I didn't really want to contribute to this thread because I haven't really been active and don't feel like I have much of a right to, but I thought I should comment on the word count thing, because that's one of the reasons I find it hard to be active!
It's not the 200 words that bothers me - I don't find it difficult to write 200 words, especially if I waffle - but that's exactly the problem. I don't like waffling; I don't like writing it, and I don't like reading it. And I feel like the "200 word threshold" pressures people into waffling even when they don't need to, because it gives the impression that if you can't write long posts, you don't really have a place here. It's like word count = prestige, and it really comes at a cost to quality.
I sometimes dread replying because I don't want to have to read through an entire internal monologue that doesn't really contribute to the thread or a character's development whatsoever. And I'm sure this will continue whether there is a word minimum or not just because that's how some people write, but at the very least I won't have to waffle and can prioritise quality over meeting some arbitrary requirement.
I also wouldn't like to see a post-matching requirement either for the same reason; if someone has written 2000 words of nothing, I don't want to be expected to write 2000 words in reply, especially if they haven't written anything for me to reply to.
But at the end of the day, it's not a deal breaker; it's just a little stressful (and annoying) is all.
It's not the 200 words that bothers me - I don't find it difficult to write 200 words, especially if I waffle - but that's exactly the problem. I don't like waffling; I don't like writing it, and I don't like reading it. And I feel like the "200 word threshold" pressures people into waffling even when they don't need to, because it gives the impression that if you can't write long posts, you don't really have a place here. It's like word count = prestige, and it really comes at a cost to quality.
I sometimes dread replying because I don't want to have to read through an entire internal monologue that doesn't really contribute to the thread or a character's development whatsoever. And I'm sure this will continue whether there is a word minimum or not just because that's how some people write, but at the very least I won't have to waffle and can prioritise quality over meeting some arbitrary requirement.
I also wouldn't like to see a post-matching requirement either for the same reason; if someone has written 2000 words of nothing, I don't want to be expected to write 2000 words in reply, especially if they haven't written anything for me to reply to.
But at the end of the day, it's not a deal breaker; it's just a little stressful (and annoying) is all.