Your Rules/Guidelines When Writing Posts

[Debater Slayer]

Do you follow any specific guidelines or rules when writing posts whether on RF or elsewhere online?

Personally, I often follow these rules and sometimes even rewrite parts of my posts if need be in order to meet the criteria I have for my posts:

• If a paragraph is over three lines long on a 16:9 computer monitor, then I either divide it into two or more paragraphs or omit parts of it in order to stay within the three-line limit. Even three lines sometimes feels like it's pushing it as far as blocks of text go.

• When I suspect that an if-conditional may be hard to follow due to the length of the if-clause, I rewrite it so that the main clause precedes the if-clause. This way, the reader doesn't have to keep in mind that they're still reading the if-clause when they finally get to the main clause and have to connect the two.

• This one is borrowed from my high-school Arabic classes: I often keep interjections and nonrestrictive clauses to a minimum or make sure they're not overly long. The pause in between other parts of writing may be quite unwieldy to read, so "filler" sentences are best kept short. If I use them, like I'm doing right now, my rule of thumb is that the two commas surrounding the nonrestrictive clause are too far apart if they span more than a few words.

• I usually start a new sentence after using one coordinating conjunction between two independent clauses. I don't want my writing to seem like a sequence of disorganized thoughts, so once I have connected two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction or semicolon, I figure it's time for a new sentence. So I start a new one even if that means starting a sentence with a conjunction!

• I tend to prefer to use synonyms when multiple instances of the same term occur in a paragraph or post. In addition to reducing tedium, synonyms sometimes even convey further depth and meaning depending on context.

• I dislike using capitalization for emphasis. Instead, I use italicized or bolded text—and more rarely, underlining as well.

• I try to avoid combining too many punctuation marks in one series of connected full sentences. For example, if this is one full sentence, I can now connect another to it; a semicolon allows me to do that—but where I used an em dash here for an example of what I mean, I would instead use a period and start afresh in a post that followed my criteria. I prefer to avoid an excess of punctuation.

What about you, RF denizens?

 

[Spirit of Light]

Do you follow any specific guidelines or rules when writing posts whether on RF or elsewhere online?

Personally, I often follow these rules and sometimes even rewrite parts of my posts if need be in order to meet the criteria I have for my posts:

• If a paragraph is over three lines long on a 16:9 computer monitor, then I either divide it into two or more paragraphs or omit parts of it in order to stay within the three-line limit. Even three lines sometimes feels like it's pushing it as far as blocks of text go.

• When I suspect that an if-conditional may be hard to follow due to the length of the if-clause, I rewrite it so that the main clause precedes the if-clause. This way, the reader doesn't have to keep in mind that they're still reading the if-clause when they finally get to the main clause and have to connect the two.

• This one is borrowed from my high-school Arabic classes: I often keep interjections and nonrestrictive clauses to a minimum or make sure they're not overly long. The pause in between other parts of writing may be quite unwieldy to read, so "filler" sentences are best kept short. If I use them, like I'm doing right now, my rule of thumb is that the two commas surrounding the nonrestrictive clause are too far apart if they span more than a few words.

• I usually start a new sentence after using one coordinating conjunction between two independent clauses. I don't want my writing to seem like a sequence of disorganized thoughts, so once I have connected two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction or semicolon, I figure it's time for a new sentence. So I start a new one even if that means starting a sentence with a conjunction!

• I tend to prefer to use synonyms when multiple instances of the same term occur in a paragraph or post. In addition to reducing tedium, synonyms sometimes even convey further depth and meaning depending on context.

• I dislike using capitalization for emphasis. Instead, I use italicized or bolded text—and more rarely, underlining a well.

• I try to avoid combining too many punctuation marks in one series of connected full sentences. For example, if this is one full sentence, I can now connect another to it; a semicolon allows me to do that—but where I used an em dash here for an example of what I mean, I would instead use a period and start afresh in a post that followed my criteria. I prefer to avoid an excess of punctuation.

What about you, RF denizens?

I trying to follow RF rules here....but I get warnings of me braking rules who would thonk

 

[VoidCat]

I follow rules of the place im posting in. Other then that I don't have any special writing rules.

