# Posting styles you hate **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 5, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999 "2011-11-05T22:13:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/61 "2011-11-06T06:42:32Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > I’m the Lonesome Straight Dope Strangler > I strangle guys that post dictionary definitions for commonly understood words > Like it fucking makes a point. > > Kill them, kill them all, God will know what to do with them. Of course it’s making a point. It’s saying “you’re really stupid”. I’ve never done such a thing but I am pretty sure that is the point being made. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/62 "2011-11-06T06:59:51Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Also, stories that go like this: > > My friend, J, got into a fight with K. K had earlier that day said to Q that she was > mad at J because she thinks J went out to lunch with R and didn’t call her on purpose. > What do you think I should do? Should I call J? Should I tell K to suck it up? Should I arrange > a meeting between K and R? Should I have sex with L? Yes, this is exactly what I was going to post. First of all, no one here knows who you are talking about so you can use their real names, it won’t make a difference. (And if there \*are \*family members/friends who know who you are on here, _then they will know who you are talking about anyway_!) But if you really must hide their identities, then just make up fake names. This ‘M loved F until F met J and then M & J got in a fight over F’ bullshit just makes your stories extremely difficult to parse and it usually not worth the effort to do so. Another thing, when people quote posts by writing \>\> and \<\< around the quoted text. Why for the love of all that is holy would you go to the trouble of typing in those characters when there is a quote button!? ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/63 "2011-11-06T07:23:01Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Since we’re now talking about stuff off the SDMB, On another board I frequent… there is a poster… who puts all these unnecessary… ellipses in his posts. There’s really… no reason for them… it’s just an irritating habit he has…and it just seems so… stupid to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/64 "2011-11-06T07:43:30Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > On another board I frequent… there is a poster… who puts all these unnecessary… ellipses in his posts. There’s really… no reason for them… it’s just an irritating habit he has…and it just seems so… stupid to me. I will admit, I do this. It’s a bad habit I _am_ conscious of and actively trying to curb. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/65 "2011-11-06T11:17:08Z")
People that seem to think that the entire board knows who they are and what they do. They often start posts with things like: > [@](#): > > As you all know I like to swing dance … > [@](#): > > Most people realise that I am a Packers fan … > [@](#): > > You probably remember that I lost my job a month ago … When someone starts a post/thread like that, I can guarantee I will never have heard of them before in my life. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/66 "2011-11-06T12:33:08Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > [The “you-misspelled-X” knuckle-drag… That one bugs the shit out of me. I wasn’t picking on you,\*\* E-luce\*\*, I just picked a post at random.] I mind it less if the poster is actually addressing the topic being discussed. Posters whose sole contribution to a thread is to point out a typo should be banned. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/67 "2011-11-06T13:57:16Z")
Well, I guess I must be the only one who dislikes it when someone presumes they are unique. I can’t believe I’m the first to mention that. #67 posts in, and not a single nod to snowflake guy stumbling into a thread to mention an the most blindingly obvious genre example or to express his highly unusual taste for some bit of pop culture, scoring negative points for each time it was already mentioned. Of course, if snowflake guy has already been mentioned or is too obvious an example of crappy posts, then I’m totally being ironical or absurd, whichever scores the most bonus points. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/68 "2011-11-06T14:14:45Z")
Posting on a message board like it’s a text message Teen Beat sleep over, OMG LOL! Or like it’s a formal letter. Regards, Sitnam ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/69 "2011-11-06T14:25:33Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > I mind it less if the poster is actually addressing the topic being discussed. Posters whose sole contribution to a thread is to point out a typo should be banned. I think that refers to people who did not spell the word wrong, the poster is just trying to be cute by saying so. Like “Obama is a great American!” "You misspelled “Kenyan!” > [@Joey\_P](#): > > Also, stories that go like this: > > My friend, J, got into a fight with K. K had earlier that day said to Q that she was > mad at J because she thinks J went out to lunch with R and didn’t call her on purpose. > What do you think I should do? Should I call J? Should I tell K to suck it up? Should I arrange > a meeting between K and R? Should I have sex with L? I always imagine that these dramas are being played out by the [Letter People](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Letter_People). Sometimes you have to change the genders, but that just makes it more fun. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/70 "2011-11-06T14:32:51Z")
