paragraph is. I don't say this to make anybody feel bad, but I've found it an common occurrence that somebody spills their heart out and I can't for the life of me parse the sheer brick walls of text with no spacing or formatting whatsoever.

It doesn't have to be a college-level thesis in chicago style or anything silly like that, just please space out your messages every few (usually 4-6) sentences. This range is flexible and can be adjusted to your needs, and it will immediately be much easier to read for not just myself, but many others too. This not only benefits the reader, but you as the writer since more people will be able to process and engage your message and offer any sort of advice, condolences, and/or support. It might be the difference between your post going unresponded to, and it creating a productive discussion.

yeah...i just don't read them anymore. i use a laptop and just mouse over the title to get a nice little body preview, which most of the time is enough to see whether or not it's a wall of letters (it doesn't work if the opener is a hefty paragraph though).

it's kind of worked itself out in my favor since, over time, i've found posts of this nature more often than not are of content i feel less inclined to engage with vs. those that are actually readable.

 

[SchizoGymnast]

I understand we're all struggling here, and that some of us didn't get the resources or education needed to clearly convey what we're feeling, or that we're just feeling so god damned awful that we're simply not concerned about it. I also understand that english may not be the first language for many people here as well. However, some of ya'll desperately need to learn what a paragraph is. I don't say this to make anybody feel bad, but I've found it an common occurrence that somebody spills their heart out and I can't for the life of me parse the sheer brick walls of text with no spacing or formatting whatsoever.

It doesn't have to be a college-level thesis in chicago style or anything silly like that, just please space out your messages every few (usually 4-6) sentences. This range is flexible and can be adjusted to your needs, and it will immediately be much easier to read for not just myself, but many others too. This not only benefits the reader, but you as the writer since more people will be able to process and engage your message and offer any sort of advice, condolences, and/or support. It might be the difference between your post going unresponded to, and it creating a productive discussion.

I don't think this was mean at all. In all reality, all you have to do is hit the enter key a few times.

 

[amerie]

Imo, I genuinely think grammar doesn't matter when you're venting on this site unless you actually have a message you'd like to convey to others, I don't even think perfect grammar matters in general because too many people prioritize it over a well rounded message, I'm using shit grammar right now actually.

But yeah I agree it can be unbearable if they're trying to have an actual discussion and you can't even read it.

 

[GhostInTheMachine]

Imo, I genuinely think grammar doesn't matter when you're venting on this site unless you actually have a message you'd like to convey to others, I don't even think perfect grammar matters in general because too many people prioritize it over a well rounded message, I'm using shit grammar right now actually.

But yeah I agree it can be unbearable if they're trying to have an actual discussion and you can't even read it.

I'm fine with most bad grammer to be honest. A lot of it is arbitrary anyways, and I do agree that when people are venting it's not at the forefront of their minds. They just want to get their thoughts out and english class rules aren't really their focus.

 

[quietwoods]

Not just this but conciseness in general. I get this is a venting site but bruh I'm not reading a 15 paragraph monstrosity that could easily of been expressed in 1-2 paragraphs.

 

[CatLvr]

I made my living in a career field that relied on your ability to communicate your position clearly and succinctly on paper. Therefore, the lack of paragraphs, and to some extent proper sentence structure, will trigger the proofreader in me BOOM! I will have to go back and reread whole posts because I catch myself correcting grammatical and structural errors instead of focusing on the content.

It's both a blessing and a curse. Lol But I don't judge anyone but me and my ADHD. Argh! I was "on the spectrum" before anyone knew what a "spectrum" was. And no, for once, I am NOT being a smartass.

 

[Dejected 55]

What I find more fucked up is... people will rail over the writing in someone's informal forum post, but our society makes more egregious errors in professional texts and TV scrolls during the news and whatnot. Professionals should be held to a higher standard, and they just are not anymore. So many typos and misuse of grammar and punctuation in formal documents. And most don't care.

We have shifted where we care about things to where it matters the least. I wish we lived in a world where everything else was so pristine that we were down to critiquing forum posts... but we don't. Can we hold professionals and professional writing/documents to a higher standard before we rail on people pouring their hearts out informally on a depression forum?

 

[locked*n*loaded]

Yeah, some postings can be a tad difficult to read and follow, sometimes, especially when the posting is just one gargantuan sentence, devoid of any punctuation whatsoever. It would be helpful if people used periods and commas, at least.