Your thoughts on: "I'm leaving this thread."

[ettiquit]

I like them. I think they're exciting and dramatic and funny. The world needs more spice.

LOL!

[AustenFan]

"Goodbye Cruel Forum" posts are rarely useful and often ridiculous. The really funny ones are the people who issue a GCF and then come back a little later. Me, I just stop posting/reading if I don't think a thread is useful.

A "we seem to be going around in circles about this topic, so perhaps we should let it rest/agree to disagree" is not a GCF.

That's what I meant to say!

I also enjoy on forums when you can see the user stats and as soon as a GCF post is made that user signs out and suddenly(!) there is a lurker monitoring the thread. Who they think they are fooling is beyond me...

[Fidgets]

"Goodbye Cruel Forum" posts are rarely useful and often ridiculous. The really funny ones are the people who issue a GCF and then come back a little later. Me, I just stop posting/reading if I don't think a thread is useful.

A "we seem to be going around in circles about this topic, so perhaps we should let it rest/agree to disagree" is not a GCF.

That's what I meant to say!

I also enjoy on forums when you can see the user stats and as soon as a GCF post is made that user signs out and suddenly(!) there is a lurker monitoring the thread. Who they think they are fooling is beyond me...

Or the ones that have a distinctive pattern of typos and those same typos suddenly appear under the nym of a "new" poster.  Or, better yet, the exact same sig line. 

Oh, no problems with an, "I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree" followed by radio silence or a, "Thanks for all the help, everyone!" followed by the same.  I was thinking more along the lines of, "You won't have to worry about me dirtying up your cozy little clique with my obviously unwanted opinions..." yadda-yadda-yadda.  Reading a 40-something-year-old guy doing his best imitation of little Ralphie from "A Christmas Story" ("It was.....SOAP POISONING!!!!") is both sad and (admittedly) entertaining, but only worthy of a "Bye!".

ETA: I think you called it right, TheVapors--a lot of times it does smack of, "I had my say, so bye!". And thank you for the laugh; one of the boards I'm on does a, "Calling Dr. BH!  STAT!!" post on such occasions.   

[Venus193]

I've left threads with statements as well.  In one spectacular example a few years ago it was because someone else was insulting me and would not accept my statements about the situation.  I didn't post again in the thread, the other person was gagged for a few days, but never returned.

If I post a thread looking for a specific answer and get a satisfactory one, I say so and thank the posters in the hope that the thread drops off the radar.

[Pinky830]

I read a thread once on a subject matter that I knew a lot about, but the particular question made me angry. I actually don't remember the specific question and I'd just as soon not try. I felt the need to weigh in briefly, I posted as polite a response as I thought I could make, and I concluded by saying it was the only post I would make. I was afraid I would be asked more questions on the subject and I didn't think I could remain polite if I said any more. I was afraid it was a passive-aggressive response, but I wasn't really sure what else to do.

[Piratelvr1121]

I've left threads in other forums but never really bothered with any exit statement, I just stopped going back.  There've been times I've even deleted the link to that forum from my list of bookmarks to remove the temptation to go back, cause I know if I do I'll be tempted to read the thread updates, which would only tick me off further.

[still in va]

not so much here, but on a couple of other forums, if i've been involved in a lengthy debate with a poster, it's grown late, and i am falling asleep over my keyboard, i will definitely post something along the lines of "hey guys, late here, and it's gonna take me ages to get the keyboard impressions out of my forehead.  off to bed, will be back in the AM."  i want them to know that i'm suspending the debate due to eyes closing and brain clicking off. 

i have stated something along the lines of "okay, this ain't working, i'm out of this thread."  i did it once here and was reminded by a mod when i came back a day or so later that i had declared my intention to leave the thread, so it might behoove me to adhere to that stated intention (paraphrased).

a forum that i was a member of a few years back used to have flounce threads.  we required pictures of appropriate flouncing costumes.  it was a contest to see who could find a picture of gowns with the most, well, flounces.  that happened after several posters did the whole GCF thing and flounced off in high dudgeon.

[DottyG]

No one I know has ever left an IRL conversation by going, "I'm leaving this conversation now."

Sure they do.  In face, we have a whole folder at this site dedicated to this very thing.

[TheVapors]

No one I know has ever left an IRL conversation by going, "I'm leaving this conversation now."

Sure they do.  In face, we have a whole folder at this site dedicated to this very thing.

I said "No one I know" I also meant those exact words. I do not know anyone that has left a conversation while saying, "I am leaving this conversation now."

Bean dip? Sure. Not the phrase I used, though.

[DottyG]

Oh.  I thought you meant the concept.

Ok then.

ETA:  Actually, though, I have heard that used in real life (I realize you said no one you know - I'm just now relating my own experience here).  When things have gotten a little heated or seem to be headed down that path, I've heard a phrase like that used.  The tone is usually a kind of apologetic sounding one, but I've heard it.
 
 
 

[SingActDance]

It's pretty easy to distinguish when it's a "I'm tired/no longer interested so I won't be checking back" and when it's "Here is why I'm right and that's that. Peace out!"

I can't stand the latter. It's the technological equivalent of shoving your fingers in your ears going, "Lalalalala, I can't heeeeaaaaar yoooooouuu." So many think that saying "That's just the way it is" ends the argument. It does not.

[DottyG]

It's pretty easy to distinguish when it's a "I'm tired/no longer interested so I won't be checking back" and when it's "Here is why I'm right and that's that. Peace out!"

Good point.  I agree.

And I have to say that the times I've heard this phrase (or one like it) in real life were more like the former.  Or ones where a person knows the situation has the potential for getting heated, so they're gently nipping things in the bud.

[hobish]

I've said it, rarely, but in a kind of, "I am not ignoring you, I won't be looking at this thread to see any posts addressed to me any more" way.

That is how i mostly see it used, and i see nothing rude about it.
I have definitely used, "I am ending this conversation" or "This conversation is over" in real life.

[NotTheNarcissist]

I've only said that once ("I'm done with this" on a thread).

I only did it because I defended an OP who was getting slammed. I took up for her, but apparently I didn't word things well because she slammed me instead of the 20 or so others that were piling it on her. I let my emotions get the better of me. I've been on online forums since 1998 & once, only once, have I done this.

Since i enjoy classic movies, I like to imagine a Scarlet O'Hara overly dramatic type picking up her floor-length dress & blurting "I'm done with you, all of you! You're all mad do you hear me?" & swooshing elegantly out of the forum thread with nose in air.

[Tea Drinker]

"It's late here, I won't be posting again tonight" is very different from "I'm tired of arguing with the hive mind on this board/blog" (or whatever phrasing people use to mean that everyone else in the conversation disagrees with them). I've seen the latter produce replies like "stick the flounce" meaning "I'm sure we'll be hearing from you again within a week," or sarcasm if the person does return to the thread. So while it's debatable in terms of etiquette, there is a bridge-burning aspect to announcing "You won't have me to kick around anymore."