Why all the quoting?

Message

selvan777 · #1 Post by **selvan777** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 11:11 am

I can see the need for some but there is way more unnecessary quoting of others at thinkpads.com then needed.

JHEM · #2 Post by **JHEM** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 11:18 am

Example?

Regards,

James

#3 Post by **JaneL** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 12:08 pm

Like this? http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=8963

I agree with selvan777. It's getting out of hand. I even had to remove images (and large ones at that) from a quote several days ago. And there's no need for massive quotes - the original is just up the page. All that's needed is a snippet pointing back as a reference to the exact message you're answering.

I think posters are just getting lazy. They hit the quote button and never even think about doing any trimming. We end up with quotes embedded in quotes embedded in quotes.

Maybe I'll just start doing a little editing of my own...

JHEM · #4 Post by **JHEM** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 12:16 pm

nonny wrote:Like this? http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=8963

Well, either that's a poor example, you've already edited it or I'm simply more dim than usual.

I don't see any "unnecessary" quoting that would require editing or other action.

Regards,

James

#5 Post by **JaneL** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 12:20 pm

No, I haven't edited that one (yet). Check the message from James314 posted on Fri Mar 11, 2005 12:39. He quoted over 35 lines of previous messages for a 2-line answer. Don't you think that could use a little snipping?

selvan777 · #6 Post by **selvan777** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 12:43 pm

There are many, gimme time and I'll gather the ones I think are very obvious.

#7 Post by **AlphaKilo470** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 1:36 pm

I think that the problm is not so much all of the quoting, but what's quoted. It annoys me when someone will quote an entire paragraph when only a few words or sentences are needed to let everyone know where the person is at. Also when someone will quote the post right before theres, that's unnecesary for the most part.

eriqesque · #8 Post by **eriqesque** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 2:02 pm

selvan777 wrote:There are many, gimme time and I'll gather the ones I think are very obvious.

If you have the time and the bandwidth to go searching and searching for over quoted posts.
Then quite frankly, you need to get out more.

#9 Post by **JaneL** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 2:06 pm

It didn't take very long for me to find an example for James - I just read the next thread on my screen...

eriqesque · #10 Post by **eriqesque** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 3:46 pm

Nonny,
Not meant to be rude in any way.
My post was not directed toward you.

#11 Post by **JaneL** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 3:51 pm

Well, I didn't take it personally - just pointing out that those posts are all over the place and easy to find (and I've had plenty of time this afternoon to find them while watching Georgia Tech give Duke a scare! Go Blue Devils!).

selvan777 · #12 Post by **selvan777** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 8:55 pm

eriqesque wrote:...you need to get out more.

Thanks, I just got in and see no more need to search...

EDIT: Anyway, I didn't have to look, went to the X Series thread and bam, there it is, a perfect example:

thinkpads.com :: View topic - X31 vs X40?
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=8992

selvan777 · #13 Post by **selvan777** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 1:59 am

Too funny, take a look at these examples:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... ght=#56577
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... ght=#51989
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... ght=#50611
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... ght=#47533
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... ght=#47407

eriqesque · #14 Post by **eriqesque** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 2:10 am

I still don't see what the problem is.

You are the only that seems to be so concerned.

selvan777 · #15 Post by **selvan777** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 2:47 am

#16 Post by **JaneL** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 7:34 am

>You are the only that seems to be so concerned.
>

No, he's not although we may have different definitions of excessive quoting. Mine is more limited to messages where the quotes run on for 20+ lines particularly if they're nested, and I've started editing them out when I see one. It's a burden for those of us who may access the forums via a slow connection.

selvan777 · #17 Post by **selvan777** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 12:50 pm

The definition of a quote is what it is but differs in how we perceive them.

To me, not only is it annoying and a waste of load time, it is also rude and unethical to over quote, especially when the quote references the entire post directly above it.

I don't think being lazy has anything to do with it, it's just as easy to click Reply, and would not bother editing any. Myself, I click quote, especially when the post being replied to is fairly long, because it's convenient to have the text right there to refer to as I type the reply. I then either delete the quote or trim it down... well, that's what I usually do, sometimes I get so fed up with those who quote me at practically every post, I do it back...

JHEM · #18 Post by **JHEM** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 1:19 pm

Unethical???

Whoa, get a grip!

Regards,

James

DavidNZ · #19 Post by **DavidNZ** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 1:52 am

As a prof, I find this thread amusing. In trying to make their point, I would rather my students overquote than misquote. It shows they are paying attention to what they read.

This is the only forum where I've seen a moderator enter a thread and edit posts. Thank goodness we don't discuss politics here.

#20 Post by **JaneL** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 7:35 am

Are your students downloading their discussions over a 14.4k connection?

Bob Collins · #21 Post by **Bob Collins** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 9:00 am

Overquoting in a reasearch paper or thesis is one thing, but when you are quoting from the same bloody web page and you can sroll up a few turns of your scroll wheel, overquoting is indeed overkill.

I think the point that is being missed by some is that the format of this forum is such that the progression of comments is laid out chronologically and thus really does not require much quoting, if any.

Perhaps it goes back to good old netiquette....

#22 Post by **BillMorrow** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 12:57 pm

fewer rules, more good sense..

editing a quote to get rid of too much hyperbole' takes too much time..
i think some posters are just pressed for time or lazy..?!

well, fewer rules, much more good sense..

Moroner · #23 Post by **Moroner** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 2:50 pm

There is this old saying If I had more time, I would have written you a shorter letter. Now if I only had the time to find out who coined it...

f1hp · #24 Post by **f1hp** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 1:30 am

Much ado about nothing, IMNSHO...

Why all the quoting?

Why all the quoting?

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