# Did Marley violate SDMB protocol here? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 8, 2013, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378 "2013-03-08T14:33:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/21 "2013-03-08T18:23:23Z")
‘ **Marley23** is a great mod and a handsome devil to boot.’ Thanks, **magellan01** - you’re alright! ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/22 "2013-03-08T18:27:20Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > If you thought this was against the rules, **pseudotriton ruber ruber** , why did you do it? Because I wasn’t quoting any single poster. Saying that “everyone” is saying something., which is impossible until we allow multiple posters to make one post, is vastly different than deliberately misquoting one specific poster. But you knew that. Next? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/23 "2013-03-08T18:28:04Z")
People are allowed to paraphrase what they think other posters are saying, and put those statements in quote marks, but they cannot put them in quote boxes. That is the rule. People are also allowed to be wrong when they paraphrase. Paraphrasing is giving the gist of the message as that poster understands it. Misunderstanding happens. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/24 "2013-03-08T18:29:17Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > ['Ere ya go.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16077896&postcount=1010) Found on the first page I looked at, in the first thread that popped to mind where people might be paraphrasing other poster’s arguments. (It’s obvious in context of the thread who Gyrate is referring to, even though he’s not named here.) Seriously, it happens - and is allowed - all the time. BBBZZZZT! Nope. “Along the lines of” is clearly indicating a paraphrase. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/25 "2013-03-08T18:30:25Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > People are allowed to paraphrase what they think other posters are saying, and put those statements in quote marks, but they cannot put them in quote boxes. That is the rule. Cite me that rule, stated as a rule, then. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/26 "2013-03-08T18:38:10Z")
“People are allowed to paraphrase what they think other posters are saying, and put those statements in quote marks, but they cannot put them in quote boxes. That is the rule.” ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/27 "2013-03-08T18:38:51Z")
**Dex** ’s warning, that I cited, refers to quoted material. That paragraph, the first in the section, makes no distinction between single-quotes, double quotes or quote boxes. None. Zero. Zilch. Later on in that section he stresses that quoted material in quote boxes are especially never to tampered with in any way, but there is no such distinction mentioned in his inital paragraph between quotes inside quotatiopn mark and quotes inside quote boxes, only that falsely “attributing a quote to another user, or modifying another’s post in order to cast him/her in a bad light, even if meant in jest, is grounds for revocation of your posting privileges.” Which is exactly what Marley did. While posting as a poster, mind you. He misquoted me in order to reduce my argument to an oversimplified version of what I was saying , to put me a bad light. Not a whisper of a sanction here. AMazing. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/28 "2013-03-08T18:40:32Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > “People are allowed to paraphrase what they think other posters are saying, and put those statements in quote marks, but they cannot put them in quote boxes. That is the rule.” Where was that said, and by whom? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/29 "2013-03-08T18:41:45Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Because I wasn’t quoting any single poster. Oh. > [@Did the Angels just screw up their future with Mike Trout?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-angels-just-screw-up-their-future-with-mike-trout/651922/74): > > Predicted \*\*Marley \*\*answer: “A lot of them! You suck!!” It seems to me that you weren’t particularly judicious in your use of quotations in that thread, so I would think that means you know how the rules work. It was not clear to me why you felt attributing an opinion to one poster using quotes was awful and attributing an opinion to multiple people using quotes - or “predicting” someone’s opinion with quotes - was kosher. > [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Cite me that rule, stated as a rule, then. The rule has already been quoted and explained to you several different ways. The exception proves the rule: **C K Dexter Haven** ’s post says you can’t alter text inside the quote boxes; it follows that altering a quotation outside the quote boxes is OK. > [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > **Dex** ’s warning, that I cited, refers to quoted material. That paragraph, the first in the section, makes no distinction between single-quotes, double quotes or quote boxes. None. Zero. Zilch. The third paragraph could not be any more explicit: "Text inside [QUOTE] tags is sacrosanct." ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/30 "2013-03-08T18:43:07Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Another example: > Your idea–that the burden of proof is on the mods to show that they don’t mod such paraphrases-in-quotes–is absurd. The only point in your idea’s favor is that the burden is trivially easy to meet. As part of that example, I’ll say that I don’t feel **ladyfoxfyre** did anything wrong. She summarised the point I made, or more precisely her understanding of that point, in a way that most readers would understand. By extension, I think this whole argument is over nothing. ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/31 "2013-03-08T18:43:19Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by Marley23 > **colonial** , don’t alter text inside the quote boxes. We allow minor edits, but here you’ve changed the word “primarily” to “partial,” which means something different. It is necessary to furnish the background here in order to correct any misleading impression. All following quotes are from: [This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=657655&page=15) All emphasis added by me, except for usernames, and the angle brackets appearing in reply #802, which were present in the original. (reply #748, p15) > [@colonial](#): > > Here are the number of athletes of **primarily** African ancestry among the all-time top 10 hurdles times… (#798, p16) > [@colonial](#): > > **…I should have used the word “partially” rather than “primarily”…** (#799, p16) > [@other member](#): > > (NB: username redacted by colonial) > …Ok, so at **one** point do you determine that someone is of “ **primarily** African descent”. NB: Besides ignoring my emendation the sentence above is ungrammatical. The most reasonable interpretation seems to me that the writer meant to ask: “…at **what** point do you determine…?” (#802, p17) > [@colonial](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by (other member; NB: username redacted by colonial) > …Ok, so at one point do you determine that someone is of \< **partial** \> African descent… I thought the angle brackets would alert any reasonably diligent reader to the fact I had made an edit. In any case the other member misrepresented my position, and it was appropriate to correct him. (#807, p17) > [@Marley](#): > > Moderating… **colonial** , don’t alter text inside the quote boxes. We allow minor edits, but here you’ve changed the word “ **primarily** ” to “ **partial** ,” which means something different. (#810, p17) > [@colonial](#): > > …It was necessary to restore accuracy to his part of the dialgue, and the means I chose was legitimate, since anyone who had read our entire conversation would know what I did and why I did it. > > Had you read our entire conversation? ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/32 "2013-03-08T18:43:52Z")
Tell me that you really don’t understand how a “predicted Marley reponse” is plainly not an actual quote. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/33 "2013-03-08T18:47:15Z")
Steophan said: “By extension, I think this whole argument, like most, is over PRR’s bruised ego.” FTFY ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/34 "2013-03-08T18:48:15Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Not a whisper of a sanction here. AMazing. Because you’re entirely in the wrong. “Why, yes, I can admit when I’m wrong,” quoth **pseduotriton ruber ruber** never. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/35 "2013-03-08T18:52:38Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > **Dex** ’s warning, that I cited, refers to quoted material. That paragraph, the first in the section, makes no distinction between single-quotes, double quotes or quote boxes. None. Zero. Zilch. > > Later on in that section he stresses that quoted material in quote boxes are especially never to tampered with in any way, but there is no such distinction mentioned in his inital paragraph between quotes inside quotatiopn mark and quotes inside quote boxes, only that falsely “attributing a quote to another user, or modifying another’s post in order to cast him/her in a bad light, even if meant in jest, is grounds for revocation of your posting privileges.” > > Which is exactly what Marley did. While posting as a poster, mind you. He misquoted me in order to reduce my argument to an oversimplified version of what I was saying , to put me a bad light. > > Not a whisper of a sanction here. AMazing. Because you’re wrong - and you can quote me on that. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/36 "2013-03-08T18:52:51Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Steophan said: “By extension, I think this whole argument, like most, is over PRR’s bruised ego.” > > FTFY No no, I merely insinuated that. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/37 "2013-03-08T18:53:27Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Tell me that you really don’t understand how a “predicted Marley reponse” is plainly not an actual quote. I understand it’s plainly not a quote. I am attempting to figure out how you can claim to be ignorant of the rules on using quotes - because in this thread you appear to be convinced I broke a rule - when you didn’t hesitate to use quotes to attribute opinions to people and obviously felt you were allowed to do so. Further, I am trying to figure out why you are having trouble understanding the meaning of "Text inside [quote] tags is sacrosanct." Plenty of examples have been furnished. What is the problem? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/38 "2013-03-08T18:56:00Z")
> [@colonial](#): > > It is necessary to furnish the background here in order to correct any misleading impression. No, it is not. I quoted my mod note (and not your post) to illustrate how we handle altered text inside quote boxes, and that’s all. This is not going to become an argument about that thread. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/39 "2013-03-08T19:02:58Z")
This is the unintended consequence of moving mod criticism out of the pit. When complaints are spectacularly wrongheaded–as all of **prr’s** always are–rules prevent you from giving the OP the shit they desperately deserve. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/40 "2013-03-08T19:13:28Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > No, it is not. I quoted my mod note (and not your post) to illustrate how we handle altered text inside quote boxes, and that’s all. This is not going to become an argument about that thread. All due respect, I urge you to reconsider your decision that “this is… going to become an argument about that thread.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378.md?page=3)