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Please stop quoting others as it makes threads too long

(74 Posts)
Ailsa43 Sun 05-May-24 14:07:31

Casdon

If you don’t quote the person you are replying to it makes threads unintelligible, because there are multiple conversations happening at the same time though?

Absolutely correct...

Now if I hadn't quoted you as the OP demands, then saying simply.. ''Casdo, absolutely correct'', would mean that everyone has to scroll back find which statement of yours I'm referring to, which might be pages away.. .

AreWeThereYet Sun 05-May-24 13:52:48

Using the quote facility makes it much easier to follow some of the discussions. It's not always easy to find the quotes some posters refer to, especially when they haven't copied it properly or respond to the wrong poster. I'm happy to skip long purple boxes if I'm not interested, rather than have to try to work out what the heck posters are referring to.

cc Sun 05-May-24 13:52:43

I find quoting the original post makes the second post much more intelligible and will continue to do it.
If it is a really long post I might just copy and quote a paragraph, but it's hardly difficult to skim through a couple of paras that you've seen before.

Sago Sun 05-May-24 13:50:37

Sorry…….couldn’t resist 🤣

MaizieD Sun 05-May-24 13:47:27

Well, using the quote facility does make it absolutely clear just who one is responding to, RosiesMaw, but I agree that the use of it to quote and requote long posts does result in one conversation taking up a great deal of space. Especially if it's only one point in the original post that is being responded to.

Like you, I like to copy, paste and italicise the bit I'm responding to, and cite the poster I'm responding to, but I'll use 'quote' if the OP is just a short one.

But, everyone is different, I don't see how any 'rules' can be imposed for quoting from other posts.

I do find it confusing when people copy and paste but just put the 'quote' inside speech marks, which are easy to miss.

As for using 'quote' for a post that is just before your own response, sometimes other people have posted while I'm writing my response, so the response is separated from the post being responded to. Which could also be confusing...

Glorianny Sun 05-May-24 13:27:31

As someone who is frequently at odds with other posters I find it necessary to use the quote facility when replying to specific posters. What then sometimes happens is another poster chips in with a comment which needs a response. I don't know how else to continue a conversation which involves 3 or 4 posters.
Just skipping any of it is fine.

Oldbat1 Sun 05-May-24 13:22:58

I find it easier - simple! Why else is the “quote” facility listed?

RosiesMaw Sun 05-May-24 13:20:18

You wouldn’t be accused of false reporting if you cut and paste the relevant sentence you were referring to RosiesMaw
In my defence I usually do but when posters quote without making it clear whose opinions they are giving (by using the italics facility ) it can get very confusing.

Doodledog Sun 05-May-24 13:17:26

I think it makes sense to quote if the post you're replying to is a few pages back, as people can't be expected to remember what was said; but it's really annoying when someone quotes the post above them. We've just read the post - why do we need to read it again?

BlueBelle Sun 05-May-24 12:58:08

I tend to agree it’s much less cumbersome to just copy and paste the sentence that you’re referring to
I prefer the cut and paste of relevant parts I do too Eazybees
These quotes boxes are often a box within a box within a box and can take up loads of room

You wouldn’t be accused of false reporting if you cut and paste the relevant sentence you were referring to RosiesMaw
This was a fairly new addition I personally felt was unnecessary

RosiesMaw Sun 05-May-24 12:45:51

I’m with you there Kittylester, no danger of being accused of false reporting.
Although when you end up with quotes including quotes including quotes including quotes …..you see where I am going!

2020convert Sun 05-May-24 12:45:07

I agree with nanna8, and now you’ll have to scroll to find what I agree with 🤣

kittylester Sun 05-May-24 12:44:11

I shall continue to use the quote facility when appropriate.

eazybee Sun 05-May-24 12:40:38

I prefer the cut and paste of relevant parts as these long boxes with several people posting comments, sometimes about the original post, sometimes about others' comments , simply confuse the issue. It takes only seconds to scroll back to see the original post in its entirety, if necessary.

nanna8 Sun 05-May-24 12:23:26

Just skip past those posts that you find annoying. Can’t see a problem.

petra Sun 05-May-24 12:18:17

You say you dont know how to use it. There’s a clue in the word ^quote in the posters box.
It’s slightly 😉annoying when someone posts others posters words and doesn’t use italics to let you know they’re quoting someone else’s words.
I will carry on using the quote facility.

Wyllow3 Sun 05-May-24 12:10:48

Caleo

It's true that long posts are off putting especially when a series of quotes is posted. Unfortunately , paraphrases of what people said risk misrepresentarion, so it's better to avoid paraphrases unless permission is sought or it's made clear that it's a paraphrase.

Yes, it can be frustrating but each box tells the tale of a sequence of thoughts/opinions.

If everyone read right back to the beginning of a thread then maybe its possible to avoid it but mostly GN posters "pick up" on an opinion well into a thread and can you imagine the

"but I didnt say that" posts that would follow what was considered an inaccurate summary.

Whitewavemark2 Sun 05-May-24 12:10:05

Aveline

Could you just cut and paste relevant phrases?

I do where appropriate.

Aveline Sun 05-May-24 12:09:08

Could you just cut and paste relevant phrases?

Whitewavemark2 Sun 05-May-24 12:07:43

The quote facility was only introduced relatively recently because it helps as others have said when there are multiple conversations taking place.

I shall continue to use this facility.

JackyB Sun 05-May-24 12:04:34

Skydancer

Why do posters keep quoting other posters as it makes such a long read? Purple boxes and paler purple boxes? (I wouldn't even know how to do it.) Why can't someone just say "*ANOther*, I totally agree with you when you said x,y,z" and not keep on pasting the whole of a previous post into yet more boxes. Sorry this isn't the technical way to describe it but, when I see a really long thread, quoting stuff I've already read, I just skip over it.

** ?? !! ##

I don't see any purple boxes, which is why I always try to remember to put a row of asterisks after a quote, as I have done here. Otherwise I can't see where the quote ends and the new post starts.

Quotes are absolutely vital to the comprehension of a post. Often someone writes "I quite agree" or "How awful" with no context. Sometimes referring to a post on a previous page. A wasted post if you don't know what they are referring to.

If you can clearly see which part is the quote, just skip it.

If you are only referring to a sentence in a previous post, I do admit that it is better for comprehension if you just copy and paste the relevant words and quote them in italics, giving the name of the poster and date/time of the post (if you can be bothered with that!)

Caleo Sun 05-May-24 11:56:09

It's true that long posts are off putting especially when a series of quotes is posted. Unfortunately , paraphrases of what people said risk misrepresentarion, so it's better to avoid paraphrases unless permission is sought or it's made clear that it's a paraphrase.

Casdon Sun 05-May-24 11:55:47

If you don’t quote the person you are replying to it makes threads unintelligible, because there are multiple conversations happening at the same time though?

Skydancer Sun 05-May-24 11:48:36

Why do posters keep quoting other posters as it makes such a long read? Purple boxes and paler purple boxes? (I wouldn't even know how to do it.) Why can't someone just say "*ANOther*, I totally agree with you when you said x,y,z" and not keep on pasting the whole of a previous post into yet more boxes. Sorry this isn't the technical way to describe it but, when I see a really long thread, quoting stuff I've already read, I just skip over it.