TL;DR is shorthand for “too long, didn’t read”. It is a phrase used to justify not reading something. Like so many things in life, there is a time and place for it. When we use it as a crutch or an excuse, it sends a very clear signal: What you wrote is not worth my precious time.
Advertising copy, marketing materials, a request for assistance, and a text are all things that need to be short and to the point. Tell me what you need or want from me, clearly and concisely.
An appeal for volunteering or to make a donation are similar. Give me a good reason to take that action and I will consider it. A long explanation is not necessary.
We are all busy. We must prioritize. For example, reading every work email could probably take up someone’s entire work day. Times have changed. We are conditioned for instant gratification at every place we turn. Do a search? Expect the answer immediately. Buy something? It better be here tomorrow. Know what we want to do? Make the steps simple.
But not ever written thing in life is TL;DR.
How do we learn if we don’t read? A truncated story is not a story. It is an anecdote. To learn the backstory, we need to read some detail.
To understand an issue, especially when there might not be a consensus, requires more detail. So many things that seem to be great (or bad) on the surface have unintended consequences that can only be discerned with a deeper dive. If we don’t read about it because it is “too much material”, our unwillingness to explore the concept results in us missing out on learning why it might be good or bad for us.
More importantly, written communication is a way of connection. If a friend or family member sends a longish message, don’t we owe them the respect to read it? Otherwise, we are telling them they don’t matter.
Likewise, there are people I respect and like who write articles or post stories. Reading and commenting on their work is a great way to pay that person a compliment. If our default is TL;DR, we don’t do that. We can say “they need to be briefer”. An alternative is, “I want to take the time to read what they say”.
I know how good I feel when someone takes a moment to write me a note commenting on something I wrote. Similarly, I get a great feeling doing that for others. A subscriber to TL;DR misses that opportunity.
We all waste a lot of time every day. Isn’t taking the time to do a five-minute read to learn, to complement, to ponder, to engage, to connect, a good substitute?
Pass along a little of your attention to someone else every day. You never know how much that might matter
Dean Waggenspack 