using URL-shortening like bit.ly on a message board. I can understand it on Twatter 'cos of the 140-character limit, but it’s pointless elsewhere. It also is obfuscating what the link actually goes to so I’ll be goddamned if I’m going to click on it. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/71 "2011-11-06T15:09:10Z")
Here’s another one from me, and I know it’s just me. When someone links to another thread on the board, but they leave the search terms high lighted. So you click on the link of you have a bunch of red words. All you have to do is, after finding your thread, delete everything after and including the equals sign and copy/paste that. So, for example, if you were in a thread discussing fake christmas trees (random thing I just thought of) and you remembered we discussed something about it earlier, you would search for ‘fake christmas trees’ and find this url: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=545535&highlight=fake+christmas+trees](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=545535&highlight=fake+christmas+trees) Which will have, highlighted in red, ‘fake’ ‘christmas’ and ‘trees’ but, if you simply changed it to > **[Artificial Christmas Tree Buying Advice Needed](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=545535)** > > Yea, I know Christmas is over but now starts the deep discount sales. Hub is a stickler for cutting a fresh tree every year and I’d like to convince him to buy an artificial one so that we could have it up longer. The requirements are that it has... It wouldn’t have anything highlighted. Again, maybe it’s just me, but even when I click on a linked thread like that the first thing I do is delete that part to get rid of the highlighted stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/72 "2011-11-06T15:17:28Z")
– when someone posts a link with no description of the video, audio, or text behind the link. Please provide a summary or a quote of the relevant portion. If its an image of a celebrity at least provide identification. – when someone uses spoiler tags for curse words – signing posts – “Let me introduce myself” threads ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/73 "2011-11-06T15:19:37Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > using URL-shortening like bit.ly on a message board. I can understand it on Twatter 'cos of the 140-character limit, but it’s pointless elsewhere. It also is obfuscating what the link actually goes to so I’ll be goddamned if I’m going to click on it. What’s the deal with that kind of thing anyway? One sim-racing site has that kind of thing on every one of their download links-but it actually makes the URL longer-and also makes me waste time cutting and pasting manually the friggin’ link I wanted. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/74 "2011-11-06T15:38:17Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > What’s the deal with that kind of thing anyway? One sim-racing site has that kind of thing on every one of their download links-but it actually makes the URL longer-and also makes me waste time cutting and pasting manually the friggin’ link I wanted. people are morons. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/75 "2011-11-06T15:39:02Z")
OMG, it is a minefield. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/76 "2011-11-06T16:33:04Z")
Oy, I fear I’m guilty of a couple of these, mostly the inability to get right to the point in one’s posts. That said, and getting right to the point for once, here are my peeves: - Similar to the “hubby” or “li’lbro” quibble, I do private rolling of my eyes when I see someone refer to their spouse/kid as something like **Mr. Choie** or **Choiejunior**. Just say “my husband” or “my kid,” for God’s sake! - Oh! Speaking of rolling eyes: people who respond to a post they don’t like with _just_ :rolleyes:. Can’t you even make an effort?! Yes, I know you’re trying to make the point that the post you’re responding to isn’t even worthy of a response, but jeeze, make the effort. We’re supposed to be literate here. - And for that matter, the people who say we’re the bestest, shiniest, most intelligent board on the planet. I truly appreciate the SDMB, don’t get me wrong, and in general many posters here are quite smart and well-informed. But we ain’t unique. What can I say, hubris bugs me. - More hubris, similar to the “as you know, I just had a baby” complaint: if you’re married/partnered with someone else on the SDMB, don’t assume everyone knows that and is keeping track of your various relationships with other usernames. There’s this one poster (whom I otherwise like) who frequently enters a thread and responds with something like, “Oh, I love eating chocolate! **RandomUserName** also loves chocolate too, which is a very special and rare trait to have.” When I read this guy’s posts, I always have to think, “who the hell is **RandomUserName** and why is this guy telling us about him/her…oh Christ, now I remember. They’re married and he wants to let everyone know that yes, his spouse is on the SDMB, isn’t that awesome.” Can’t he just say “my wife”?! (I fully acknowledge that I’m almost certainly alone in being annoyed by this bugbear. Yes, I’m that petty.) - People who quote long sections of text to reply with: “This.” Is it _really_ that hard to write the extra letters of “I agree”? It’s less egregious if the “This” is followed by a more elaborate answer, but even so… I still hate “This.” And yes, I know someone is going to quote me here and go “This.” - Fake signatures. Yes, others have mentioned it too, but it’s so annoying to me that I just gotta cosign. Stop typing your screenname at the bottom of every post. This isn’t 1994 usenet and we can all read your damn screenname. But if you _must_ add your name to mark your territory, do it in your actual signature, so that people have the option of not seeing it. Don’t laboriously add it yourself to the bottom of every post. ---
