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Quoting posts
I wanted to make a suggestion that I once implemented in a forum I had previously been a moderator for, concerning posts that include a quote from a previous poster.
Oftentimes people will quote a previous poster, in order to respond to something specific in that post. Now, this in itself is fine; What I never understood was: 1. When someone quotes the OP's entire first post (this is the post that establishes the topic. Why bother reading replies to this if you haven't read the first post?), and 2. Quoting a post directly before yours (if you're immediately responding to a post, there's no need to quote it if it's right before yours. If you must give some reference point, simply give the name of the previous poster, then reply).
This doesn't apply when quoting a specific part of someone's post and replying to that, or if you're responding to a post that is not directly before yours. In any case, to reduce clutter, I find it easier if you're not responding to everything in someone's post, to quote only those parts of their post that you wish to respond to. Breaking up a post into several quotes works well, too-that way you systematically respond to each part of the post, making it easier to follow.
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