Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Formatting basics for Reddit posts? (self.Blind)
submitted by 34Emma
I'm completely blind and often wondering when, and how, and how often, to make a new paragraph in a post or comment. And if there are any typical obvious mistakes which we blind redditors tend to make because the screen reader doesn't even notice the difference. Any advice?
rumster 12 points 1y ago
I'm not visually impaired and I literally read almost every post on here (created this sub). Honestly, I have never really seen any formatting issues at all. A poster on here who is not only blind but also deaf is also probably the best writer I've ever read on Reddit, let alone perfect grammar.
The only thing but I rarely see is double-line paragraphs? Once in a while, the break is too short?
The only thing but I rarely see is double-line paragraphs? Once in a while, the break is too short?
HeftyCryptographer21 1 points 1y ago
Do you mind if I ask who? I am also deafblind and am always looking for others lol.
rumster 2 points 1y ago
I wrote it down somewhere I will have to check.
AllHarlowsEve 5 points 1y ago
There's not really a formula for it, in my opinion. I tend to try to keep under 5-8 sentences per paragraph, although that's mostly just because I tend to have long, rambling sentences. At least they're not completely run-on sentences, I guess.
I also tend to split into paragraphs when I change topic, to try and make it a little more clean. It also helps me if I choose to read back my comments later, because I find big blobs with no splits to not be worth the time to go back. Plus I get a lot of discord notifications, so if I lose my place and can't get back there easily, it's frustrating.
I also tend to split into paragraphs when I change topic, to try and make it a little more clean. It also helps me if I choose to read back my comments later, because I find big blobs with no splits to not be worth the time to go back. Plus I get a lot of discord notifications, so if I lose my place and can't get back there easily, it's frustrating.
WanderingAnchorite 4 points 1y ago
I, a fully-sighted individual, make a new line out of almost every sentence.
In the age of scrolling on various devices, it's much easier on a reader to go line-by-line, allowing for both faster progression.
More than anything, it's easier for a reader to backtrack ten lines and find what they were looking for than backtrack two paragraphs, then search through the paragraph for the sentence.
I find it allows each statement to have a greater impact on the reader, visually, than it would have if it were sandwiched by other statements.
...
Having said all that,
I once knew a man
who typed like this
on old-school forums.
His posts would seem lengthy,
but in reality,
the word-count was tiny.
He simply wrote
the way he spoke,
using each line break
to delineate his cadence.
It's somewhat poetic
and can change how
you present prose.
In the age of scrolling on various devices, it's much easier on a reader to go line-by-line, allowing for both faster progression.
More than anything, it's easier for a reader to backtrack ten lines and find what they were looking for than backtrack two paragraphs, then search through the paragraph for the sentence.
I find it allows each statement to have a greater impact on the reader, visually, than it would have if it were sandwiched by other statements.
...
Having said all that,
I once knew a man
who typed like this
on old-school forums.
His posts would seem lengthy,
but in reality,
the word-count was tiny.
He simply wrote
the way he spoke,
using each line break
to delineate his cadence.
It's somewhat poetic
and can change how
you present prose.
r_1235 2 points 1y ago
ROFL, he was a total legend!
I would get so annoyed of hitting enter key that many times while typing. Also, it's a damn annoying thing for us screen reader users, as we will have to constantly swipe or hit arrow keys to read next.
Most of my reading and writing habits are from reading books and research papers. In beginning, I would investigate why NVDA made a pause there, or why it spoke that sentence the way it did! Then, I incorporated those kind of writing techniques in my writing style, where the sentences are divided by regular commas, there's more or less accurate punctuation, and, Only 1 space after period.
I think to make or to not to make a new para, came somehow instinctively to me, but the decision is based on if the existing para is too long, and if I am changing topics. That doesn't mean I haven't written down huge paras, sometimes to annoy the hell out of my teacher, or sometimes out of pure laziness.
One thing that baffles me in reddit is it's list thing, where:
1. this is a list.
2. 2. and somehow I mess it up.
1. this is totally different than what we see in MS word.
See, I totally messed it up!
I would get so annoyed of hitting enter key that many times while typing. Also, it's a damn annoying thing for us screen reader users, as we will have to constantly swipe or hit arrow keys to read next.
Most of my reading and writing habits are from reading books and research papers. In beginning, I would investigate why NVDA made a pause there, or why it spoke that sentence the way it did! Then, I incorporated those kind of writing techniques in my writing style, where the sentences are divided by regular commas, there's more or less accurate punctuation, and, Only 1 space after period.
I think to make or to not to make a new para, came somehow instinctively to me, but the decision is based on if the existing para is too long, and if I am changing topics. That doesn't mean I haven't written down huge paras, sometimes to annoy the hell out of my teacher, or sometimes out of pure laziness.