 

[Erebus]

A rule I follow for writing in general is that the edited piece should end up being shorter than the original. I try to cut out any sentences that just reword something I've previously written. I also check to see if I've gone off on a tangent that readers may find hard to follow.

 

[Jedster]

@Debater Slayer

I usually only make a post if my opinion has already not been expressed. (I don't most much).
Otherwise, I try and be concise and precise.
I think this comes from spending several years as a computer programmer, when I had to edit older programs that were badly written (e.g. lots of redundant code and ridiculous cpu-wasting loops).

 

[SalixIncendium]

I follow basic English writing grammar rules. I do have a pet peeve with infinitive phrases, and find myself going back to rewrite a sentence I end with a preposition.

And evidently, I have a problem with dropping unnecessary commas here and there.

 

[ChristineM]

I write what comes to mind. I don't have the skill to write/punctuate perfectly and I'm a Lancashire lass who tells it as it is. Though i do try to moderate myself for RF, sometimes without success...

 

[exchemist]

Do you follow any specific guidelines or rules when writing posts whether on RF or elsewhere online?

Personally, I often follow these rules and sometimes even rewrite parts of my posts if need be in order to meet the criteria I have for my posts:

• If a paragraph is over three lines long on a 16:9 computer monitor, then I either divide it into two or more paragraphs or omit parts of it in order to stay within the three-line limit. Even three lines sometimes feels like it's pushing it as far as blocks of text go.

• When I suspect that an if-conditional may be hard to follow due to the length of the if-clause, I rewrite it so that the main clause precedes the if-clause. This way, the reader doesn't have to keep in mind that they're still reading the if-clause when they finally get to the main clause and have to connect the two.

• This one is borrowed from my high-school Arabic classes: I often keep interjections and nonrestrictive clauses to a minimum or make sure they're not overly long. The pause in between other parts of writing may be quite unwieldy to read, so "filler" sentences are best kept short. If I use them, like I'm doing right now, my rule of thumb is that the two commas surrounding the nonrestrictive clause are too far apart if they span more than a few words.

• I usually start a new sentence after using one coordinating conjunction between two independent clauses. I don't want my writing to seem like a sequence of disorganized thoughts, so once I have connected two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction or semicolon, I figure it's time for a new sentence. So I start a new one even if that means starting a sentence with a conjunction!

• I tend to prefer to use synonyms when multiple instances of the same term occur in a paragraph or post. In addition to reducing tedium, synonyms sometimes even convey further depth and meaning depending on context.

• I dislike using capitalization for emphasis. Instead, I use italicized or bolded text—and more rarely, underlining a well.

• I try to avoid combining too many punctuation marks in one series of connected full sentences. For example, if this is one full sentence, I can now connect another to it; a semicolon allows me to do that—but where I used an em dash here for an example of what I mean, I would instead use a period and start afresh in a post that followed my criteria. I prefer to avoid an excess of punctuation.

What about you, RF denizens?

Golly, I can't say I give it much thought. I have adopted a convention of using lower case bold for emphasis and italic for lengthy passages I am quoting from somewhere else. I usually try to break sentences that I think are getting too long into two shorter ones. I break paragraphs by theme rather than by number of lines, i.e. when I set off on a new tack, or a new aspect, of what I'm trying to say, I start a new paragraph. That's it, I think.

Oh, there is one other thing. Sometimes I can get a bit aggressive when disagreeing. What I often do now is re-read the draft and consciously tone it down a bit, before sending. It does seem to reduce the number of infractions I get.

 

[PureX]

Be honest, and apparently I also have a rule that says I must include as many commas as possible. Because when I go back and reread my posts, to fix errors, I seem to have to remove a large number of unnecessary commas. This post alone had at least a few dozen too many.

 

[Vinayaka]

I try to use accepted grammar and punctuation, and generally proofread before posting.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Do you follow any specific guidelines or rules when writing posts whether on RF or elsewhere online?

Personally, I often follow these rules and sometimes even rewrite parts of my posts if need be in order to meet the criteria I have for my posts:

• If a paragraph is over three lines long on a 16:9 computer monitor, then I either divide it into two or more paragraphs or omit parts of it in order to stay within the three-line limit. Even three lines sometimes feels like it's pushing it as far as blocks of text go.

