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Subject: Does simply quoting a user add to the discussion?

There are plenty of threads where users reply by quoting something said by someone else. No other added opinion or anything.
I've seen good threads gone to waste in the past due to quote pyramids, or a hefty amount of users simply quoting the first, or one of the early replies, in the thread.
Should it be mandatory to add to a few words of your own even after you've already quoted someone? Simply adding a little bit of your own thoughts shouldn't be too hard, even if what the user you quoted said exactly what you were thinking.

  • 05.17.2012 4:44 AM PDT

Posted by: Eric Duffy
no
Now after this, please don't come into this topic and start doing it just to be ironic/annoying.

And no, IMO.

  • 05.17.2012 4:49 AM PDT
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Actually, it mildly does. But not enough to generate further discussion. All quoting does is prove that in addition to the quoted post, another person agrees.

[Edited on 05.17.2012 4:50 AM PDT]

  • 05.17.2012 4:49 AM PDT
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Posted by: Eric Duffy
no

I agree with this post. But indeed, it is a good tool to demonstrate how to add to the discussion even though you agree with the first post in the thread. After all, it's truly not difficult to tell why you think as you think. And even if someone said something you agree with word to word, it's not really hard to add a little of your own contribution. So no, quoting an user adds nothing to the discussion unless you say something to further support their argument.

  • 05.17.2012 6:54 AM PDT
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When I see a post that just quotes another post, I basically read it as "I agree with this". Which does not necessarily add to the discussion but it's still technically something. A lot of wordy replies don't necessarily add anything to the discussion either.

  • 05.17.2012 6:57 AM PDT
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I think that's why we need something like a like button. It could help stop this phenomenon and if someone agrees with a point then they just "like" the post without flooding the thread with what we have now.

  • 05.17.2012 7:00 AM PDT
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Posted by: dazarobbo
ironic/annoying
Subjective.

I happen to think it's both efficient and sufficient in most cases.

  • 05.17.2012 7:11 AM PDT

While it doesn't inject any new viewpoints into the discussion, it does add one more to the pile.

If that itsn't good enough, then polls should not be availible as an option either.

  • 05.17.2012 7:25 AM PDT

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Posted by: Big Black Bear
While it doesn't inject any new viewpoints into the discussion, it does add one more to the pile.

If that itsn't good enough, then polls should not be availible as an option either.


I completely agree with you here. And as we will be hunted for our pelts if I just quote you, then I add that if its such a big issue for people then they should add a 'like' button or something similar.

  • 05.17.2012 7:30 AM PDT

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Posted by: Big Black Bear
If that isn't good enough, then polls should not be available as an option either.
I've never considered that before, and I agree.

Also, I'm not doing this to be ironic.

[Edited on 05.17.2012 7:31 AM PDT]

  • 05.17.2012 7:31 AM PDT

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While it doesn't aid in discussion, you can tell that the majority of the community doesn't care about something so small, because such posts are never reported. Should it count as spam and be against the rules? Spam has a broad definition; and it's probably up to moderator discretion, but seeing as the community barely report posts of this kind - and the webteam/moderators never see them in the report queue- I don't think it should, as the community doesn't perceive it as a massive problem.

  • 05.17.2012 7:48 AM PDT

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Posted by: Eric Duffy
no

Yes.

  • 05.17.2012 7:52 AM PDT

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Posted by: Big Black Bear
If that itsn't good enough, then polls should not be availible as an option either.

Great point

  • 05.17.2012 7:53 AM PDT

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I think it does add to a thread, just not as much as a new post. It shows support for the quoted post, similar to a like button.

  • 05.17.2012 8:04 AM PDT

It does not add to the discussion, but it does affirm that someone's point has added support. More importantly I feel like its a compliment to the person who was quoted. With no option to "like" a post, this is the next best thing.

  • 05.17.2012 8:08 AM PDT
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Proud Virgo.

Sometimes, it can, if a post is ignored. But that's more a problem that exists on the flood.

  • 05.17.2012 8:18 AM PDT

I've always seen it as a sort of way for people to express their opinion when their opinions already been said, or worded better. Take for example threads with questions to the community. An individual may want to throw his say on how he feels about an idea, but someone else has already posted it, so he quotes it. Not because he has nothing to contribute to the discussion, but because he wants his opinion known.

