Paraphrasing [was: Mail Formats (was Re: An Elfly Reminder)]

[cubfanbudwoman]

Let's try this again -- I had some wonky characters appear in my last 
attempt at this.



SSSusan:
I think Elisabet's post here provided an excellent example of how 
paraphrasing certainly can work and can be an option.  Would I want 
to see a recommendation that HPfGU switch entirely to this?  Not at 
all.  Others [Shaun, Silmariel] have already spoken to potential 
problems in doing that.


Random832:
>>> Do the rules even say you have to quote long runs of verbatim 
text in responses, or do they just say what to do / what not to do 
_if_ you do that <<<

SSSusan/Shorty Elf:
No one on the List Administration Team is advocating the inclusions 
of large blocks of quoted material.  In fact, posting guidelines 
instruct and the elves consistently remind members that they *should* 
snip quoted material down to just that which is essential for setting 
the context for new comments.  

For me personally, hitting "Reply" and then snipping out what's 
unnecessary is a very quick and simple process.  For me personally, 
attempting, as a *general rule,* to paraphrase instead of snipping is 
not efficient or necessary.  It does not hurt to paraphrase, as long 
as a person is careful or is saying, "If I'm understanding correctly, 
your position is...."  But there is no reason to change the rules to 
say that this is the preferred method of doing things.  Why should it 
be?  It's quicker for most to snip out extraneous material, throw in 
an attribution, and start typing a response; it's more precise; and 
it avoids the difficulty of paraphrasing for those HPfGUers who 
speak/write English as a 2nd or 3rd language.  

The rules and guidelines at HPfGU are there to help make reading 
posts CLEAR for members.  Consistency in formatting tends to help; 
snipping out extra junk/irrelevant material helps; making 
attributions properly helps; signing and/or self-attributing helps.  
If paraphrasing instead of including a long block of quoted material 
makes it easier at times, that can be fine.  We're all about making 
things as clear as possible for as many members as we can:  clear 
attributions; standard formatting; proper grammar & spelling to the 
poster's best ability; minimal quotage.  If one looks around on the 
list, it's obvious that there is some room for variation in style in 
doing this.

It's really not that difficult to comply with the guidelines set 
forth.  

Siriusly Snapey Susan/Shorty Elf