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AIBU?

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Original poster

to find the Mumsnet quote function incredibly tedious as it's so overused?

114 replies

LindorDoubleChoc · 11/02/2026 09:13

And I'm not even talking about quoting the opening post (which has now been sorted in a way).

But ... just so much quoting going on in the discussion! Why can't people address their comments directly to whoever they're quoting. Or manually quote the particular sentence or point they want to agree or disagree with? Or say something like "PP said [short quote or summary] and I think ...".

The threads are so long now and involve so much scrolling.

I was just looking at a thread and quite early on someone made a controversial post of 4 paragraphs long. Within the next page and a half it had been quoted 22 times! 22 times in an hour and a half. It was quoted 7 times in the first 10 minutes.

So boring.

And you can't quote this to be funny in reply because it's the OP. Lol!

OP posts:
likelysuspect · 11/02/2026 19:41

And is it the OPs OP the one Im replying to, or a later post from the OP, how would you know

I will continue to quote the OP when I fancy, sometimes I do, sometimes I dont, depends on the flow of the conversation

I like the quote function

wanderingstarz · 11/02/2026 19:40

It trundled along alright. Took a while for MN to catch up with the rest of the internet.

Original poster
LindorDoubleChoc · 11/02/2026 19:34

wanderingstarz · 11/02/2026 18:05

Until you can reply directly to a post like you can on Reddit. Then the only way to reply directly to a comment is to quote it.

No, it isn't. You can tag the person you're responding to, or you can just post their name in your response, or you can quote a line from their post that you want to address.

You don't have to quote all 163 words of it, especially not if you're the 20+ person to do so.

On a separate note for the OP quoters - if you are worried someone reading the thread doesn't understand you are agreeing with the OP, instead of quoting their entire post, you can just type "Agree OP" or "I agree with you OP" or even "OP, I agree".

The quote function is relatively new on Mumsnet. If trundled along ok for about 20 years without it.

OP posts:
RightOnTheEdge · 11/02/2026 18:57

because the conversation may have gone awry and off tangent so it wouldnt make sense to then have a random post in the middle of an argument about shoe sizes or something when the OP was about gardening
It is always assumed that you are replying to the OP though. It's the OPs thread. If you are making a comment about gardening then it's obvious you are not replying to the comments about shoes.

Or you could just say something like I prefer real grass to fake OP! Then there's no need to quote the whole thing.

YABU OP. I like the quote function so I don't have to scroll back to find the post that posters are replying to, but quoting the OP is very annoying and unnecessary.

HisNotHes · 11/02/2026 18:26

likelysuspect · 11/02/2026 18:22

You clearly didnt read my whole post did you.

No its not assumed someone is replying to the OP because people dont always, they may may an observation, muse about something, express bafflement at something else in the thread.

Show quote history

Yes people do assume that a post is a response to the op unless it’s made clear otherwise.

Some evidence from another poster a few posts up: “I don't like it when people quote the OP. It goes without saying you are responding to the OP, no need to repeat it!”

likelysuspect · 11/02/2026 18:22

HisNotHes · 11/02/2026 18:15

If you read the full thread that includes my response that you originally quoted, it does make sense.
You said you always quoted the op so that you can easily see which bits you want to respond to while typing. I said that you could just hit “clear quote” after you’ve finished, before hitting post. No one needs to quote the op as everyone will have read it if they’re on the thread, and will assume every post is a response to the original op unless it’s clearly a response to something/someone else.

Edited
Show quote history

You clearly didnt read my whole post did you.

No its not assumed someone is replying to the OP because people dont always, they may may an observation, muse about something, express bafflement at something else in the thread.

MrsLizzieDarcy · 11/02/2026 18:18

I think 90% of users like using the quote and make good use of it.

The other 10% of us seethe every time you hit a block of repeated text...

HisNotHes · 11/02/2026 18:15

likelysuspect · 11/02/2026 18:07

You're not making sense. If I just write a post, its not clear that Im responding to the OP necessarily given how conversations ebb and flow, twist and turn, go off tangent

I dont have a problem with quoting the OP or any other quote.

Show quote history

If you read the full thread that includes my response that you originally quoted, it does make sense.
You said you always quoted the op so that you can easily see which bits you want to respond to while typing. I said that you could just hit “clear quote” after you’ve finished, before hitting post. No one needs to quote the op as everyone will have read it if they’re on the thread, and will assume every post is a response to the original op unless it’s clearly a response to something/someone else.

LorenzoCalzone · 11/02/2026 18:14

It gives helpful context.

I don't like it when people quote the OP. It goes without saying you are responding to the OP, no need to repeat it!

DownhillTeaTray · 11/02/2026 18:11

Anyway, I have already solved this. Just have the quote collapsed, with maybe a couple of lines showing, unless someone wants to click Expand to see the whole quote.

