People here are intelligent, they don't need to read the same paragraphs in quotes again. Only the gist of the post = quote is needed.
I disagree. It's often so that you need to refer to a specific part of the post. Sometimes you need to highlight specific words in it. The limit on the quote function makes it sometimes impossible. I want the reader of my post to read the part I refer to, and then to read my comment. Not to scroll up and down all the time. Sometimes a shorter fragment is not enough, when I want to indicate a specific part of someone's post. Not a longer part, not a shorter part (!), but exactly specific part.
Another thing is that sometimes you need to quote something from external sources. Then, the quote function becomes completely useless because of this limitation.
You may not post one post after another; you need to wait until someone replies to be able to post again.
From my experience on this forum, for a few minutes after posting a post, you can edit it and you cannot add a new reply just under it. But after these few minutes editing is no longer possible and the only option if you need to add something, is just to write a new post under your previous one.
By the way, the policy of joining topics on sometimes very loosely connected topics by moderators is totally not understandable for me. On other forums I meet two different systems. On the forums which are mainly for solving problems it is usually so that a new problem = a new topic. Joining an existing topic with your own problem (maybe with an exception when your problem is really identical with the problem described in the specific topic) is if not totally forbidden, then considered bad and against the netiquette. Especially if the topic you join is old - then you can be called an "archaeologist" and get even a "golden spade prize", or even a "golden excavator prize", which is not a reason for pride, but rather for shame. Another system, especially in forums mainly for open discussions, or in such topics, or also in the topics which are not connected with the main subject of the forum is that there is a single thread for a given topic - then it usually has tens, hundreds or thousands of pages, and creating a new thread for this topic is a bad idea.
Generally, it is so, that:
- a problem = a single thread for a single problem, a new topic required even when your problem is quite similar, excavating old threads considered bad
- an open discussion topic = a single thread for the given discussion topic (which can be wider or narrower, dependent on the topic of the whole forum and how much the discussion topic is connected with it), creating new threads when one already exists considered bad
An exception might be, for example, a thread for solving computer problems on a forum about architecture and urban planning - then it will usually be just a single thread.
But on this forum, the moderators tend to mix those two ideas, and often move a new topic with a problem to an old topic with a very different problem. Not in such a way that, for example, all the problems about getting a Polish visa will be in a single topic, but joining just random topics with each other. This doesn't help at all in using the forum, but it's just annoying.
