Using the QUOTE feature

[Gatorboy]

Just an observation and suggestion:

I don't know if this is something that some of guys haven't learned yet, or maybe they're just not taking the time to do it. But when you want to quote someone else, it's an easy thing to do to hit the "quote" button. Then you can highlight any and all words that don't need quoting and you can hit the delete button to take them out. In this way, you can pick out just the part of someone else's post that you want to address without totally repeating everything that that person has said. This is especially true with long posts and you're the very first person to reply. There isn't any point in going through a long post twice. It really makes your reply quicker and easier to read if you'll just spend a few seconds editing out what is unnecessary to make your point.

 

[RobS]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( But when you want to quote someone else, it's an easy thing to do to hit the "quote" button. Then you can highlight any and all words that don't need quoting and you can hit the delete button to take them out. In this way, you can pick out just the part of someone else's post that you want to address without totally repeating everything that that person has said )</font>

Like this Dave? I've never used it myself. I use the blue color tags but the quote seems to work the same. Thanks for the tip /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[AndyM]

</font><font color="blueclass=small">( I don't know if this is something that some of guys haven't learned yet, or maybe they're just not taking the time to do it. But when you want to quote someone else, it's an easy thing to do to hit the "quote" button. Then you can highlight any and all words that don't need quoting and you can hit the delete button to take them out. In this way, you can pick out just the part of someone else's post that you want to address without totally repeating everything that that person has said. This is especially true with long posts and you're the very first person to reply. There isn't any point in going through a long post twice. It really makes your reply quicker and easier to read if you'll just spend a few seconds editing out what is unnecessary to make your point. )</font>

I used to use it, but then if you go in and edit anything in your post, everything ends up looking like this! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
I've found it's easier to use a blue font color and put my quote inside that. Then, if I have to go back in and edit my post for any reason, my nice blue quotes don't turn red.

 

[Gatorboy]

<font color="blue"> ( I've found it's easier to use a blue font color and put my quote inside that. ) </font>

How you end up quoting doesn't matter, the point is not to "quote" the entire post, only the sentence or two that applies to your response.

 

[Gatorboy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I used to use it, but then if you go in and edit anything in your post, everything ends up looking like this! )</font>

If you edit a post that used the {quote} tags, you have to enter them back in manually, otherwise you get what you have shown. Using the blue font is probably the better way, for it will edit properly without any extra edits.

 

[AndyM]

<font color="blue"> If you edit a post that used the {quote} tags, you have to enter them back in manually, otherwise you get what you have shown. Using the blue font is the best, for it will edit properly without any extra edits. </font>

That's why I use the blue font instead of the quote feature.
It saves me from the extra effort of re-entering the quote tags manually if I have to edit my post for any reason. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[Gatorboy]

<font color="blue"> ( That's why I use the blue font instead of the quote feature. ) </font>

Now, if you can just NOT quote the entire post you are responding too (like you have done in the two quotes in this thread). /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[OkeeDon]

Sometimes when you selectively quote, you can change the meaning. So, it's a good practice to indicate that words have been left out. Good gramar suggests the use of ellipsis marks -- a series of 3 periods. For example:

<font color="blue"> ...if you can...post...two quotes in this thread... </font>

In the electronic messaging world, the use of {snip} is also gaining popularity:

<font color="blue">{snip} quote the entire post {snip}</font>

Maybe we need an emoticon that looks like

The important thing is to indicate in some manner that you have not quoted the entire message.

 

[Cliff_Johns]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Sometimes when you selectively quote, you can change the meaning. So, it's a good practice to indicate that words have been left out . . . )</font>

I usually trim my quotes, but I have failed to indicate that I have done so. A very good point, OkeeDon. Thanks for the reminder.

Cliff

 

[Poppa]

</font><font color="blueclass=small">( </font><font color="blueclass=small">( I don't know if this is something that some of guys haven't learned yet, or maybe they're just not taking the time to do it. But when you want to quote someone else, it's an easy thing to do to hit the "quote" button. Then you can highlight any and all words that don't need quoting and you can hit the delete button to take them out. In this way, you can pick out just the part of someone else's post that you want to address without totally repeating everything that that person has said. This is especially true with long posts and you're the very first person to reply. There isn't any point in going through a long post twice. It really makes your reply quicker and easier to read if you'll just spend a few seconds editing out what is unnecessary to make your point. )</font>

I used to use it, but then if you go in and edit anything in your post, everything ends up looking like this! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
I've found it's easier to use a blue font color and put my quote inside that. Then, if I have to go back in and edit my post for any reason, my nice blue quotes don't turn red. )</font>

Sorry, couldn't help it had to find out what would happen if I quoted one of those edited post quotes then edited it myself. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Mike

 

[Muhammad]

Yeah, there's a bug with editing quotes... or replying to them. It will be fixed in our next upgrade.

