OVERUSE OF QUOTES

[Sakkarin Profile]

In response to some overusing of the "quote" function, which has led to some unreadable exchanges cluttered with too many quotes, here's some guidelines to using them.

Firstly, do not under any circumstances use a quote if your response directly follows the post you are replying to.

Similarly, if your reply does not follow the original post, but all the posts in between respond to the same point, there is no need to use a quote.

If your post directly addresses the person you are replying to (i.e. if you mention them by name), there is no need to use a quote.

If you do choose to use a quote, if it is a long post you are responding to, make sure you edit it appropriately. If a long post is quoted in its entirety, it serves no purpose and clutters up the thread.

I will post details here on how to edit quotes later.

I do not want to have to remove the "quotes" buttons, as they are a useful tool, but please, please use them with discretion.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Thank you Sakkarin

On other boards using this software it is possible to highlight a small section of a post, then click on quote and just that is copied, is that can be implemented it might help shorten subsequent posts? Though it's easy enough to delete the paragraphs you don't need

[Sakkarin Profile]

It looks like it is possible...

https://area51.phpbb.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=45243

...but I suspect that the people who would work out how to use it effectively would be the people who have already mastered how to edit quotes anyway. Plus I'd have to create a "how to" section. The facility mentioned is a third-party add on, not an inbuilt function.

This board's software is out of date anyway (version 3.0, current is 3.2, with no direct upgrade), it's possible the more recent versions have already resolved this. We will have to upgrade at some stage anyway, which is not as straightforward as the phpbb documentation would lead one to believe.

EDIT: P.S. It refers to quotes on a "Quick Reply" function, I confess I did not even know there was such a thing.

EDIT: Ah, I see what it means now, when you click the "quote" button on a post it automatically calls up a reply page, but with the quote inserted. I realised that part, but have never used it, and hadn't thought it might be the first way people respond to posts which would ALWAYS leave the quote intact. I've always used the bottom reply button, which throws up its own "quote" button anyway. Oh well.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Yes, none of these things are straight forward


I use both methods to create a reply pane, either clicking on post reply or quoting a post to reply to

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

Thank you Sakkarin, not that I have a problem with editing long quotes as I'm an administrator by trade! Hopefully normal service will be resumed ASAP

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

I'm manual.

I type the beginning brackets, and the end brackets [] ... [/] manually for a quote, images, bold, strikethrough.

[Alexandria Profile]

@ Sakkarin,

Understand and no problem.


Have a nice day ..

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Hi Alexandria.
Thanks you so much. Enjoy Portugal.