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Linking articles and posting the entire article in a thread question.
- Thread starter maflynn
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If they cut it that would be really bad, but if they copied it, not so much.
I've seen some of these as well, and it's a bit annoying because a link and a sentence or two about what the article is for would suffice. I also doubt the original authors would like their content taken considering some likely have copyrights and could easily demand MR to remove the content. It also keeps some people from following any given link if all the content is in the post. I'd be in favor of mods clipping the articles down-to-size and leaving the link in place.
I agree
Posting the whole article is rarely necessary or advisable
And posting without any comment at all makes no sense
I would prefer to see the link and except or summary of pertinent points of the article
Along with the OP's thoughts
Too often they can turn into "dump and runs" with the OP just dropping something controversial and never coming back
Posting the whole article is rarely necessary or advisable
And posting without any comment at all makes no sense
I would prefer to see the link and except or summary of pertinent points of the article
Along with the OP's thoughts
Too often they can turn into "dump and runs" with the OP just dropping something controversial and never coming back
I disagree. I prefer to have the relevant article or sections within the thread. If the forum poster gives the proper linkage and cites the source, I consider it fair use.
If the content creator or Web site has a problem with it, they’ll contact Macrumors and it will be handled properly. Macrumors shouldn’t be in the business of assuming what the rights holder would want. I’m sure many sites would appreciate the additional traffic. Obviously, there are limits to everything. If a poster has a history of scraping content from certain Web sites, that’s another story.
It would be helpful if the “Thread Starter” would comment on the post, but sometimes threads are started just to inform (like threads about on-going news stories in the Community section) and no comment may be necessary at the time of the initial posting.
We already have rules about overposting, spam, useless posting and trolling that can be applied in these situations. And if you think a thread and article was posted just to start something, report it.
If the content creator or Web site has a problem with it, they’ll contact Macrumors and it will be handled properly. Macrumors shouldn’t be in the business of assuming what the rights holder would want. I’m sure many sites would appreciate the additional traffic. Obviously, there are limits to everything. If a poster has a history of scraping content from certain Web sites, that’s another story.
It would be helpful if the “Thread Starter” would comment on the post, but sometimes threads are started just to inform (like threads about on-going news stories in the Community section) and no comment may be necessary at the time of the initial posting.
We already have rules about overposting, spam, useless posting and trolling that can be applied in these situations. And if you think a thread and article was posted just to start something, report it.
Advisable by who exactly?
I think if you post an article then you should comment on it. It's like asking peoe to post a pic of something and not providing a pic themselves.
Sometimes I will post an article, just to get a discussion going, and only comment myself a few posts later. Is that wrong?
I don't see anything wrong with that, sometimes you need to get others' opinions first.
Common sense and the Golden Rule are good guides.
When you see an article you'd like to discuss, our preference is that you post a link to the story, quote enough to make clear what it's about and/or a particular section that you want to discuss, and include a comment about it.
This thread by stridemat is a good example.
If you have no opinion to share and and just want to note a Mac-related article, submit it to MacBytes instead.
Why not copy/paste entire articles into threads?
The moderators aren't going to make a fuss if you post too little or too much or don't include an opinion. These are only guidelines. However, the moderators may ask you to stop if you repeatedly re-post entire articles without participating in the discussions.
When you see an article you'd like to discuss, our preference is that you post a link to the story, quote enough to make clear what it's about and/or a particular section that you want to discuss, and include a comment about it.
This thread by stridemat is a good example.
If you have no opinion to share and and just want to note a Mac-related article, submit it to MacBytes instead.
Why not copy/paste entire articles into threads?
- The forums are intended for discussion, not material written elsewhere.
- Summaries let users decide if they are interested enough to go read the rest.
- Quoting a section you want to discuss focuses the discussion.
- Authors aren't getting credit for their work and most articles are copyrighted. Referencing an article for discussion is likely to be considered fair use while copying the entire article is not.
The moderators aren't going to make a fuss if you post too little or too much or don't include an opinion. These are only guidelines. However, the moderators may ask you to stop if you repeatedly re-post entire articles without participating in the discussions.
Actually that's what MacDawg and I are saying. Why post the entire article, and have a link to that article AND not post anything else, i.e., your own personal thoughts on it.
We all read the news, like what's on the MacRumors main page or other technology sites. We dont' need, imo, people just pasting entire articles in the forum w/o any commentary or opinions. Put the salient points down with a link to the source.
It's not "wrong," but there's also nothing wrong with saving us from a wall of text when you could just include a selection (the first paragraph?) and a link. Commentary is also nice.
I won't mention any names, but certain members do this over and over. And then they throw in a few more just to be safe. It's really annoying, especially when the copy/pasted articles are nothing more than long diatribes on some beaten-to-death topic elsewhere in the forums.
