Hi penstemo, welcome to the fray. looks like you've figured the quotes out.
You can also look to see how the message you are replying to was formated by looking to the right side of the "reply without quote" bar to where it has bullets for normal display and "peek mode" and you can "peek" at any message with the button next to the reply button at the bottom.
This is a good way to pick up tips on how others have used the formating opportunities.
Enjoy.
Here are some posting tips:
type
[qs]quotes are easy[/qs] and it becomes:
quotes are easy
or type
[quote]quotes are easy[/quote] and it becomes:
quote:
quotes are easy
also check out
(help) links on any formatting questions when in the reply window.
For other formatting tips see
Posting Tips
If you use the message reply buttons (there's one at the bottom right of each message):
... your message is linked to the one you are replying to (adds clarity). You can also look at the way a post is formatted with the "peek" button next to it.