Why do people not understand about post a reply vs. reply to comment?

1. 61

   FloraBreenRobisonposted 6 years ago

   Once again, I have found a person responding to my original post starting a forum thread instead of replying to a comment that was a reply to mine.
   
   I was talking about photograph citation including , among other things, the fact that I prefer to use my real name instead of a pen name something like "Cats Are Gods.." as pen names could be anyone. One of the responses talked only about using your real name only. It was a short response.
   Here is the problem:
   That got someone on a tangent about identity theft of several hundred words which would have been totally appropriate if he/she had hit reply under the response to the original post that had only mentioned using real names. However, this person did not do it. He/She hit "post a reply" at the bottom of the screen which automatically means that your response is *only* a response to the first post.
   
   Why do people not seem to understand this process?

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      ImKarn23posted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Flora: I come from another site where when you responded under a particular comment - IT STAYED THERE! Here at hubPages it doesn't seem to matter if you respond to a comment or to the original post - it winds up at the bottom anyways! Maybe that's why people don't bother?

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      1. 83

         Aficionadaposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         The position of the post depends on whether the Hubber viewing the thread has chosen Chronological or Threaded view.  Chronological is only available for signed-in Hubbers, and it works as you have described.  That's the view I prefer.  But in the Threaded view, a response to a comment does show up directly under the comment it quotes.  For me, that is more confusing, but I guess some people like it.

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            FloraBreenRobisonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Oh, I've never responded to forums when I'm not signed in so I didn't realize that. I've only ever seen the one type of view.

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         Greekgeekposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         This. I have tried to do it correctly, yet I am sometimes startled to see where the reply actually lands.
         
         Why don't I understand? Because...er... I don't understand. Apparently my 23 years of bbs / message board experience are not sufficient to master Hubpages' reply button. Go figure!

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         1. 61

            FloraBreenRobisonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            I've only just figure out there is more than one way to read these forum feeds.  As such, I won't be confused again if I can't follow to what forum comment was responding.

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            1. 83

               Aficionadaposted 6 years agoin reply to this

               Just to clarify - we can't respond to forum comments when we are not signed-in, but we can read them (and only in the Threaded View).  But still, just as you have indicated, if someone clicked Post a Reply, rather than Reply (to a comment), the post they are responding to will not be quoted.  And, if other commenters have posted between the responded-to-but-not-quoted post and the response, it can be difficult to figure out what someone is saying and why! 
               
               I mentioned above that I don't always respond in the way you prefer, but I do agree with you that it can be confusing (and irritating), if there is not enough information provided to figure out what the person is talking about. 
               
               I also get a bit irked when some people post comments with the assumption that we know them from other forums and can weed through their garbled speech.  Oh well.

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   2. 83

      Aficionadaposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      
      It's interesting to me that you see this kind of response as applying only to the first post.  To me, it seems a little different.
      
      When I am responding, if I want to limit myself only to one post, then I click "reply to comment," and sometimes I edit that comment for brevity or clarity (as I did here).  But if I feel that my comment has a broader application - even if it refers specifically to one comment in some way - then I will "post a reply."
      
      And sometimes I don't really bother to make a distinction in either direction.  It often depends on whether I feel my comment can be understood with or without quoting someone else's comment.

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2. 81

   Uninvited Writerposted 6 years ago

   It's really not a huge deal. People go off on tangents no matter who the reply is to.

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3. 65

   Lisa HWposted 6 years ago

   Two other things that can happen is you'll have a comment "up here" and then some more related comments "down there" (because people have hit the different reply buttons for whatever reasons) - so then you don't know where your own reply should go.  Also, though, sometimes it's not that people don't understand.  It's just that they make a mistake and hit the wrong thing.

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