 

[Richard]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Sometimes when you selectively quote, you can change the meaning. So, it's a good practice to indicate that words have been left out. Good gramar suggests the use of ellipsis marks -- a series of 3 periods. For example: )</font>


</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The important thing is to indicate in some manner that you have not quoted the entire message.

...Don )</font>

Hmm... "...Don" what have you left out?

/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif


I did my quoting by selecting the text I wanted to quote, hit "ctl c", then hit "quote", then pasted inside the quote marks.

...Richard (left out ****)

/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Gatorboy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I did my quoting by selecting the text I wanted to quote, hit "ctl c", then hit "quote", then pasted inside the quote marks. )</font>

Actually, this is exactly how I do mine too /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif -- but I think most people hit the Quote button, hence the description on deleting the text that is not needed. I just brought this issue up because lately I have seen some threads that were just enormous because of all of the duplicate posts that were quoted. I, for one, always like to learn new tricks, shortcuts, preferred practices, etc., so hopefully I have taught something to someone else in return.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I just use <font color="blue"> blue </font> and include quotation marks in blue as well. While I seldom quote the entire posting in the interest of time and space I seldom note that. The exception is when I take parts, like some irrelavent phrase, out of a sentence. In that case I'll use three dots to indicate a missing portion like this; <font color="blue"> "The exception is when I take parts...out of a sentence." </font>

The one are where I'm truly torn is when there is a misspelling in what I'm quoting. I believe the correct way to do it is to either use (sp) after the misspelling like <font color="blue"> "some irrelavent (sp) phrase" </font> or, if you chose to correct it, to put the corrected spelling in parentheses like <font color="blue"> "some (irrelevant) phrase" </font>

Generally I try to just make the correction and not make note of it. I know it's not "right" but I think it might be a bit friendlier. As I said, I try, but old habits do die hard.

 

[JayC]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Yeah, there's a bug with editing quotes... or replying to them. It will be fixed in our next upgrade. )</font>

When's the next upgrade? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[JayC]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I did my quoting by selecting the text I wanted to quote, hit "ctl c", then hit "quote", then pasted inside the quote marks. )</font>

That is how I do it, too! I find it much easier to do it that way instead of wading through an entire post to get rid of something.

 

[DKinWA]

Gary,

Below is how I let readers know I'm quoting something with bad grammar or spelling (if I actually catch it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif). I found it on some websters web page somewhere.

<font color="blue"> We use sic — italicized (but not underlined) and in square brackets, as in [sic] to indicate that a word in a quotation was misspelled or otherwise miscast in the original language. We should use this only when it is really important to retain the original spelling and grammar for some ethical or historical reason. Otherwise, it is regarded as bad manners to retain the mistaken language. If misspellings litter the quoted language, it would be better to note at the beginning of the text that you are using the original. To pepper your quotation with here-a-sic, there-a-sic simply becomes annoying.

Authority: New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage HarperCollins: New York. 1994. Cited with permission. p. 304.
</font>

 

[PineRidge]

<font color="blue"> Just an observation and suggestion:

I don't know if this is something that some of guys haven't learned yet, or maybe they're just not taking the time to do it. But when you want to quote someone else, it's an easy thing to do to hit the "quote" button. Then you can highlight any and all words that don't need quoting and you can hit the delete button to take them out. In this way, you can pick out just the part of someone else's post that you want to address without totally repeating everything that that person has said. This is especially true with long posts and you're the very first person to reply. There isn't any point in going through a long post twice. It really makes your reply quicker and easier to read if you'll just spend a few seconds editing out what is unnecessary to make your point. </font>

I guess some guys will just never learn. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[JayC]

APA (American Psychological Association) uses that format. When you are using direct quotes and want the reader to know that it was the orginal person's misstake and not your's you are supposed to use [sic] in italics. That is required when doing APA style papers or writing text that you want them to publish in their publications. When doing quotes, APA wants you to quote the quote exactly and not fix any errors.