I have noticed that several people on the boards tend to post in one long paragraph rather than breaking it up in the way taught in school.
Not only is it a poor writing style, it is so hard to follow!
I don’t expect that everyone be perfect in their writing as I know I have some things I need to work on but that is just annoying.
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When people post in this manner the entire post look like one run on sentence. There seems to be little thought placed in the post and hard to follow. If you want to learn more about breaking up a post then please search the web or pick up a book on when separating a thought means separating it into a new paragraph. I realize that it’s not the end of the world but it sure makes your readers life easier. You see if I continue to post in this manner, I am going to drive myself up a wall because the need to start another paragraph at certain points within this part of my posting. This particular part of my post could have been broken up at least three times as the thoughts have changed. Now I am ending this because I think I have made my point. Bet I made a bunch of errors in this, as I need to break it up.
No offense to anyone, but something to think about the next time some of you post.
Thank you so much for pointing out this little pet peeve of mine TechChick.
I don’t know about anyone else (except maybe TC68), but I find huge long paragraphs incredibly hard to read (tough on the eyes ya know), so I usually just skip 'em.
Keep that in mind next time you post a brilliant reply (or flame, whatever your preferenece might be).
Well, techie, as you might know, a lot of boards don’t allow paragraph separation, and some don’t allow the HTML that a lot don’t even know as well.
Because of this, the idea that a hard return will do ANYTHING to your post is, to some folks, a somewhat revolutionary idea that takes getting used to.
I suggest, since you’re techgirl and all, that YOU (since it was your idea) tell newbies (they are the usual offenders) in a nice, sweet way that the accepted netiquette for this place.
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I’m going to have to agree with Techchick68 here. The posting of all of your long rambling post without any blank lines to break it up is quite æsthetically unpleasing, at least to me. The main problem, however, is that it is a style that makes the post hard to read. Reading a post written like that makes my eyes physically feel tired. Breaking up the paragraphs is much easier on the eyes, letting them relax slightly without causing you to lose your place in a huge jumble of text. With nicely broken up paragraphs, the reader can more easily find the spot where they last left off, becuse they will be able to locate the correct paragraph, then the spot in that paragraph. If it appears as a huge mass of text, then the reader’s eyes, once even slightly distracted, have difficulty finding the spot again. This is probably even more of a concern on the world wide web, where you often don’t see paragraph indentation or more than a single space between sentences. Then there are such factors as the aditional fatigue placed on the eyes by reading from a computer screen, which is not as natural as reading off of a sheet of paper. Ignoring all of these factors displays a cavalier disregard for the reader on the part of the author. As Dopers, we hold as our mandate the elimination of ignorance. This is made more difficult by adopting a writing style that causes those who read it in their own personal quest against ignorance. I would even say that it almost completely nullifies any effort that you took in the first place, by confusing any reader who attempts to glean any knowledge from your writing, while still providing a poorly written explanation that can be attacked by critics who, for whatever reason, choose to promote ignorance. As a final point, it just looks bad. I mean, look at this. You’re not even reading it because it looks so bad. You’re just ignoring me. As always. In closing, I exhort all of you to please divide up your paragraphs. We’ve got a preview feature now, so there’s no excuse. Thank you for your time.
So, some of you just want to make a big fucking deal out of my little rant, well FUCK YOU…
How’s that for a Pit thing?
Seriously, I don’t care if their posts are on the fucking moon or originate from Zimbabwe, it’s time to focus on what makes a good post. Certainly a smooshed together paragraph aint where it’s at.
And Satan, shame on you for being such a doody head. you poo poo head.
In all seriousness, how about if the paragraph does not need to be broken up?
What if I have a long paragraph with a coherent flow, and breaking it up would compromise the delivery of my point? I tend to write fairly long, cohesive paragraphs when arguing a point. Please tell me, O wise ones, what should I do? What should I do?!!?
Fucking editors.
(Seriously, I really would like your input on this, you felchers. Sorry; this subject is a little tame for the Pit, and I’m getting needlessly defensive. I apologize, you cocksu… oops. I’ll just go now.)
you poo poo head.