[CiteAndPrune]

I want to wholeheartedly echo what jas and Deck Knight said. Especially the lazy as hell part.

Moreso than that, I can by no means be counted among the veterans (started posting during Mollux's Movepoll stage, after a period of lurking) and yet I am not intimidated in the slightest by long posts - I embrace them and read happily. However, I realize I may be in the minority here.

Nonetheless I believe that encouraging new users to 'post shorter and then debate individual points in the topic' won't do us good. It's those users that don't know the line before thread-hogging begins - early in Aurumoth's process I got the advice from more experienced members that each post is like a speech before a big audience as you address not one member but the community at large - you need to think it through and make all the points you want, and not nitpick individual people's points. I've been following that ever since - and even if I have comments, I save them across a page or two, then post once, delivering them in bulk.

It still pays to be concise, but you have to make every word count. Also, when the post gets long beyond help, bolded headers and HIDE tags help. Befriend them.