POLL: Should the "Quote" option be used instead of @member?

[extropic]

Using "Quote" leaves an easy way for any pilgrim to backtrack and see what's being discussed.
Using "@(member)" does not.

I'm wondering how the membership feels about the subject. Please vote

A member has mentioned that he (I paraphrase) dislikes the the use of @(member) when posting a reply to a previous post from (member).

The member preferers the use of the "Quote" so it's easy to backtrack (expand and read or push the up arrow) and find out what's being referred to.

For myself, unless I thought there was some reason to capture a copy of the referent post, I have used the @ for a couple of reasons. 1) it's easy 2) It saves page space (and bytes) by not reproducing the previous/referenced post.

I have experienced some difficulty in understanding the value of some replies that show up with no way to figure out who/what they were referring to. Sometime I've taken the challenge to try and figure it out and sometimes I just dismiss it as irrelevant. Hey, it's the web.

There is a way to use the "Quote" while minimizing page space and bytes.
One way is to Quote, delete all text and images, then add "snip>". Why the "snip>"? Because there has to be some content in the "Quote" or it won't display.
I'll do it in reply #2 below, FYI.

"Quote snip>" will keep the backtrack easy, however it's more work than just using the @(member) or leaving a full Quote.
I'm not going to put the "Quote snip" option in the Poll to make it a clear choice between Quote instead of @(member).

 

[extropic]

snip>

 

[wachuko]

When I want to make sure that I am answering to a specific post... I use the quote function.

After many posts are done, if you do not use the quote option, makes it difficult to follow what they are talking about...

Oh, and if the quote is a lot of text, I might trim that down to the specific comment I am highlighting

The @ , I only use to make sure the person I want to see my comment is alerted...

Makes sense?

 

[MrWhoopee]

When I want to make sure that I am answering to a specific post... I use the quote function.

After many posts are done, if you do not use the quote option, makes it difficult to follow what they are talking about...

Oh, and if the quote is a lot of text, I might trim that down to the specific comment I am highlighting

The @ , I only use to make sure the person I want to see my comment is alerted...

Makes sense?

I do the same. I only use @Member if I want them notified and they aren't participating in the thread or if I simply want to say I agree with them without quoting.

 

[extropic]

When I want to make sure that I am answering to a specific post... I use the quote function.

After many posts are done, if you do not use the quote option, makes it difficult to follow what they are talking about...

Oh, and if the quote is a lot of text, I might trim that down to the specific comment I am highlighting

The @ , I only use to make sure the person I want to see my comment is alerted...

Makes sense?

So that begs the question, in a general interest thread like "What did you buy today" or POTD, is it inconsiderate/rude to use @ instead of Quote?
I mean regardless of whether or not you care about leaving an easy backtrack.

Should we always leave the easy backtrack?

In the case at hand, the original subject reply was on the previous page and (after the issue arose) I figured anybody who followed the thread could easily follow along. The question of inconsiderate/rude didn't enter into my thinking. I guess that's the definition of inconsiderate. LOL

 

[extropic]

I do the same. I only use @Member if I want them notified and they aren't participating in the thread or if I simply want to say I agree with them without quoting.

Trying to understand. Are you saying that using @ in a thread like "What did you buy today" or POTD, to reply to a specific member is inconsiderate to the general membership by not leaving the easy backtrack?

 

[Dabbler]

I use both. If my reply is directly related to the post above, I use neither, especially if it is a 'bravo' message, or a direct specific answer in the very next post. I use the 'quote' function if I am responding to to a post several posts above, so a person can use the 'navigate' arrow to follow the post backwards. I use @Member when I am drawing specific attention to that member or I am answering only them in a thread.

I find that if everybody quotes every post above, reading the thread can get messy, so I only use it to go back several or many posts,-

 

[wachuko]

Let me try this again... one sec....

 

[wachuko]

So that begs the question, in a general interest thread like "What did you buy today" or POTD, is it inconsiderate/rude to use @ instead of Quote?
I mean regardless of whether or not you care about leaving an easy backtrack.

Should we always leave the easy backtrack?

In the case at hand, the original subject reply was on the previous page and (after the issue arose) I figured anybody who followed the thread could easily follow along. The question of inconsiderate/rude didn't enter into my thinking. I guess that's the definition of inconsiderate. LOL

But now you are asking a different question...

When folks reply to a thread, where they are replying to a previous post, but forget or just do not want to use quote... I do not feel like that is inconsiderate or rude... Some folks are not aware or care about best practices when communicating via forums... And to me, that is fine. I do not pay too much attention to that.

Life is too short to worry about that... If I can't follow a reply someone made... not a big deal to me...

 

[rabler]

For me, I use Quoting any time I want to speak to a specific part of a thread. Thread topics often drift so in this case it is very helpful. The trick of highlighting a section and then being able to click the "Quote" makes it pretty trivial to do. I'm not a fan of quoting a long posting just to address one point.

If I'm replying in general to the topic or something germane to the thread I just post (such as this). I use the @ notation whenever I refer to someone on this forum, as it then generates a notification for them (depending on how they set their preferences). Sometimes that is when I'm replying to two people's general questions without emphasizing a specific phrasing.

Not that I'm trying to enforce my protocol on anyone, but I consider it poor manners to refer to someone without using the @ in front of their name, sort of talking about them behind their back.