Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

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simonhill
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Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by simonhill »

It would be much easier when referring to a previous post in a thread if you could just say"post number nn".

Quoting a name as in xxx above is OK unless they have multiple posts

I know you can do the quote/copy/paste thing, but this is often not appropriate​. I also think the quote thing is overused to quote whole posts, but that's another argument.

Other forums do it, why can't we?

Submitted for consideration.
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by Cyril Haearn »

I think what I do when quoting is best, I delete non-relevant text and indicate this with a few dots....

Very often a w h o l e post is quoted/repeated unnecessarily

Mind, some of the posts are too long to start with :wink:

I try to keep mine as short as pos..
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Mick F
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by Mick F »

I think it's a good idea generally.
Instead of only being able to quote, you can refer to the post. The numbering system can have links embedded in the numbers, so all you need to do is click on or copy the number.

I'm on the Fiat Forum, and they use that system.
http://www.fiatforum.com/500/
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gaz
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by gaz »

̶P̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶N̶u̶m̶b̶e̶r̶ ̶4̶ ̶. I am not a post number, I am a free man. :wink:
Post Number 1 wrote:It would be much easier when referring to a previous post in a thread if you could just say"post number nn".

Doesn't seem any easier to me :? .
Post Number 3 wrote:I think it's a good idea generally. ...

Post Number 1 wrote:... Other forums do it, why can't we? ...

Two posts in support of such a system, neither of which were made by a poster who chose to incorporate it :mrgreen: .
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by PH »

It's already there :wink:
The OP is p1112775
If I want to make reference to it I can just include
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=113326#p1112775
The advantage of that is you an direct across threads, if someone has said something relevant in another. For example I could say that Mick F might know if it's different for mac users
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=113165&p=1110724#p1110991
simonhill
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by simonhill »

You miss the point PH, I only want to refer in that thread. It's quick and easy to number each post. Nice to know I'm p1112555, I can see that tripping off the tongue. I don't even know where you got it from and it certainly isn't immediately obvious when reading the posts.

I don't understand what the guy in post no 3 is talking about. Although as he has only has made one post I could say, I don't understand what gaz is talking about.
Tangled Metal
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by Tangled Metal »

Comments on news sites often quote other comments with a number and name. For example "@167. Racist Troll".

The biggest trouble is to find out what the poster is replying to you have to go right back to comment number 167 that's possibly a few pages back. How is that easy?

Just quote the section of an earlier post then other readers can actually follow what you are replying to. Easier to select quote button when replying and edit as needed.

The only issue is those who don't edit. Result is great big posts containing about 2 pages worth of previous comments. That's as tedious as going back several pages to comment number 167! If anyone does that here I'll probably not bother reading what you put unless you also quote the comment you're replying to. I've not got time to keep going back.

Please don't change to numbered posts!
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Spinners
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by Spinners »

Tangled Metal wrote:
Please don't change to numbered posts!


+1
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PH
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by PH »

simonhill wrote:I don't understand what the guy in post no 3 is talking about. Although as he has only has made one post I could say, I don't understand what gaz is talking about.

I don't understand what the guy is talking about here
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=113326&sid=696ed224f6baed0b4d39f96dffcd1bd8#p1112971

How is that harder than typing post No 3?
For the reader it's harder to go looking for a numbered post than it is to click the link, particularly on a multi page thread, you'd have to tell me to look at post X on page Y. As you'd have had to look at that yourself for the numbers, why wouldn't it be easier just to copy the link? (If you click on the post heading, the address is in the title bar)
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ChrisOntLancs
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by ChrisOntLancs »

i think OP is just asking for posts to be numbered (as PH pointed out they are already, because, well, why wouldn't they? surprised me that one)

i frequent a few forums that have a visible count, and to be honest i only noticed when somebody makes a thread for the 500th poster or whatever.

so if i understand it correctly, it only really concerns people who find it useful, but everybody else can carry on using the forum the same way they always have.
simonhill
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by simonhill »

Thankyou viewtopic.php?f=14&t=113326&sid=696ed224f6baed0b4d39f96dffcd1bd8#p1113027

As I do most of my stuff on a tablet where the command line is fairly short, I didn't realise each post had a new address. I only get to see the first few characters.

Typing post n would have been easier, particularly on a mobile device. The above required touch, highlight, copy, paste. Nonetheless I can see the advantage of it, although I rarely see it used which my tell it's own tale.

I still think that most people would find simple sequential numbers easier to understand. If you don't like 'em, don't use 'em.

I must admit to being a bit surprised at the strength of anti number feeling. I must learn to tread carefully when making suggestions.
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by PH »

simonhill wrote:I must admit to being a bit surprised at the strength of anti number feeling. I must learn to tread carefully when making suggestions.

I hope you didn't see mine as anti, I thought I would point out how it could already be done, the change you propose would make no difference to me, so there's no reason for me to be against it.
Psamathe
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by Psamathe »

simonhill wrote:Thankyou viewtopic.php?f=14&t=113326&sid=696ed224f6baed0b4d39f96dffcd1bd8#p1113027

As I do most of my stuff on a tablet where the command line is fairly short, I didn't realise each post had a new address. I only get to see the first few characters.

Typing post n would have been easier, particularly on a mobile device. The above required touch, highlight, copy, paste. Nonetheless I can see the advantage of it, although I rarely see it used which my tell it's own tale.

I still think that most people would find simple sequential numbers easier to understand. If you don't like 'em, don't use 'em.

I must admit to being a bit surprised at the strength of anti number feeling. I must learn to tread carefully when making suggestions.

The difficulty with numbered posts is that for anybody to see what is being referred to they have to scroll back up the page (losing their place), maybe back to a previous page or even earlier and completely lose track of where they were.

And if the post number being referred to was e.g.
On Tuesdays it always rains. But last week I had my 3rd puncture. And the dog was ill.
and you reply referencing this as e.g. post 7, are you referring to the weather, the puncture or the dog ? Quoting makes what you are referring to easier, makes your own post self contained with no back scrolling, previous pages, links, etc. Far easier for the reader to quote the content (or relevant sections of the content.

Just as for references to other sites, external articles, etc. you ideally provide a short quote giving the gist an dthe URL if people want to read the detail. Keeps it self contained and makes it much easier to read e.g.

"More road organisations on headphone use http://road.cc/content/news/219831-irish-road-haulage-association-headphone-ban-more-important-safe-passing-law"
or
http://road.cc/content/news/219831-irish-road-haulage-association-headphone-ban-more-important-safe-passing-law wrote:Irish Road Haulage Association: headphone ban more important than safe passing law
...
The Irish Road Haulage Association also wants a points system to punish cyclists who flout the law.
Speaking at the Oireachtas transport committee this week, Ms Murphy said that these sorts of measures would improve safety more than a 1.5m minimum passing distance for drivers.


Which provides better, clearer information to a reader without the need to jump all over the place, to establish what is being talked about.

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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by Bez »

simonhill wrote:I still think that most people would find simple sequential numbers easier to understand. If you don't like 'em, don't use 'em.


It's not that simple, though. Usage is not unilateral. You might find it easier to quote a post number, but that doesn't make it easier for every single other user on this forum to read that post.

With this post, where I've quoted a snippet, you can very easily see the exact statement with which I'm disagreeing. Whereas if I were to say that I disagree with the statements in the third post on this thread, you'd have to scroll up to see what they were. And then scroll back down to see what I said about them. And then the next post might disagree with post number seven. Back up you go…
simonhill
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Re: Can We Have The Posts Within a Thread Numbered, Please

Post by simonhill »

OK, I concede, although I still think numbering would enhance the forum.
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