User:Joel D. Reid/Templates

Should probably try to find out if this one already has a template somewhere, or at least the same sentiment written by someone else:

Colons in discussions

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== Plea to all 'Talk'ers ==
<small>Pardon my 'rude' addition to the top of a talk page, but it needs to be said:</small><br />
'''Please''' use colons to keep talk pages threaded. The legitimate discussion below is hard to follow (or skip over) because it is not all formatted as it should be. Its very simple to do, just follow [[Help:Talk_page#Formatting|WP's instructions]]. In a nutshell, just add one colon to the very beginning of ''your post'' for every prior reply to which you are responding.
== Something about the article ==
Blah blah. This source said this and that. --John Doe
:But my source said this, based on new research. --Jane Smith
::But your "new research" is really from 1998. --John Doe
:::Whoops! Thanks for updating the article so quickly. --Jane Smith
:My sources agree with yours, John. Here's another useful one: [1]↗ --Joe Shmoe
Notice that Joe, by only putting in one colon, is only replying to the very first thing John said—not to Jane.
I'm not trying to be mean or self-important. It just makes everything much easier to follow. We want to understand what you have to say! —~~~~
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Optional insert

"...keep talk pages threaded." ⇥Talk is not for insults and sprawling shouting matches. Rather, discussion pages "are provided for discussion of the content of articles and the views of reliable published sources"—WP. Even ignoring the sprinkling of personal attacks,⇤" the legitimate discussion below is hard to follow..."