Discussions on the Orchard tend to be long and complex affairs. Very often it's easy to lose track of the original intention or theme of a thread, and it can also be a real chore to follow the branches of a conversation back to the response which originally generated part of a discussion.
Good use of quotes helps, but here's another tool to help -- alternate viewing modes.
You've probably already noticed a small panel inset at the top of each discussion thread which looks like:
Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+
Controlling the three thread view modes
Standard Viewing Mode: By default, if you've never adjusted this, "Standard" should be selected. If you adjust the mode (by clicking on a mode's name inside this panel), the changed setting will follow you around into other threads.
"Standard" mode is what we are all used to. A flat, linear structure, where the posts are presented in the exact order they've been posted. It's business as usual, and it's what most of us are used to.
Linear+ Viewing Mode: "Linear+" mode is very similar to Standard, but with one major "tweak". The first post of any thread will always display at the top of any page of posts. This is a good way to keep track of the origins of a discussion.
Outline Viewing Mode: The third viewing mode is something completely new--outline mode. Basically, outline mode allows an entire conversation to be listed in a "tree" view, and the branches of it can be navigated as such.
The posts at the top of the Outline view will reflect the particular "branch" of the conversation you've "clicked" into on the Tree.