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Lengthy 'cut and paste' - acceptable or not?

(142 Posts)

GNHQ have commented on this thread. Read here.

jura2 Fri 17-Aug-18 12:36:17

It would be helpful for GN to make a decision on copy/cut/paste. GN should make a clear decision about whether they are allowed, and put a maximum length.

Personally I think it is much better to post a link- with perhaps the most saillant point/s 'cut and pasted' up to a maximum word length. The recent pages and pages are totally unacceptable imho, from either side or anywhere in between. Thank you.

lemongrove Mon 20-Aug-18 12:14:26

Thanks Natasha but if a copy and paste is in quotation marks and the source accredited, how long is too long?
You see what I mean, I hope?
Getting a point across ( or several points)could take a long-ish post.
What one poster would call a long post ( cut and paste) and then report it to you, another poster would not think the same.
How many paragraphs is acceptable?

POGS Mon 20-Aug-18 14:15:17

What a crock of!

Isn't it funny when a poster likes another posters use of cut and paste and sees no problem if a lengthy quote follows they have no issue with it. They may have even 'thanked' posters that chime with their view for being so informative!

If a poster takes acception to another poster/posters doing the same there must be decision made to stop it happening.

I know what I call this behaviour.

POGS Mon 20-Aug-18 14:32:35

As an aside instead of worriting about lengths of individual posts GN have you ever considered making a decision about the etiquette / rules of the so called Thread about a Thread position?

Why do we have copious amounts of threads all related to the same topic, are they not Threads about a Thread?

They are more likely to turn the majority of posters off but I guess the answer is ' If you don't like um , don't read um". The same principle that could have quietly applied to taking acception to the way others post I guess.

Of course some posters will post fewer times but give long content and reasoning to their thought and others post so many times if you added their prolific mutterings they probably are more tedious to read than a poster that takes time to give their reason.

What a tricky one to sort out.!

NatashaGransnet (GNHQ) Mon 20-Aug-18 15:48:47

Hi again,

We don't have a set word count, but the best practise is to keep copyrighted text to a minimum, and ideally post a headline or brief summary with a link if there is an interesting source you would like to share.

smile

MawBroon Mon 20-Aug-18 15:50:40

Does this apply to a lengthy extract copied and pasted from (I am assuming) another site?

FarNorth Tue 21-Aug-18 08:04:22

I guess the answer is ' If you don't like um , don't read um"

That's right, POGS.
Surely you wouldn't want gnhq to police how many threads there are on similar topics?

If a thread is making points about a topic, it could be similar to another thread but is not a thread about a thread.

Oldwoman70 Tue 21-Aug-18 08:12:50

I'm another who doesn't like long cut and paste. I would prefer to read the posters own thoughts about a subject, with possibly a link.

If I am having a conversation with someone they don't suddenly produce a magazine or newspaper, hand it to me and expect me to read an article - isn't cut and paste the internet equivalent of that.

sodapop Tue 21-Aug-18 08:51:33

I feel like that as well Oldwoman70, I am on GN for the poster's views not to be force fed information from other sources.

mcem Tue 21-Aug-18 09:30:42

Pogs I asked the same question about GN policy on the issue of TAAT. That thread has been deleted with no answer to my question or the question about GNHQ editing (with or without the poster's permission) when we can't do an immediate edit on our own posts.
I expect to be deleted now!

crystaltipps Tue 21-Aug-18 10:11:15

We were always at uni told any quotation had to be referenced. Never use a quotation of more than 100 words without your own comment/ conclusion etc not sure if that’s still the convention but it sounds a good guideline. It’s easier to scroll through a short link you don’t want to read than a lengthy c n p that you don’t want to read, that’s the point.

LauraGransnet (GNHQ) Tue 21-Aug-18 11:01:27

Hi mcem - threads about threads cause confusion on the forums, which is why we don't allow them. Threads on the same subject don't really fit this category as you can, of course, have multiple strands to one subject. Often, as well, users don't always know that there has been a thread on a particular topic, especially if they're new, so we wouldn't remove these either.

As for editing - we don't do this. We do, however, on the very very rare occasion, edit thread titles, but only at the OP's request.

POGS Tue 21-Aug-18 11:08:08

Far North

" I guess the answer is ' If you don't like um , don't read um"

That's right, POGS.
Surely you wouldn't want gnhq to police how many threads there are on similar topics?
--

You are of course right to raise what could be deemed as hypocrisy on my part by some but I genuinely don't mind long cut and pastes if they are informative and relative to a thread. It's a shame they stand the risk of having to be repeated so many times to engage in threads that are discussing the same subject.

Does your conflation of two subjects , threads about a thread and using cut and paste hold similar meanings? Not in my book but each to his own I take your point on the chin.

POGS Tue 21-Aug-18 11:10:59

Laura

You had better nip my thread in the bud in that case as you have answered it.

Jalima1108 Tue 21-Aug-18 14:49:23

But we're not at uni now crytaltipps, we're on a chat forum, although I do take the point about long posts which I tended to ignore.

It's a good idea to copy and paste a 'taster' and put in a link so that people can follow up if they wish, but some links are not always accessible to all.

MaizieD Wed 22-Aug-18 14:29:55

On Monday Natasha said:

We don't have a set word count

No, but you do have a character limit of 15,000 (I've just tested it with a really long post I posted earlier this month and had to do in two parts.)

I admit that it was posted partly in protest at the excessively long copy and paste posts we'd been enduring having for a couple of months, but it's clear that there is a limit. Perhaps Gnet would think about reducing the limit?

I absolutely agree with Jalima's last post and did suggest that myself when the prolific c & p poster first appeared on the scene.

FarNorth Thu 23-Aug-18 22:18:12

POGS I didn't think I was conflating two subjects.
I thought I was commenting on a second subject which had been introduced into this thread.