# Question about quoting etiquette **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 24, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959 "2011-08-24T22:16:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/21 "2011-08-25T18:36:06Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Since people weren’t competent enough to handle nested quotes, I assume that the next step is to eliminate the quote function in general. Or we could just eliminate the people that aren’t competent. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/22 "2011-08-25T18:37:12Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Since people weren’t competent enough to handle nested quotes, I assume that the next step is to eliminate the quote function in general. It isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/23 "2011-08-25T18:49:00Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Since people weren’t competent enough to handle nested quotes, I assume that the next step is to eliminate the quote function in general. > [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Or we could just eliminate the people that aren’t competent. It’s always seemed to me that people who are in favour of nested quotes have superior coding skills, and so I would suggest that they manually build nested quotes, which should be an easy task. Use the multiquote button to include several posts in your reply, do the appropriate simple copy/pasting, and _voilà_, nested quotes. There is nothing at the board preventing anyone from making nested quotes. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/24 "2011-08-25T21:42:26Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > It’s always seemed to me that people who are in favour of nested quotes have superior coding skills, and so I would suggest that they manually build nested quotes, which should be an easy task. Use the multiquote button to include several posts in your reply, do the appropriate simple copy/pasting, and _voilà_, nested quotes. There is nothing at the board preventing anyone from making nested quotes. Besides for the fact that it takes time and effort, the real problem with non-nested quotes is not in my posts - I know what I’m trying to say - it’s in the posts of other people, that I’m reading. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/25 "2011-08-25T22:31:34Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Besides for the fact that it takes time and effort, the real problem with non-nested quotes is not in my posts - I know what I’m trying to say - it’s in the posts of other people, that I’m reading. Those mirror exactly my feelings about having automated nested quotes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/26 "2011-08-25T22:47:46Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > It looks exactly like an attribution, in exactly the same way that your original use of “quoth…” looks exactly like an attribution. You’re needlessly introducing ambiguity. Actually, no, I take that back. It’s not ambiguous. It’s straight up misattribution. I never understood the whole “quoth” thing. It makes more work for the poster using it, and more work for people replying to it. It does look quaint, though, in a quothy sort of way. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/27 "2011-08-25T23:03:23Z")
Personally I find it less work: It’s easier to just select a portion of a post and copy it, then paste that in the reply box, than it is to quote the entire post, and then delete the extraneous portions (which often seems to lead to accidental deletion of part of the tags). Plus, you can’t even trim quotes at all in the quick-reply box, using the automatic feature. That, and I got into the habit of doing it that way before we even had the GUI for replies. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/28 "2011-08-25T23:19:37Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I almost mentioned this in the thread in question. Speaking as a moderator, and with all due respect, I would request you to use the regular quote button and not do the “quoth” thing outside the quote box. I had to edit the quote that **Ascenray** mentions here so it didn’t look misattributed. The way you do it is likely to lead to an apparent misattribution. I see no good reason to leave your attributions outside the quote box. Please don’t do it to in order to avoid confusion. Wait, are you instituting a new rule about quoting, or is this just **Chronos** specific? Because I still manually quote. I have learned to use the multiquote button, especially since the auto italics was removed, but there are times I’ll decide to add another comment to a post I’m composing, so I’ll just manually cut and past to insert. I understand how the non-nested quotes leads to content disappearing, and thus potential misunderstandings of attributions. But now, are you saying that it’s no longer allowed to post Chronos said: > [@](#): > > Personally I find it less work: There’s nothing wrong with that. The error comes when the next person is creating their post. They have to not be sloppy. > [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > What I don’t like about the way Chronos quotes posts is that there little arrow that can bring you back to the quoted post is missing. So? We posted around here forever without those. I still don’t always post to create them. Sure they’re useful, but are we making this a rule now? ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/29 "2011-08-25T23:21:26Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I never understood the whole “quoth” thing. It makes more work for the poster using it, and more work for people replying to it. It does look quaint, though, in a quothy sort of way. Funny, to me it was never more popular. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/30 "2011-08-25T23:52:39Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Sure they’re useful That’s all I’m saying. IMHO it doesn’t need to be a rule, but it shouldn’t hurt either to ask someone to please do it that way. ---
