# ADMINISTRATIVE REQUEST: PLEASE READ **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [October 31, 1999, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrative-request-please-read/1710 "1999-10-31T12:29:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 1999, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrative-request-please-read/1710/1 "1999-10-31T12:29:00Z")
A request, please, of the Mailbag Faithful: **When you are the first poster presenting a new topic in this forum,** please provide a link (or the url) to the Mailbag item that you are commenting on. This makes it helpful for anyone reading or intending to post, so that they know (a) what you’re talking about and (b) what’s already been said. Thanks for your help. INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO POST A LINK: I confess to being computer inept, but you post a link by typing: {url}[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/whatever{/url}](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/whatever%7B/url%7D) EXCEPT: replace the curly brackets { } with square brackets . And, of course, “whatever” means the site-identification-info. You can get the address by COPY (Control + C) and PASTE (Control + V). For instance, if I type: {url}[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfellswoop.html{/url}](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfellswoop.html%7B/url%7D) but use square brackets instead of curly brackets, I get: [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfellswoop.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfellswoop.html) which is the link to the origin of “one fell swoop.” ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 1999, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrative-request-please-read/1710/2 "1999-10-31T16:42:00Z")
Or, if you just type the address, starting with http: and making sure there is a space on either side (so, for example, if you put it in parentheses, you have to leave a space between the parens and the address), it’ll work automagically. For example, this link back to this thread is simply: [http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/000188.html](http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/000188.html) ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2000, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrative-request-please-read/1710/3 "2000-04-18T12:59:00Z")
And, folks, it helps to read what others have said on a topic, before you post. Otherwise, you run the risk of appearing to be engaged in mindless repetition (by saying what others have already said) or blissful ignorance (by ignoring whtg others have already said.) ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2000, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrative-request-please-read/1710/4 "2000-07-11T12:05:54Z")
Just a reminder… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2000, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrative-request-please-read/1710/5 "2000-07-11T21:19:29Z")
So, if I type [[sup][/sup]url=“[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=2832](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=2832)”]ADMINISTRATIVE REQUEST[[sup][/sup]/url] I’ll get [ADMINISTRATIVE REQUEST](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=2832) Is that clearer? ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2000, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrative-request-please-read/1710/6 "2000-07-11T21:49:54Z")
::whine:: The other moderators do it for us on the other boards ::whine:: Well, one does. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2000, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrative-request-please-read/1710/7 "2000-07-11T22:20:55Z")
If our esteemed colleague RM Mentock (who **rocks** ) is referring to me (moderator in “Comments on Cecil’s Columns”), I will point out that every time I include a link I also post my little canned spiel about “doing it yourself next time, bubba!” Also beware of the correlation betwen “providing the forgotten link” and “losing his marbles”. While not yet proven to be statistically significant, there is sufficient overlap between the two phenomena to indicate the possibility of cause and effect. As a matter of fact, I have researchers watching me closely right now, with the hope (their Nobel Prize depends on this) that I will soon shed my clothes and start running naked through the streets whilst screaming “what’s so hard about an URL C&P?” Which is why you want to help out your friendly neighbourhood moderator. ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2000, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrative-request-please-read/1710/8 "2000-07-11T22:38:11Z")
No, _you_ rock. I was always amazed at your sedulousness. I see now that it comes at a price. You may have saved my life… ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2000, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrative-request-please-read/1710/9 "2000-07-12T12:14:22Z")
When you say that Arnold rocks, I suggest you not take it for granite. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2000, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrative-request-please-read/1710/10 "2000-07-12T14:08:15Z")
Otherwise you may betray your igneous. ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2000, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrative-request-please-read/1710/11 "2000-07-12T15:47:07Z")
I promise, I’ll be gneiss