# Combining multiple sequential replies from the same poster?

**URL:** <https://meta.discourse.org/t/combining-multiple-sequential-replies-from-the-same-poster/11845>\
**Category:** Feature\
**Created:** [January 9, 2014, 7:58am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/combining-multiple-sequential-replies-from-the-same-poster/11845 "2014-01-09T07:58:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 2

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**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/codinghorror/32/110067_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 8:12am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/combining-multiple-sequential-replies-from-the-same-poster/11845/2 "2014-01-09T08:12:04Z")

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The just-in-time behavior cue you are referring to occurs when users post several replies in sequence. It is _only a reminder_ and happens once per topic. It’s also configurable, of course, and can be turned off or tweaked.

Why do we do this? Allow me to illustrate:

 ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/2X/7/77f68a5c03623ecd0535f9a49ab972ef04018398.png) 

Why is this annoying? It’s annoying because:

- I have to expand in-reply at the top to even understand these responses. Which would be fine if they were more than a damn sentence of clever-clever bon mottiness. They make me actively do work and give me almost nothing in return.
- The reply is so very short that it contains little to no “native” context, because there just aren’t enough words to capture any kind of contextual nuance.
- The ratio of metadata (post controls, author info, in reply to, response box) to content is now massively out of whack: maximum noise, a sliver of signal.
- It’s especially bad when they respond to _the same person_ in multiple individual replies, though that is somewhat less common, it’s the most clearly objectionable.

So, we show a reminder when this happens:

 ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/2X/a/a081f9de949c7de9a5debab537cf0b3da6fcdddb.png) 

Now, @stienman did note that _some_ forums:

1. Forcibly combine sequential posts by the same user.

2. Completely disallow sequential posts by the same user.

We could explore some of these as options in Discourse but #1 makes me rather nervous as it is a big magical system change to submitted content.

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_[View the full topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/combining-multiple-sequential-replies-from-the-same-poster/11845)._