• When I suspect that an if-conditional may be hard to follow due to the length of the if-clause, I rewrite it so that the main clause precedes the if-clause. This way, the reader doesn't have to keep in mind that they're still reading the if-clause when they finally get to the main clause and have to connect the two.

• This one is borrowed from my high-school Arabic classes: I often keep interjections and nonrestrictive clauses to a minimum or make sure they're not overly long. The pause in between other parts of writing may be quite unwieldy to read, so "filler" sentences are best kept short. If I use them, like I'm doing right now, my rule of thumb is that the two commas surrounding the nonrestrictive clause are too far apart if they span more than a few words.

• I usually start a new sentence after using one coordinating conjunction between two independent clauses. I don't want my writing to seem like a sequence of disorganized thoughts, so once I have connected two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction or semicolon, I figure it's time for a new sentence. So I start a new one even if that means starting a sentence with a conjunction!

• I tend to prefer to use synonyms when multiple instances of the same term occur in a paragraph or post. In addition to reducing tedium, synonyms sometimes even convey further depth and meaning depending on context.

• I dislike using capitalization for emphasis. Instead, I use italicized or bolded text—and more rarely, underlining as well.

• I try to avoid combining too many punctuation marks in one series of connected full sentences. For example, if this is one full sentence, I can now connect another to it; a semicolon allows me to do that—but where I used an em dash here for an example of what I mean, I would instead use a period and start afresh in a post that followed my criteria. I prefer to avoid an excess of punctuation.

What about you, RF denizens?

I have 2 styles: Complex for all of the world if I feel for it. Or to the bone reduced. E.g.:
If everything is claimed X, I check if I can do non-X. And then I just state that.

 

[Revoltingest]

Do you follow any specific guidelines or rules when writing posts whether on RF or elsewhere online?

Not rules or guidelines.
Just things that regularly come to mind.
(No particular order.)

1) Don't get banned.
2) Brevity.
3) Spelling....sometimes new & improved.
4) Grammar....sometimes my own custom version.
5) Watch for limerick inspiration.
6) Easy reading.
7) Alliterate when fun.
8) See the other side of issues.
9) Defend the worthy.
10) Fight evil, eg, bullies.
11) List things.
12) Provide sources when useful.
13) Humor.
14) Encourage equanimity.
15) Have fun.
16) Decide when to disengage from unproductive conversation.
17) Avoid certain posters.
18) Make changes to post until it works.
19) No emojis / emoticons.
20) Poke the bear.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I trying to follow RF rules here....but I get warnings of me braking rules who would thonk

 

[Heyo]

Do you follow any specific guidelines or rules when writing posts whether on RF or elsewhere online?

Personally, I often follow these rules and sometimes even rewrite parts of my posts if need be in order to meet the criteria I have for my posts:

• If a paragraph is over three lines long on a 16:9 computer monitor, then I either divide it into two or more paragraphs or omit parts of it in order to stay within the three-line limit. Even three lines sometimes feels like it's pushing it as far as blocks of text go.

• When I suspect that an if-conditional may be hard to follow due to the length of the if-clause, I rewrite it so that the main clause precedes the if-clause. This way, the reader doesn't have to keep in mind that they're still reading the if-clause when they finally get to the main clause and have to connect the two.

• This one is borrowed from my high-school Arabic classes: I often keep interjections and nonrestrictive clauses to a minimum or make sure they're not overly long. The pause in between other parts of writing may be quite unwieldy to read, so "filler" sentences are best kept short. If I use them, like I'm doing right now, my rule of thumb is that the two commas surrounding the nonrestrictive clause are too far apart if they span more than a few words.

• I usually start a new sentence after using one coordinating conjunction between two independent clauses. I don't want my writing to seem like a sequence of disorganized thoughts, so once I have connected two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction or semicolon, I figure it's time for a new sentence. So I start a new one even if that means starting a sentence with a conjunction!

• I tend to prefer to use synonyms when multiple instances of the same term occur in a paragraph or post. In addition to reducing tedium, synonyms sometimes even convey further depth and meaning depending on context.