Posted by: TuffJuice
More importantly I feel like its a compliment to the person who was quoted. With no option to "like" a post, this is the next best thing.

I'm assuming the report button is the "dislike" option? Haha

[Edited on 05.17.2012 8:41 AM PDT]

  • 05.17.2012 8:35 AM PDT

Posted by: CTN 0452 9
I think it does add to a thread, just not as much as a new post.
I'm going to take that out of context to make another argument.

Quoting another post adds to the thread, but that's literally what it does it does - it adds a duplicate post that I've likely already read, and therefore takes up unnecessary space on the page that could be filled with somebody else's response.

Now I want someone to explain why this is a good thing for discussion on these forums.

If you want to argue that it's a way of indicating you agree with a post, I wouldn't disagree, but I would say that it's not a good way of expressing your agreement because of the reason above. That being said, I think there are far better ways of still allowing others to "this" a post and do so in manner that it not anywhere near as disruptive as it currently is.

  • 05.17.2012 8:37 AM PDT

Maroon 5 is awesome. Deal with it.

I prefer to use the quote system to address a certain post. Otherwise, and depending on the thread it's contribution to a discussion is varied.

  • 05.17.2012 8:40 AM PDT

Posted by: Eric Duffy
no
I don't see being forced into saying "I agree with this guy" adds any more to the conversation than:
Posted by: Eric Duffy
no


Some people just don't want to pour themselves into a conversation when someone else has spoken their mind, we really shouldn't fault them for that.

  • 05.17.2012 8:44 AM PDT
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Posted by: dazarobbo
Posted by: CTN 0452 9
I think it does add to a thread, just not as much as a new post.
I'm going to take that out of context to make another argument.

Quoting another post adds to the thread, but that's literally what it does it does - it adds a duplicate post that I've likely already read, and therefore takes up unnecessary space on the page that could be filled with somebody else's response.

Now I want someone to explain why this is a good thing for discussion on these forums.

If you want to argue that it's a way of indicating you agree with a post, I wouldn't disagree, but I would say that it's not a good way of expressing your agreement because of the reason above. That being said, I think there are far better ways of still allowing others to "this" a post and do so in manner that it not anywhere near as disruptive as it currently is.

The word "discussion" is used so often on these forums...what are we actually wanting here? We want threads to be worthy of discussion and posts to be contributing to discussion. What does that mean, though?
Honestly, the first reply of this thread is less contributory to "discussion" than a quoted post, in my opinion. In a real-life discussion, you'll have plenty of people who, after an opinion is expressed, will say "Yep" or "I agree" to reinforce the idea that was just presented. Could they elaborate? Sure, but it would be pointless to elaborate unless they actually had something to add. But in a face-to-face conversation, I wouldn't rail on someone for "not contributing to the discussion" when they said "I agree with that" or "good point" or something similar.

I think the idea of contribution has somehow been twisted into the idea that every single post has to offer individual merit and talking points. But I wonder why. After all, that's not how real discussions work. There is no limit on the amount of replies a thread can have. If someone wants to quickly express that they think something is funny, they agree with something, or anything along those lines, they can do so quickly without being verbose and in my opinion it still adds value to the thread.

I agree that perhaps a "like" button or something similar would offer a better way for these responses to be included in the discussion more effectively, but we don't have that, so I think it's fine.

  • 05.17.2012 8:57 AM PDT

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Posted by: Skibur
Posted by: dazarobbo
ironic/annoying
Subjective.

I happen to think it's both efficient and sufficient in most cases.


Eh, for the sake of not getting banned, I guess I'll add a sidenote.

Just quoting a user shows how much you agree with his post and emphasizes it a lot. Sometimes a persons post maybe near to exactly what I was going to type so I just give them credit by quoting and posting.

  • 05.17.2012 8:59 AM PDT

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Posted by: CAVX
I agree that perhaps a "like" button or something similar would offer a better way for these responses to be included in the discussion more effectively, but we don't have that, so I think it's fine.
Yep. Good point. I agree with that.

  • 05.17.2012 9:09 AM PDT

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Posted by: Cobravert
Posted by: Big Black Bear
If that itsn't good enough, then polls should not be availible as an option either.

Great point


I totally agree, also you can quote in agreement of the previous user post + adding an extra commentary of your own.

[Edited on 05.17.2012 9:10 AM PDT]

  • 05.17.2012 9:10 AM PDT

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