Re: A suggestion for responding to posts on s.a.a.... please put the quotes at the bottom!

Larry Stedman wrote:
Hey, I know it's largely a matter of style, but when I'm reading these threads, I'd much rather see NO quoting or the quoted message put at the bottom! That way I can see YOUR responses without scrolling. I've gotten lazy in my old age and if the post has the long quote at the top, and your message is invisible, I just skip it----and YOUR words of wisdom don't enlighten me!

So, if you want more people to read your thoughts/remarks, put 'em at the top, make them the lead of the story!

Assuming this isn't a troll:
Top posting sucks. It is poor usenet etiquette and makes it difficult to follow multiple quotes. Don't believe me? Look around usenet. Bottom posting is SOP for functional groups.
Not quoting is even worse. Someone will spew out a response to another post without any context or indication to whom they are responding.
I think this is sometimes a WebTV or Google Groups artifact however.

OTOH good editing of quoted posts is important. Snip what isn't relevant to your own reply. If someone wants to comment on multiple points in another's post, I prefer that they address each point in the quote. Can make things muddy when a third and forth (etc.) poster want to reply.
Here ends this lesson. ;-)

Shawn
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: A suggestion for responding to posts on s.a.a.... please put the quotes at the bottom!
    ... I'd much rather see NO quoting or the quoted message put at the ... The bottom line: chaos will prevail. ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Re: posting
    ... heap of responses, counter responses etc. that I have already read. ... position that you're both top-posting and bottom-posting. ... And it's quite clear the universe of newsgroups you follow is pretty ... I see no merits in bottom posting at all. ...
    (microsoft.public.excel.worksheet.functions)
  • Re: Save a particular document format for all documents
    ... then click the "Default" button at the bottom left. ... Sometimes it takes a few responses before the best or complete solution ... > How can I save a particular document format for all documents the I ... > margins for all documents that I open and print. ...
    (microsoft.public.mac.office.word)
  • Re: Cant mount cdrom
    ... violate several established norms of email quoting and netiquette. ... misleading, inacurate, or inappropriate information isn't helpful (if ... I try to be fair, frank, and brief in my responses. ... "Life," said Marvin, "don't talk to me about life." ...
    (Debian-User)
  • Re: Is this a difference between the oriental and the western?
    ... posts from technical people have gone at the bottom. ... But top-posters are Evil. ... top posting and the western bottom posting? ... The "CORRECT"way is to interweave your responses with the ...
    (alt.usage.english)