# Proper way to quote a Twitter message chain?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-way-to-quote-a-twitter-message-chain/827845>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [January 16, 2019, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-way-to-quote-a-twitter-message-chain/827845 "2019-01-16T03:05:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-way-to-quote-a-twitter-message-chain/827845/1 "2019-01-16T03:05:43Z")

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I was quoting a Twitter message chain here:

[https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=21433119&posted=1#post21433119](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=21433119&posted=1#post21433119)

In that case I separated each tweet in the quote.

Is that how it should be or can we compress the whole thing as though it was one single quote?

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**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-way-to-quote-a-twitter-message-chain/827845/2 "2019-01-16T18:20:07Z")

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We don’t have any sort of formal standard for this sort of thing, but I think the way you quoted it in that thread worked well. I think someone could come up with a different way of quoting it that would also get the point across, so I’m reluctant to say that the way you did it should be the only way it is done from here forward. What I will say is that what you did worked, so stick with it.

I think compressing it might give the false impression that it is all from a single source and not from a chain of posts. That would end up just confusing people, I think. Don’t try to compress it.

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**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-way-to-quote-a-twitter-message-chain/827845/3 "2019-01-16T19:16:59Z")

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Twitter essays are often “Unrolled” and reposted at [threadreaderapp.com](http://threadreaderapp.com). So you could have just linked to [here](https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1072222230791229440.html).

That was a pretty staccato twitter essay though, so the OP’s method worked well. Most twitter essays read a little more smoothly though.

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**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:** [January 16, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-way-to-quote-a-twitter-message-chain/827845/4 "2019-01-16T20:00:02Z")

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Those were all from the same person, and clearly intended to be read together as a group, so a single quote box works fine. A discussion between two people, though, or statements from the same person made in different contexts, would be better as multiple quote boxes.

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**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-way-to-quote-a-twitter-message-chain/827845/5 "2019-01-16T20:35:57Z")

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Your way worked for me.

Nested quotes is possible for multiple responders.

> [@Twitter](#):
>
> > [@Tweeter1](#):
> >
> > Something
> 
> > [@Tweeter2](#):
> >
> > Something
> 
> > [@Tweeter3](#):
> >
> > Something
> 
> > [@Tweeter4](#):
> >
> > Something
> 
> > [@Tweeter5](#):
> >
> > Something