**Author:** ![ballardfam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8797f3/32.png) [@ballardfam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ballardfam)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/77 "2011-11-06T16:44:51Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I’m neutral on the gag one-liner post. “Oral Sex? I thought you said Oral Roberts!” I don’t admire 'em a lot, but they are often amusing. They’re a waste of time and space…but if they’re clever, they earn a grin. I’m neutral on them as one-offs but tend to find them tedious when 2 or 3 people go back & forth, amusing each other with their wit but not me so much. I wouldn’t apply any rules against them (even if it were in my power) but my eyes do tend to glaze over & I’ll skip reading further posts from the individuals involved, at least within the thread. EMOTICONS! Don’t like them. Never use them. Try very hard to not prejudge posts when they include emoticons. I just think they’re so 8th grade girl. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/78 "2011-11-06T16:55:52Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > No, it is not indispensable. It is annoying and completely unnecessary. The well written paragraph can argue, refute, and keep track of all the elements of your opponent as long as you keep it cogent. Well, here’s the problem. I’m not a good writer (as well as this, I also _really_ overuse commas, hyphens and semi-colons). By and large I do try to respond to different ideas, rather than different sentences, but somtimes i’m just not capable of doing so while remaining cogent. I’d like to think though that it’s not something i’m hugely in the habit of (here’s the part where you pull out six pages or so of links of me doing so ;)), but when you’re not that good at responding to arguments in a less pedantic way, the only other option is to simply ignore or remove sections of the other person’s post - and while again I do do that sometimes if I feel one sentence from two or three paragraphs adequately sums up the other person’s argument, i’ve had trouble before where doing something like that has me called out on the opposite problem, of not addressing the totality of another person’s post. If i’m going to be accused of pedantry or dishonest debate, i’d prefer to err on the side of pedantry, annoying as that is. Anyway, sorry to have earned your ire. If nothing else, this is (sort of) my first pit thread! You’ve broken my streak of only annoying people up to a set amount. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/79 "2011-11-06T18:10:52Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > When someone starts a post/thread like that, I can guarantee I will never have heard of them before in my life. That’s right, nobody can remember a damn thing about anyone else here…until they get pitted. Then it’s all, ‘‘I totally remember that story you posted three years ago about your third grade teacher and how it proves you’ve been a douchebag since the age of nine.’’ [QUOTE=choie] Similar to the “hubby” or “li’lbro” quibble, I do private rolling of my eyes when I see someone refer to their spouse/kid as something like Mr. Choie or Choiejunior. Just say “my husband” or “my kid,” for God’s sake! [/QUOTE] One of my favorite parts of the Dope. It’s cute and sometimes creative. Whenever I write ‘‘ **Sr. Olives** ’’ I think of an olive wearing a sombrero. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999/80 "2011-11-06T18:58:34Z")
I’m sure I do all of these things. I guess you could always put me on ignore (though I doubt my posting style is what would trigger that. 😉 ) My issue is this: Person A: Obama is a big fat liar! Person B: NO he is NOT! Person C (otherwise known as ‘moderate’, ‘middle of the road’, or ‘nuanced’): Well, he did lie about \_\_\_\_, but - Person B: You idiot. He is not a liar. The Republicans are liars! Look at what they did. STFU, Conservajerk! Person C: Uh… Person B: You no-good, homophobic, racist, Tea Bagger! Basically, when someone who isn’t on either end of the extreme tries to make a point or ask a question and they get labeled as ‘The Other’. Or this: Person A: I like Red. Person B: Why? It’s such a anxiety-producing color…at least for me. Person A: What do you have against people who like red? Person B: Nothing. I just don’t like it myself. Person A: You are so intolerant. Did you know that red has many reedeming qualities? It is currently listed as the NUMBER ONE favorite color between adults ages 18-22. What’s wrong with you? Or when someone _continually_ says you said something that you did not and refuses to cite. That pisses me off. It’s totally trolling and it’s never called out and you can’t call someone a liar. Then when you tell them to cite, they say, “Well you _clearly_ think/meant/insinuated -” when you clearly did not. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-styles-you-hate/601999.md?page=5)