Re: Top-posting (was: Barracuda Networks is at it again: Any Suggestions as to anAlternative? )

[William Herrin <bill () herrin us>]

On Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 2:49 AM, Tim Chown <tjc () ecs soton ac uk> wrote:
> Well indeed, top-posting is just so much more efficient given the
> volumes of email most of us probably see each day.

That's true... if you're adding a trivial thought to an already concise thread.

If you're adding complex argument or information, or if the thread has
wandered into a wide topic, a top-posted message is often
incomprehensible. Without the context provided by posting inline, the
reader can't immediately tell what point or points you're responding
to.

That's why in lists like this one we intermix new thoughts with the
information they're responsive to. More, bottom-posting is just a
subset of inline posting in which we're only responding to one
element.


> But I'm afraid times have changed; bottom-posted email is now an annoyance
> to most just as a slow-loading web page would be.

Then you're doing it wrong. You're supposed to trim the original down
to just the context that clarifies your response. That's the other
problem with top-posters... nobody trims, so if I want to understand
what they're attempting to say I have to scroll down, read all the
previous messages and then guess which part they're replying to.

Usually the lazy top-poster hasn't said anything worth that much effort.

Regards,
Bill Herrin


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