This one is easy, I think.
I ask that with every post we include the quote link to which we are responding.
Sometimes there are several side conversations going on and when I join a thread it takes me some to figure out who’s talking to whom about what. YMMV.
Direct replies to the OP would be exempted from quotes but a salutational To the OP (TOP?)would be appreciated.
Unnecessary and counterproductive as a rule. It might be useful to add to the Etiquette FAQ the suggestion that people responding to a particular post make a point of quoting it in whole or in part, especially when the thread topic has “fractured” into several parallel exchanges.
Often people will attempt to get away from what appears to them to be a hijack by addressing the stated thread topic, not any current side conversation. Or provide data points or anecdotes relative to the thread topic and not in response to any particular preceding post.
That’s all I suggested aside from a direct (and identified) answer to the OP.
And that’s pretty much my problem. How would I know?.
I don’t see this as much of a problem. If there is no quoted text in a post, I generally assume it’s directed at the OP. If the post doesn’t make any sense in that respect, and it doesn’t appear to be a response to the post preceding it, I’ll shrug and move on to the next one.
Do you generally see this problem in some forums more than others?
I’d like them to quote, because, without it, thread mode doesn’t work. But there are people who want to use their own quoting style.
I used to would include the quote box, even if I removed all the text. But when I noticed so many other people not bothering to do that, I kinda gave up on it.
If I don’t quote, the post either has to do with the person right before me (and I’m making a joke that would fall flat), the entire thread, or just the OP (although I’ll usually quote the OP, sometimes I forget.)
That’s what we’re left with at present. I no rikey.
Mostly in GD.
Don’t give up. 
I wish we could go back to the days when when you quoted a poster who quoted posters your quote would quote those quotes. It can be particularly vexing if quoted posters quoted posters quoting posters.
Er, sorry if that’s hard to parse. My next sentence will be much easier.
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo!
I’ll try to start remembering to do it again, just for you :p.
But, seriously, if it makes some people’s lives easier, I’m happy to oblige.
Sounds like you need to switch to viewing threads in threaded mode.
Tell me more.
Up at the top of the thread, on the blue bar going across with options on it (“View First Unread”, “Share”, “Thread Tools”, etc.), click on “Display Modes”, then “Threaded Mode” (or “Hybrid” if you want to test them out to see what you want).
Now, it’ll show who’s responding to who, just as long as they clicked “Quote” instead of via the Quick Reply or Post Reply.
I’ll check it out. I have no trouble with “Quote” posts. Basically, that’s what I’m asking for. It’s really the Post/Quick Replies that are at issue.
Well, sometimes people may hit “quote” to respond directly to someone and then delete the actual quote part.
I wonder how it treats multi-quote…
Fine with me and I’d like to see it a common practice. Then at least I’d know who they’re talking to and if interested in following the conversation, link back to the post in question.
I realize there are times when two or three posters are running with it and see no need to quote one another and if I spend some time deciphering things I can figure out what’s going on. Having to do that, of course is my complaint.
I don’t like the quote button. I haven’t tried the multiquote feature.
I don’t like the autoformatting used for quotes. If you “quote=poster”, the quoted material is automatically italicized. As someone who uses and sees plenty of italics used for emphasis, that feature deletes content - emphasis.
I manually tag all quotes. I’m not creating links to every post I mention.
Rhythmdvl
You can manually stack all the quotes. Takes a bit more effort to code, but it is possible.
That’s the only way I’ve been able to do it since a few revisions ago–I think with the addition of the multi-quote.
While I find the mulit-quote handy, if a thread spills onto more than one or two pages tracking down the interior quotes can be a giant pain in the post. But just leaving them out somewhat shatters cohesion and clarity, particularly if they posts go a ways back.
In the older version when you hit quote it quoted everything in a post, not just things outside quote boxes.
It’s also a PITA when someone is quoting an off-board source. Not impossible, but a PITA nonetheless.