**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:** [August 26, 2011, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/31 "2011-08-26T00:02:54Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Because I still manually quote. I have learned to use the multiquote button, especially since the auto italics was removed, but there are times I’ll decide to add another comment to a post I’m composing, so I’ll just manually cut and past to insert. You can accomplish the same thing by using the “quote=” tag instead of putting the attribution outside the quote box. That’s really the problem. > [@](#): > > There’s nothing wrong with that. The error comes when the next person is creating their post. They have to not be sloppy. Yes, there is something wrong with that. You’re needlessly increasing the risk that the next poster will misattribute the next quote and you’re needlessly creating make-work for other posters and for moderators who have go fix the icreasef number of misattributed quotations. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/32 "2011-08-26T00:37:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Personally I find it less work: It’s easier to just select a portion of a post and copy it, then paste that in the reply box, than it is to quote the entire post, and then delete the extraneous portions (which often seems to lead to accidental deletion of part of the tags). Plus, you can’t even trim quotes at all in the quick-reply box, using the automatic feature. > > That, and I got into the habit of doing it that way before we even had the GUI for replies. You can copy and paste the selected text,as you normally do. Then highlight the selected text. In the quick reply box click on the button that looks like a speech bubble. It wraps quote tags around the selected text. You end up with this: > [@](#): > > It’s easier to just select a portion of a post and copy it, then paste that in the reply box, You don’t get the attribution with the handy button to click back to the quoted text, but it’s quick and solves the problem of potential misattribution in future replies that seems to be of concern. ---
**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:** [August 26, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/33 "2011-08-26T02:40:35Z")
That just does the same thing as putting in the quote tags by hand, which I do anyway. And I find it quicker to keep my hands on the keyboard, rather than mess with mouse buttons, but I’m sure mileage varies on that. ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/34 "2011-08-26T02:47:16Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > That just does the same thing as putting in the quote tags by hand, which I do anyway. And I find it quicker to keep my hands on the keyboard, rather than mess with mouse buttons, but I’m sure mileage varies on that. Add “=_username_” in the first quote tag. Problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/35 "2011-08-26T03:54:42Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Wait, are you instituting a new rule about quoting, or is this just **Chronos** specific? **Irishman** , are you kidding me? Why does everything an individual moderator says have to be taken as a “new rule”? I never said or implied any such thing. I asked **Chronos** not to do manual quotes as a matter of courtesy to both his fellow posters and the moderators who may have to clear up the apparent misattributions produced by this method. If you are using this method as well, I would also ask you to desist and also use the regular quote function. But I’m not going to warn you over it. But you would be doing me a personal favor if you would learn to use the quote tags the way most people do. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/36 "2011-08-26T14:01:32Z")
Do him this favor—he won’t forget it. Ask your friends in the neighborhood about him. They’ll tell you he knows how to return a favor… ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/37 "2011-08-27T21:19:02Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > You can accomplish the same thing by using the “quote=” tag instead of putting the attribution outside the quote box. That’s really the problem. I know, and I typically do that now. But **Chronos** has a point that the vB implementation of the quote attribute is in the wrong place. It puts in inside the quote delimiter, as if it is _part_ of the quote. It isn’t, and should be outside the box. It’s not my particular annoyance - mine was the auto italicizing of quotes. Once that went away, I transitioned to using the multiquote and auto-attribution features. But I can understand why **Chronos** is annoyed personally by it. Also, using the “quote=” tag does not add the blue arrow that **Arnold Winkelried** mentioned. > [@Colibri](#): > > **Irishman** , are you kidding me? Why does everything an individual moderator says have to be taken as a “new rule”? I never said or implied any such thing. When you said: > [@](#): > > Speaking as a moderator, and with all due respect, I would request you to use the regular quote button and not do the “quoth” thing outside the quote box. That sounded like a moderator instruction, but upon rereading I see you are saying that as a moderator it tends to make more work for you so you would hope he would do you a favor. Correct? ---
**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:** [August 27, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/38 "2011-08-27T21:32:33Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > But **Chronos** has a point that the vB implementation of the quote attribute is in the wrong place. I don’t consider that a point. I consider it pedantry, and erroneous pedantry at that. The “quote delimiter” is a visual structure with three clearly delineated parts. There’s no reason to consider the entire quote box as the equivalent of quotation marks, when it’s clear, through indentation, a line break, and the use of boldface, that part of the material inside the box is an attribution and part of it is the content of the quoted matter. > [@](#): > > Also, using the “quote=” tag does not add the blue arrow that **Arnold Winkelried** mentioned. That’s true, but it takes care of the primary problem that I’m talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959/39 "2011-08-27T22:47:18Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > That sounded like a moderator instruction, but upon rereading I see you are saying that as a moderator it tends to make more work for you so you would hope he would do you a favor. Correct? That’s correct. I meant “speaking from the point of view of a moderator.” If I had meant it as an official instruction, I would have labeled it as such. But now I see where you got the impression it was an instruction. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-quoting-etiquette/593959.md?page=1)