POLL NOW CLOSED. Would you like to have the option to Quote posts on Talk threads (like MNHQ can)? Please come and cast your vote

[HelenMumsnet]

Hello.

We've had a few people asking us to extend to everyone MNHQ's Quote function (you know, the thingie where we can quote another person's post in our posts).

But we have also clocked a fair few folk who would rather Talk stayed as it is and didn't have a Quote function on threads.

So we have opened up a little poll to find out what the true picture is.

So what do you think? To quote or not to quote?

Do please feel free to discuss the issue with other Mumsnetters here on this thread, and please do vote and help us decide. (We'll leave this up for a good few days to make sure everyone gets a chance to contribute their tuppence ha'penny.)

NB: as it involves a bit of Tech work, we won't roll out the Quote option unless there is a clear majority in favour of it and, if there were, we would most likely test it in a specific topic (such a Chat) before putting it everywhere - just to check it wouldn't cause havoc.

Thanks v much, MNHQ

Which bit of "it was a sticky in Active Conversations" do you not understand, NetworkGuy?

Or do you only ever lurk in Site Stuff?

"As for the several comments about boxes within boxes, and quoting followed by a one-line comment, that is perhaps where, full circle, a "thumbs up" would do nicely "

Er... No it wouldn't. Where would you put your comment with a crappy and banal thumbs up button?

There's the 'most active' and 'discussions of the day' box, but just because all of you seem to view "Active", please don't assume it is a given that everyone else does too.

I don't click Active conversations, but go to threads I'm on to see updates, and various other topics of immediate interest, from Radio and TV to 'In the News' to Geeky stuff and now and then some other areas... I'm unlikely to be alone.

As for the "crappy and banal" - surely that's where a one-liner comment like "me too", "LOL" or similar, has little to "add" to "discussion" and is precisely where a "thumbs up" could be a replacement. Some of the moans about quote boxes (or quoting at all) is because of such one-liners.

Others claim that a "thumbs up" would kill off "discussions" where I assume the MN membership is
a) more intelligent than to quote a post and add something like "LOL" and
b) more likely to express their views than they're given credit for ...
in other words, if someone has something more thoughtful than a one-liner addition, then they won't be giving up their opportunity to add that to the discussion any time soon.

Some seem to think that "thumbs up" / "thumbs down" will kill off discussion, where I see it complementing what's available. If someone has points worth writing then they won't be stopped, whereas the supportive, but adding little to discussion "I agree with XYZ" can be very simply indicated without needing to post to that effect. If the person wishes to expand on that, fine, they will add their comments as well.

On the other hand, when someone sees a comment they disagree with, a simple "thumbs down" may remove some of the very nasty personal attacks which appear. Additionally, in the current situation person A may put forward some view which person B agrees with. If person B simply types "I agree with A" there is a chance they have missed some subsequent comments from A (so either they need to quote what part of A's post they agree with, or they risk supporting A and perhaps regret it if A then went on to post several offensive views!) "Thumbs up" / "thumbs down" alongside the comments in question make it very clear what others think about a specific post and there would be no need for quoting or "I agree with X" if that's all that is would be posted.

Statistically it is more than valid - almost three hundred against half that is more than statistically significant.

Whether the sample is representative of MN is a totally different issue.