• I dislike using capitalization for emphasis. Instead, I use italicized or bolded text—and more rarely, underlining as well.

• I try to avoid combining too many punctuation marks in one series of connected full sentences. For example, if this is one full sentence, I can now connect another to it; a semicolon allows me to do that—but where I used an em dash here for an example of what I mean, I would instead use a period and start afresh in a post that followed my criteria. I prefer to avoid an excess of punctuation.

What about you, RF denizens?

My thinking is, let's say, complex, multilevelled and at times convoluted which, together with my German native language, leads to long sentences which can be hard to follow for English speakers, who tend to lack the attention span, so I opt for being concise in my posts which in return leads to being misunderstood, especially by some moderators who mistake my compressed language as insulting, which is never my intention.

 

[an anarchist]

I just realize that sometimes I'm talking too much and delete half of what I wrote and the post is better for it

 

[nPeace]

I trying to follow RF rules here....but I get warnings of me braking rules who would thonk

Seriously!!!? You get warnings!? Seriously!?
You're kidding us, right?

 

[Alien826]

Do you follow any specific guidelines or rules when writing posts whether on RF or elsewhere online?

Personally, I often follow these rules and sometimes even rewrite parts of my posts if need be in order to meet the criteria I have for my posts:

• If a paragraph is over three lines long on a 16:9 computer monitor, then I either divide it into two or more paragraphs or omit parts of it in order to stay within the three-line limit. Even three lines sometimes feels like it's pushing it as far as blocks of text go.

• When I suspect that an if-conditional may be hard to follow due to the length of the if-clause, I rewrite it so that the main clause precedes the if-clause. This way, the reader doesn't have to keep in mind that they're still reading the if-clause when they finally get to the main clause and have to connect the two.

• This one is borrowed from my high-school Arabic classes: I often keep interjections and nonrestrictive clauses to a minimum or make sure they're not overly long. The pause in between other parts of writing may be quite unwieldy to read, so "filler" sentences are best kept short. If I use them, like I'm doing right now, my rule of thumb is that the two commas surrounding the nonrestrictive clause are too far apart if they span more than a few words.

• I usually start a new sentence after using one coordinating conjunction between two independent clauses. I don't want my writing to seem like a sequence of disorganized thoughts, so once I have connected two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction or semicolon, I figure it's time for a new sentence. So I start a new one even if that means starting a sentence with a conjunction!

• I tend to prefer to use synonyms when multiple instances of the same term occur in a paragraph or post. In addition to reducing tedium, synonyms sometimes even convey further depth and meaning depending on context.

• I dislike using capitalization for emphasis. Instead, I use italicized or bolded text—and more rarely, underlining as well.

• I try to avoid combining too many punctuation marks in one series of connected full sentences. For example, if this is one full sentence, I can now connect another to it; a semicolon allows me to do that—but where I used an em dash here for an example of what I mean, I would instead use a period and start afresh in a post that followed my criteria. I prefer to avoid an excess of punctuation.

What about you, RF denizens?

If I think my content is too technical for the average reader, I try to put it in a simpler way, include definitions or links and add some examples.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Seriously!!!? You get warnings!? Seriously!?
You're kidding us, right?

Nope Staff is very nice to me, but they teĺl me when i have said something wrong
Its their job so its ok

 

[Alien826]

Now about me.

I try to be understandable, but often include subtle allusions just to see who picks up on them.

I like to write in a semi humorous way if the subject is not too serious (and even if it is sometimes, just to lower the temperature).

I've had so much aggression elsewhere that I tend to avoid posters who just seem to be looking for a fight. Life is too short.

I'll abandon grammar (but never spelling!) in a second if I think I can write in a more effective way. You bet!

Once again, understanding is king. I struggle with adjusting my posts for those who are obviously using a second language or are part of a different culture from mine. I should try harder.

I completely ignore the silly rule about adding "in my opinion" to everything I write. If it's not clear from the context, I'll word it in a conditional way, but that's about it. Mind you, I'm not sure the rule is intended to mean that.

 

[Secret Chief]

Only 2 rules really.

1. Keep a check on @JustGeorge and try to annoy her as much as possible.

2. Give a frubal to every staff post I notice.