One thing that baffles me in reddit is it's list thing, where:
1. this is a list.
2. 2. and somehow I mess it up.
1. this is totally different than what we see in MS word.
See, I totally messed it up!
WanderingAnchorite 1 points 1y ago
>ROFL, he was a total legend!
Do you really know to whom I am referring?!!
If the name means anything to you, I am TaoistShredder.
RIP Hippie3 (if you were ever really here at all)
Do you really know to whom I am referring?!!
If the name means anything to you, I am TaoistShredder.
RIP Hippie3 (if you were ever really here at all)
r_1235 2 points 1y ago
Nono, I ment the writing style thing.
Don't know anyone on this sub yet.
Don't know anyone on this sub yet.
Rethunker 4 points 1y ago
Someone concerned about proper use of paragraphs is ahead not just of the overwhelming majority of all redditors, but of at least 80% of people who have written or typed throughout recorded human history. Clear writing doesn’t even have to hit that high water mark. So you’re way ahead!
Also, in the very first sentence of your post your use of commas makes your writing most clear. Now we’re talking 90th percentile and above.
Reading your post is like hearing someone talking. And more specifically, someone it’s pleasant to hear talking. Nice! And thank you!
Also, in the very first sentence of your post your use of commas makes your writing most clear. Now we’re talking 90th percentile and above.
Reading your post is like hearing someone talking. And more specifically, someone it’s pleasant to hear talking. Nice! And thank you!
34Emma [OP] 4 points 1y ago
Thanks a lot for the help- and thoughtful answers! It's reassuring that I don't seem to be doing anything wrong, and that my gut feeling about how to use paragraphs is so close to how other people do it. Yay!
i_am_extra_syrup 3 points 1y ago
Hey... if you're even thinking about formatting then you're doing Reddit better than most Redditors. :) Looks good to me. In general, I usually break up paragraphs by length of thought change, etc. Peace to you!
No-Satisfaction7842 3 points 1y ago
I’ve been wondering this myself lately so I’m glad you asked! When I’m posting on Reddit or commenting on other social media platforms I often wonder how visually different my written posts are to those of sighted people. Because I’m often using these apps from my iPhone, I’m mostly using voice dictation and forget to create line breaks. Lately I have tried to be more cognizant of avoiding the wall of text because I understand for sighted people it’s rather daunting.
Simply_Limeade 3 points 1y ago
I often wonder about paragraphs also. For me personally. I like just one giant smooshed together paragraph or story. That way TalkBack can just read it to me in one go. Instead of constantly needing to swipe to the next paragraph. On the other side of that. If I accidentally click away or something. I have to start it all back at the beginning.
No-Satisfaction7842 4 points 1y ago
Interesting how our preferences can differ so much. I prefer chunks of digestible paragraphs, mostly for that annoyance you mentioned. If a text or some other notification comes in, I have to start all over
Tarnagona 3 points 1y ago
As someone mostly reading by sight, one single paragraph is harder to read, as it’s easier to lose my place while reading (the lines kind of blur together so it’s harder to track where I am without paragraph breaks). I don’t know if fully sighted people have the same issue, but I suspect so.
I aim to have one thought, usually a half dozen sentences or less, per paragraph. That, I hope, breaks up the post for easier sight reading, but isn’t too annoying for screen reader users swiping through to read.
I aim to have one thought, usually a half dozen sentences or less, per paragraph. That, I hope, breaks up the post for easier sight reading, but isn’t too annoying for screen reader users swiping through to read.
No-Satisfaction7842 2 points 1y ago
Maybe not directly what you were asking, but a thought that occurred to me just now… I find it kind of fiddly trying to use the Reddit GUI to apply different styling and formatting to my posts, so you can actually switch the editor to markdown mode. Markdown is a simple text styling syntax, almost like a simplified version of HTML. Using markdown you can easily make things appear as hyperlinks, lists, headings, etc. If you want to have really tight control of how your posts look, I highly recommend giving it a shot.
You can find some good markdown tutorials online to get you started. You can enable markdown mode for your posts on an individual basis or go to your Reddit user settings and change it globally for all posts you make.
You can find some good markdown tutorials online to get you started. You can enable markdown mode for your posts on an individual basis or go to your Reddit user settings and change it globally for all posts you make.
34Emma [OP] 1 points 1y ago
I'll definitely give that a try, thank you!
i_am_extra_syrup 1 points 1y ago
Hey... if you're even thinking about formatting then you're doing Reddit better than most Redditors. :) Looks good to me. But, yeah, I guess general rule for paragraphs for me is just breaking up long format content or when the focus of your statement shifts points or thoughts. Peace to you!
TechnicalPragmatist 0 points 1y ago
If I change topics I will space down twice or if I am trying to make that separate point clear. Sometimes I do tend to ramble on a bit though.
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