-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Hi Alec,
@8-Oct-2002, 06:27 -0400 (11:27 UK time) Alec Burgess said: > <heresy> use OutlookExpress to create the one in a hundred where > you really want this </heresy> <moderator> <stock lecture> You're using the "top posting" reply format, one that I find awful (but I'm feeling more like Canute by the day on that score). It is called "top posting" because you let the quotes appear at the bottom and type your reply at the top. I have many reasons to prefer the "in-line quoting" method: o It is easier to follow points raised and counterpoints made when they are interspersed. With top posting you have to go from top to bottom to top again to review the context and work out what the post is about. o Following on from that, as you go through the quotes interspersing your replies and clipping the "fluff", you actually ensure that all points raised and questions asked are covered and that the quoted material is suitably trimmed. o The message format becomes a lot more conversational and thus more legible. o Rather than growing exponentially with each reply in a thread, the message size is kept reasonable and to the point. o Responses have immediate context rather than being a bolt out of the blue at the top of a message making you scroll down to re-read the original. When cut marks are used for signature this task is made even harder because the quotes appear in light grey italics for users of the TB Rich Text Viewer. I know there are some instances where top-posting is necessary - particularly in dealing with a technical support department where an issue may be passed around from person to person and the entire message chain needs to be kept live. I actually have a special template I use for such occasions. At all other times, I will still champion the cause of conversational email! :-). </stock lecture> As a result of top posting, your message includes all signatures and previous list footers of the message you are replying to - another no-no and this one is against the list rules. Please trim your replies. </moderator> - -- Cheers -- .\\arck D Pearlstone -- List moderator TB! v1.62/Beta5 on Windows 2000 5.0.2195 Service Pack 2 ' -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.0-nr2 (Windows 2000) iD8DBQE9orR0OeQkq5KdzaARAnF6AKCWPtVH+zDpfhJdMIQEUoAchvTwLwCfaGEs di78Nr5YW4ADw19usCfftpM= =sG8q -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- ________________________________________________ Current version is 1.61 | "Using TBUDL" information: http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html
