TL;DR
- and what it really means.
Okay, I confess. I had to look it up. “Too long; didn’t read.” I should also confess that I’d assumed it was something less prosaic, belonging to a younger generation, part of a dialect I wasn’t qualified to understand never mind use… But no.
Too long; didn’t read
I can’t help feeling there was a similarity to my initial reaction when - way back when - I first saw the estimated reading times for posts on websites: ‘4 min read’; ‘8 min read’. I couldn’t see the point. Perhaps at the time I felt it was Social Media being ‘too clever’; perhaps it was because I didn’t trust it. I don’t think I do even now…
But the two are clearly connected , ‘TL;DR’ and ‘x min read’. And they are, I find, increasingly relevant on this platform. When I see things posted on Substack that say ‘9 min read’ or ‘15 min read’ my inclination is simply not to open them. Surely these posts are far too long, especially if they are ‘me-centric’. I have read many articles which seem to be self-indulgent and over-long; more often than not, what is being said can be covered in half the number of words.
Such a shame if something good and important is not read because it’s too long!
TL;DR - perhaps a kind of parachute when you want to bail out from something you started reading…
Having said all that (briefly enough, I hope!), I need to acknowledge that I have posted some long pieces on my site, but in the main these are either entire short stories or chapters from a serialised novel. And how can you share those without - well - sharing them? So I plead for a free pass for such posts, especially as the reader should have a better idea as to what they’re letting themselves in for.
Grad a cup of tea, Relax…
So this is a plea for shorter articles / opinion pieces / the long me-centric stuff. Keep it brief and you’ll engage more readers - and get less TL;DR…
Agreed. It seems the virtual world has no premium on space; it doesn't cost the platform any more for a 2 minute article than it does for a 20 minute article. I guess this allows for a level of self-indulgence or, at the minimum, doesn't promote brevity.
I was raised to be terse; speak what's on your mind simply and in as few words as possible. Maybe that's a lost virtue. Sure seems like it. But some things do require more words, more time. If you get to the point most of the time, people are probably willing to bear with you when your point takes a bit longer to make.
I don't mind how long an article is if I'm interested. I'm a slow reader, but if it has my attention, I'm in for the ride. If I ain't into it, I won't have a look long or short.
I like short books. Most of my favourite books are short.