# Putting spaces between paragraphs **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 15, 2009, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-spaces-between-paragraphs/493161 "2009-04-15T10:16:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mshar253](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@mshar253](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mshar253)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-spaces-between-paragraphs/493161/1 "2009-04-15T10:16:14Z")
Apparently, one of the down sides to no longer being a pay-to-post guy is that I can’t send private messages anymore, or else I would just do that and take care of this quite easily. I’ve seen some threads started by “joebuck20,” and he doesn’t put spaces between paragraphs. I don’t mean to single him out in a negative or anything – which is why this isn’t a pit thread or anything – but it jumped out at me because I’ve seen him in a few threads that I found interesting, but I couldn’t bring myself to read it because it’s just too damn frustrating. I doubt that there’s an “official rule” on this or whatever, but it helps readability, IMO. I don’t want to threadshit on him or pit him or anything because I don’t want to be a jerk to the guy or anything, but if there’s some way that maybe someone could give him the heads up that it helps, I’d appreciate it. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-spaces-between-paragraphs/493161/2 "2009-04-15T12:44:33Z")
While we don’t have a “rule” per se, it is common courtesy to make your posts easily readable by others. Thus, things like spacing, grammar, and spelling are considered common courtesies. Most people do tend to space between paragraphs, but I think that’s a typing left-over (like we used to used a double space after a period, single space after comma) rather than a grammatical rule. I agree, it’s better from a graphic design and readability consideration, but most books don’t do it, f’rinstance. They indent instead, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-spaces-between-paragraphs/493161/3 "2009-04-16T00:28:35Z")
> [@mshar253](#): > > Apparently, one of the down sides to no longer being a pay-to-post guy is that I can’t send private messages anymore, or else I would just do that and take care of this quite easily. Are you sure about that? It appears that you can receive them. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-spaces-between-paragraphs/493161/4 "2009-04-16T08:08:08Z")
Yup, I just sent you one, **mshar253**. But its good that you posted this, because double spaced paragraphs should be standard on message boards. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-spaces-between-paragraphs/493161/5 "2009-04-17T12:16:01Z")
> [@Amblydoper](#): > > Yup, I just sent you one, **mshar253**. But its good that you posted this, because double spaced paragraphs should be standard on message boards. On an abstract and philosophical plane, I agree that standardized usage should prevail, and there needs to be some such. Just as there are standardized usages for writing academic papers, etc. Our general rule here on the SDMB is “don’t be a jerk” which certainly includes that people should try to make their posts readable to others (which includes things like paragraphing, reasonable spelling and grammar, no bright and flashy colors, no impossible-to-read fonts, etc.) However, on a practical level, moderators have plenty to do without being guardians of grammar or some as-yet-unformulated standards. So, basically, while I’m sympathetic, we’re not going to make specific formatting rules or invent formatting standards here, nor try to enforce such. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-spaces-between-paragraphs/493161/6 "2009-04-18T02:09:56Z")
Oh, no, I never meant that you should make a RULE about how to format posts, I just meant that posters should keep that idea in the back of their minds as they type, both here, and everywhere on the net.