Dominic Crossman said:
I know I shouldn't double post (Not sure whether it's forum rule or just the social expectance)
A bit of both, actually. Not encouraged but not really punished for, unless you really overdo it.
Dominic Crossman said:
but if I wanted to write something in response to another poster should I edit my original post or post another
For example it could be like:
My post
Random post
Post I'm quote
My response
Yes, that is actually the correct way of doing it. I'd avoid editing a post with extra information way later (as opposed to throwing in extra something if you just realise you've missed it), as that breaks the flow of the discussion (i.e., communication is not following a sequence of time now). The...well, I suppose "polite" way of doing forum communication goes along the lines of:
1. Post
2. (optional - if needed) Edit unless somebody has posted already otherwise probably just make a new post. Depends what the edit would be - just grammar/spelling/minor corrections/rewording is meh - just edit that. If it's something you've forgotten to address, then starting a new message with "to add to my previous post" is really enough.
3. Post a response to a quote. Ideally by quoting the user, so it's easier to follow the discussion and easier to know who you're talking to (as somebody else could post by the time you're writing your response).
That's vaguely how it's generally accepted stuff to work.
Just to clear confusion, if any, "double posting" refers to posting twice (or more)
consecutively (also, in short-ish succession). So it would look like.
1. Somebody #1
2. Somebody #2
3. You
4. You
5. Somebody #3
etc.
It's discouraged as it's viewed as forums spam. Then again, sometimes you may post something and only after see a different post you'd like to address. This has happened to me more than once. In those cases, nobody would really hate you for it, especially if you just sneak a quick apology. It's only really a problem if you do it consistently and especially if you post more than twice - for example, if you choose to post a response to seven people with one post each.
Unless it's not really clear, if you happen to post twice, but it's just because nobody has posted for quite some time (say, an hour or two), then it's not really a big deal. If you happen to double post by accident, then just edit one of the messages and replace it with something like "double post - ignore" (at least that's what I usually do), then it's not going to be a problem. Mods have also advised to just report your extra post - don't worry, you won't get a warning for it, they'll just delete it so it doesn't clutter the thread.
Hope this helps. Feel free to ask anything else you need.
