In a discussion with another RP Lady, we noticed a general difference in the way that men and women communicate their issues. It seems that men will drill down to the smallest details in their posts. Chunks of the post will be exhaustive background - some useful, some has nothing to do with the issues at hand. Women tend to write more targeted posts. They can be just as long, but often the information is distilled down to everything that directly surrounds their question. We often see additional important details come out in the comments section rather than the OP.

To me, the difference comes down to how men and women attack an issue. I have to think that when men are looking for advice, part of the thinking is "I don't know the answer, so I don't know what is important, therefore I'm going to tell you everything and that way I don't miss anything"

Women approach a problem where we think we know what the problem is, or at least close enough and are looking for both solutions and validation. So we narrow down posts to what we think the key points are. It isn’t until people start to ask questions in the comments that additional relevant details come out.

I don’t think either way is right. No one wants to wade through a wall of text that has nothing to do with an OP’s question. Likewise, no one wants to waste time writing a detailed response only to have to do a 180 when the OP adds some key details several hours later. Both methods have strengths and weaknesses.

Food for thought for your day.

Happy Posting!