Quoting...

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Here's where to go!
Post Reply
User avatar
Poppy
Posts: 5725
Joined: 24 Apr 2012, 16:06
Favourite book/series: Famous Five/ Adventure Series/ Malory Towers
Favourite character: George Kirrin, Andy, Jack Trent & Diana.
Location: UK

Quoting...

Post by Poppy »

How do you quote ? :?
"Beware of young men with long hair - that's what dad says, isn't it?"
Pat, Holiday House


Poppy's Best of Books

Society Member
User avatar
Moonraker
Posts: 22387
Joined: 31 Jan 2005, 19:15
Location: Wiltshire, England
Contact:

Re: Quoting...

Post by Moonraker »

The simplest way is to click on the "Quote button, to the right of the post. You can then delete any surplus or irrelevant script as you want.
Society Member
User avatar
7upromana01
Posts: 2364
Joined: 09 Feb 2012, 20:03
Favourite book/series: Famous Five
Favourite character: George, Julian, Anne, Timmy
Location: Earth

Re: Quoting...

Post by 7upromana01 »

Or when your posting your message, scroll down and then in the messages at the top-right corner there will be quote.
Abi.

Still trialling other writers, but will eventually go back to reading a bit of Blyton! Just too many books...

Occasionally will pop in! xx
User avatar
Poppy
Posts: 5725
Joined: 24 Apr 2012, 16:06
Favourite book/series: Famous Five/ Adventure Series/ Malory Towers
Favourite character: George Kirrin, Andy, Jack Trent & Diana.
Location: UK

Re: Quoting...

Post by Poppy »

7upromana01 wrote:Or when your posting your message, scroll down and then in the messages at the top-right corner there will be quote.
Just testing it!
Thanks!
"Beware of young men with long hair - that's what dad says, isn't it?"
Pat, Holiday House


Poppy's Best of Books

Society Member
User avatar
Darrell71
Posts: 3027
Joined: 19 Jun 2012, 15:35
Favourite book/series: Adventure series
Favourite character: Darrell Rivers, Bill Smugs, Kiki, Elizabeth Allen,
Location: USA

Re: Quoting...

Post by Darrell71 »

Yeah but sometimes what happens is that some thing appears like
xyz
and sometimes it appears like.....

Moonraker wrote:The simplest way is to click on the "Quote button, to the right of the post. You can then delete any surplus or irrelevant script as you want.

So how do I maintain a balance?
You can call me Sunskriti!
User avatar
Darrell71
Posts: 3027
Joined: 19 Jun 2012, 15:35
Favourite book/series: Adventure series
Favourite character: Darrell Rivers, Bill Smugs, Kiki, Elizabeth Allen,
Location: USA

Re: Quoting...

Post by Darrell71 »

OK that went super wrong. :| :? :x Just forget it. Dont have the energy to explain what I did. And the results.... we all can see. Oh I have the came question as Poppy now.
You can call me Sunskriti!
User avatar
Anita Bensoussane
Forum Administrator
Posts: 26768
Joined: 30 Jan 2005, 23:25
Favourite book/series: Adventure series, Six Cousins books, Six Bad Boys
Favourite character: Jack Trent, Fatty and Elizabeth Allen
Location: UK

Re: Quoting...

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

If you quote someone who has already quoted someone else, you'll get a quote within a quote (I think that's what you were talking about, Darrell?) If any of the quoted material isn't needed, you can just delete the bit you don't need using the delete button on your keyboard as usual. But you must have [ quote="person's user name" ] at the beginning and [ /quote ] at the end (with no gaps - I've only put gaps in because otherwise my example would come out as a quotation).

In general, avoid quoting unless absolutely necessary because it can cause unnecessary repetition and waste space. For example, someone might have listed the things they like about Five Go to Smuggler's Top. Instead of quoting them when you reply, you could say something like, "I agree with most of what you said about Five Go to Smuggler's Top, Poppy [or whomever], but in my opinion Block is..."
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


Society Member
User avatar
Darrell71
Posts: 3027
Joined: 19 Jun 2012, 15:35
Favourite book/series: Adventure series
Favourite character: Darrell Rivers, Bill Smugs, Kiki, Elizabeth Allen,
Location: USA

Re: Quoting...

Post by Darrell71 »

Anita Bensoussane wrote:(with no gaps - I've only put gaps in because otherwise my example would come out as a quotation).

Yes mine did in my last to last post too.
You can call me Sunskriti!
User avatar
MJE
Posts: 2534
Joined: 15 Nov 2006, 12:24
Favourite book/series: Famous Five series
Favourite character: George; Julian; Barney
Location: Victoria, Australia
Contact:

Re: Quoting...

Post by MJE »

Anita Bensoussane wrote:In general, avoid quoting unless absolutely necessary because it can cause unnecessary repetition and waste space.
     I tend to quote quite often, although I always pare it down to the minimum I think is needed to indicate what I'm talking about. But even so the quoted passage can sometimes be somewhat long - for instance, if it is a rather complex or subtle comment.
     Also, I sometimes use multiple quotes from one or more people, then put my response after each.
     Are these things I do acceptable? I guess it's subjective to a degree just how much quoted text is needed to remind people what you are talking about.
     In general, it doesn't seem to be a huge issue here, though. What is undesirable, and especially common in mailing lists, is to quote an entire post (sometimes complete with lengthy automated footers), but then reply only to one small point in it - or, even worse, keep the quote but make a new comment that doesn't refer to any part of it. But worst of all is quoting nested posts with several generations (often confusingly in reverse order) of previous messages. I think I have on occasion counted 7 generations of such quoted text in mailing lists, all out of order because some people top-post, and some bottom-post.
     In my opinion, people who massively over-quote (and I mean *massively*), or who top post, so that you have to read the answer before you know what the question will be, or else require you to scroll down, then up again, are effectively saying to everyone else: "My time is more valuable than yours, so I'm not going to bother to edit my message to make it easier for people to read, but rather require you to take more time to figure out what I'm saying that I'm too lazy to organize properly".
     You occasionally see this little item, which summarizes the point aptly:

  A.: Because it upsets the flow of the discussion.
  Q.: Why is it so bad?
  A.: Top posting.
  Q.: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?

Regards, Michael.
Society Member
User avatar
Anita Bensoussane
Forum Administrator
Posts: 26768
Joined: 30 Jan 2005, 23:25
Favourite book/series: Adventure series, Six Cousins books, Six Bad Boys
Favourite character: Jack Trent, Fatty and Elizabeth Allen
Location: UK

Re: Quoting...

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

MJE wrote:      I tend to quote quite often, although I always pare it down to the minimum I think is needed to indicate what I'm talking about. But even so the quoted passage can sometimes be somewhat long - for instance, if it is a rather complex or subtle comment.
     Also, I sometimes use multiple quotes from one or more people, then put my response after each.
     Are these things I do acceptable?
Yes, because you've carefully considered which parts to quote and you're quoting them for a reason.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


Society Member
Post Reply