Gransnet forums

AIBU

To ask for paragraphs?

(93 Posts)
phoenix Sun 03-May-20 23:00:58

Just that, really.

Sometimes there are very long OP's, which is fine, but iftheyareinonelongcontinuosrunitcanmakethemabit hardgoingtoread.

If you see what I mean smile

Nico97 Sun 03-May-20 23:05:38

Must admit I find big blocks of text wearing to read and tend to skip them hmm

SueDonim Sun 03-May-20 23:19:44

My eyes can’t cope with long screeds without paragraphs.

Marydoll Sun 03-May-20 23:30:36

I have to admit also to skipping long posts, written without paragraphs or breaks, it hurts my eyes.
I lose track, so give up.

rosenoir Sun 03-May-20 23:43:47

I do not read the long posts without paragraphs.

BradfordLass73 Mon 04-May-20 00:54:10

We've had several requests for this in the past.

It still doesn't happen but the only people who suffer are those who don't leave white space.
Most of us just skim past their posts.

BlueBelle Mon 04-May-20 05:14:29

I agree I tend to get a quarter of the way down a long post with no paragraphs and give up but I doubt this plea will make any difference

Marydoll Mon 04-May-20 08:17:53

I'm going to appear really picky, but I have just given up reading a post, which had no spaces between sentences.
It was like reading one long sentence.
It's a pity, as I'm sure the poster's contribution was interesting.

Having a daughter, who suffers from dyslexia and having worked with dyslexic pupils, I'm am aware that some posters may find it difficult, before anyone thinks they are being criticised.
If you preview your post, before posting, you will realise how hard it is to read.

ExD Mon 04-May-20 08:27:58

I admit I often don't bother with previewing, and frequently regret it.
Can I be even more picky and ask for punctuation too?

MerylStreep Mon 04-May-20 08:29:28

It's a difficult one. I find that most of the 'paragraph free' posts are from people in distress, therefore I'm loathe to tell them that I'm not reading which could possibly lead to even more distress.
How can we put it 'nicely'

Lucca Mon 04-May-20 08:29:36

Brevity. Please.

sodapop Mon 04-May-20 08:41:39

Yes I must admit I tend to skim read the long posts without paragraphs. I understand that posters may be upset and distressed when writing but as Marydoll said just preview before posting.

Urmstongran Mon 04-May-20 08:55:00

I’m another who is tempted to post ‘remember, paragraphs are your friend’ ‼️
?
I too often don’t even bother to start reading a huge block of unbroken text.

GrannyLaine Mon 04-May-20 09:03:28

Completely agree, and in a similar vein, get really annoyed by those posters who regularly post using four or five posts in succession about the same thing. Why can't they organise their thoughts before leaving me to wade through them??

Puzzler61 Mon 04-May-20 09:07:17

I’ve not been posting for long, but I will heed the advice of experienced gn’ers .
No excuses from me, I did get my English Lang. “O” level once in a long ago life.
?

Charleygirl5 Mon 04-May-20 09:11:47

I am partially sighted so I definitely cannot cope with blocks of writing without paragraphs.

Friends who PM me know that I can read the smaller text if it is well paragraphed so I am afraid I do not bother attempting to read long paragraphs without a break and I agree, it is 10 times worse without punctuation.

It is difficult if the person is very distressed.

Elegran Mon 04-May-20 09:35:17

On many online social network sites, a "carriage return" for a new paragraph sends the post off, before you have finished what you wanted to say. I have often done that and been annoyed at having to start another post. Perhaps people are more used to that.

It is a good idea to mention on here from time to time that it IS possible to have new paragraphs very easily, and that it is much easier to read posts that are divided up.

If you are aware that you are in the habit of going on and on without starting a new paragraph, you could just go through it before posting and do a "carriage return" here and there fairly randomly, but anyone not aware of how difficult it is for some (most!) people to read won't be alert to do that.

Elegran Mon 04-May-20 09:43:14

It is "enter" on a computer keyboard not carriage return.

(Sorry, GrannyLaine, for running over onto another post! I agree with you that it is up to the poster to organise their thoughts before burbling on. How can they complain that no-one answered them when their post is like a ball of wool that the cat has been at? I do try to do that for my posts, but sometimes a side-tracked thought is triggered just after I have pressed send. )

quizqueen Mon 04-May-20 09:50:26

Can we also remember that plurals don't need apostrophes, unless they are used as a possessive! So it would be OPs (lots of them), not OP's ( something belonging to an OP), as in the first post of this thread.

Elegran Mon 04-May-20 10:02:35

I hope his doesn't label me as "thread police" but could I also remind some posters that the virus we are facing is covid, not corvid. A corvid is any bird of the crow family, that is crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, and choughs. (Possibly others, keen birdwatchers may know.) These birds are not to blame for the pandemic, any more than Corona beer is, or the corona seen round the sun.

Witzend Mon 04-May-20 10:05:00

I’m another who just gives a miss to any long screeds with no paragraphs - they’re too difficult to read.
quizqueen, I suspect that you’re fighting a losing battle on the apostrophe front!

lovebeigecardigans1955 Mon 04-May-20 10:05:49

If I see a post which has no paragraphs and is longer than the pc screen I tend to skip it entirely as it's too hard going - unless the thread is very riveting.

eazybee Mon 04-May-20 10:26:58

Well, one is not allowed to comment on spelling, punctuation or grammar, so I cannot see any complaints being tolerated about the lack of paragraphs.
The constant misspelling of words, particularly in the headings of posts so they are seen again and again, is infuriating.

trisher Mon 04-May-20 10:32:58

Oh come on does it really matter. There are posts which are carefully spaced but boring as hell. There are posts which are interesting and badly spaced. If you skip the long ones you might be missing something very interesting. I tend to skim read and then decide if I want to read it more carefully.
Paragraphs should only be used if you are changing the subject anyway. And some people don't know how to use them I hope we aren't discriminating against those people
My dyslexic son would be very offended if he thought people were specially spacing for him. He tends to use a text reader on his laptop anyway.

trisher Mon 04-May-20 10:33:57

Not to mention slips of the finger which often lead to spelling errors.