TheRuffleandthePearl · 11/02/2026 18:10

HisNotHes · 11/02/2026 09:27

Yabu. Apart from quoting the op, I like to see the quote so I know what a person is responding to, I don’t have time to scroll back and look for it.

Yep. I’m not going to scroll back to fund what the @ poster originally said. Quoting is fine!

likelysuspect · 11/02/2026 18:07

HisNotHes · 11/02/2026 18:05

See my post above, I was specifically replying to a thread about quoting the op.

I also like the quote!

Show quote history

You're not making sense. If I just write a post, its not clear that Im responding to the OP necessarily given how conversations ebb and flow, twist and turn, go off tangent

I dont have a problem with quoting the OP or any other quote.

Wednesdaysotherchild · 11/02/2026 18:06

KimberleyClark · 11/02/2026 09:23

I hind it far more annoying when someone just tags the poster they are replying to rather than quoting and says I agree so you don’t know what they are agreeing with.

This, honestly. Quoting is great (except the OP, that’s unnecessary).

HisNotHes · 11/02/2026 18:06

DownhillTeaTray · 11/02/2026 18:05

😄

It's the neverending depth of quotes that winds me up. Until there is

j
u
s
t

o
n
e

l
e
t
t
e
r

on each line.

Show quote history

Yeah that’s annoying!!

DownhillTeaTray · 11/02/2026 18:05

HisNotHes · 11/02/2026 18:03

She was specifically talking about quoting the op. If you’d read the whole quote I was quoting, you’d know that 😅.
Further up this thread, I was in support of quoting, just not the op!

Show quote history

😄

It's the neverending depth of quotes that winds me up. Until there is

j
u
s
t

o
n
e

l
e
t
t
e
r

on each line.

wanderingstarz · 11/02/2026 18:05

Until you can reply directly to a post like you can on Reddit. Then the only way to reply directly to a comment is to quote it.

HisNotHes · 11/02/2026 18:05

likelysuspect · 11/02/2026 18:01

Well I dont want to, its not clear, I prefer it when theres a quote. You dont but there is a facility here for that. So it makes the thread readable

Most people like the quote.

Show quote history

See my post above, I was specifically replying to a thread about quoting the op.

I also like the quote!

HisNotHes · 11/02/2026 18:03

DownhillTeaTray · 11/02/2026 17:58

And then how do readers know which post the PP was replying to?

Show quote history

She was specifically talking about quoting the op. If you’d read the whole quote I was quoting, you’d know that 😅.
Further up this thread, I was in support of quoting, just not the op!

likelysuspect · 11/02/2026 18:03

Ive had it before when someone has put @ and then my name and answered something, I cant even connect what they've said to what I said and I cant find my post, it could be 20 pages back. No clue what they're on about.

likelysuspect · 11/02/2026 18:01

HisNotHes · 11/02/2026 17:51

Well then just hit “clear quote” once you’ve finished typing your reply. Not hard.

Show quote history

Well I dont want to, its not clear, I prefer it when theres a quote. You dont but there is a facility here for that. So it makes the thread readable

Most people like the quote.

Arlanymor · 11/02/2026 18:01

Coffeetimes3 · 11/02/2026 09:22

I think the problem is, its the quickest and easiest way to respond to a specific poster. You're not having to copy and paste a username to @ them or copy and paste specific bits, both of which is fiddly on a phone. Quoting the whole post is one button.

Yes I think it's this too and very much depends on how people are accessing Mumsnet.

I always give a wry smile when people say to others: "Why did you quote the first post because yours is directly underneath!!!!" Erm, well they didn't know they were the first response when they posted did they?! Other people could have got there first, they just don't know until their comment goes online. It's like when someone just says: "Agree" - well what are you agreeing with? It might be luck that it's the post directly above yours, but there's no way to be sure!

DownhillTeaTray · 11/02/2026 17:58

HisNotHes · 11/02/2026 17:51

Well then just hit “clear quote” once you’ve finished typing your reply. Not hard.

Show quote history

And then how do readers know which post the PP was replying to?

HisNotHes · 11/02/2026 17:51

likelysuspect · 11/02/2026 12:51

So that I can see which bits I want to reply to easily while typing to remember,,,,, because the conversation may have gone awry and off tangent so it wouldnt make sense to then have a random post in the middle of an argument about shoe sizes or something when the OP was about gardening

Show quote history

Well then just hit “clear quote” once you’ve finished typing your reply. Not hard.

saraclara · 11/02/2026 14:49

The other forum that I'm a regular on gives the facility to edit a quote, so you can just quote the part of a pp's post that you're responding to. That is so much easier and more manageable.

Original poster
LindorDoubleChoc · 11/02/2026 14:40

nomas · 11/02/2026 10:01

Quoting posts is much more preferable to @'ing people. On a long thread, who can remember who said what when.

This thread just proves that people will literally moan about anything and everything.

Yes, your post being a perfect example. Can't a Mumsnetter even have a legitimate moan any more?

OP posts:
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