# 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:** 1\ **Showing post:** 5
**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, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378/5 "2013-03-08T14:56:53Z")
The rule is that you can’t change the text inside of quote box because that can make it look like the other poster actually said the words you are attributing to them. Paraphrases that don’t use the quote tags - whether they are identified with single quotes, double quotes, or no quotes - are fine. I think anyone who read the thread would have understood from the quote tags and from the rest of the post that I was paraphrasing what I took to be your opinion rather than attributing a set of words directly to you. It’s tough to find examples of posters getting away with something that isn’t against the rules because we wouldn’t moderate it in the first place - and if something is explicitly allowed I’m not sure you can reasonably say the posters got away with it. But I hope these past mod notes will illustrate that the rule says what **RickJay** and I told you it says. > [@Free Speech and yelling fire in a theatre. Can it be applied to Muslims?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-speech-and-yelling-fire-in-a-theatre-can-it-be-applied-to-muslims/635633/16): > > Please don’t alter text inside the quote boxes, **Boyo Jim**. > [@Critique this: Why blacks run faster](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-this-why-blacks-run-faster/627414/808): > > **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. > [@"If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youve-got-a-business-you-didnt-build-that-somebody-else-made-that-happen/628503/527): > > I recognize you are only adding text from Romney’s speech, but please don’t alter text inside the quote boxes. It makes it look like you are attributing things to **Shayna** that she did not say. Next time please just quote from the speech and attribute it to the politician. > [@Democracy dying in Michigan?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democracy-dying-in-michigan/618224/50): > > **ITR champion** , we ask that posters not alter text inside the quote boxes like you’ve done here. Please don’t do this again. > [@Is Robert Fisk all he's cracked up to be?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robert-fisk-all-hes-cracked-up-to-be/569039/36): > > Please don’t alter text in quote boxes like this. Paraphrasing is fine, but do it without the sarcastic asides. > [@How will quitting as governor affect Palin's chances.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-quitting-as-governor-affect-palins-chances/584051/19): > > I realize you didn’t intend to deceive anybody here, **MPB in Salt Lake** , but for future reference, please don’t alter text inside the quote boxes. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marley-violate-sdmb-protocol-here/652378)._