The message BAY16-F34232E3B64EA15CD3DDB37C53F0@phx.gbl from "Edward Taylor" manchicago@hotmail.com contains these words:
Sorry? Top posting is bouncing a topic in a forum so as to attempt to cause more intrest / arguments whatever without actualyl contributing or indeed paying attention to the discussion allready done.
I repost the whole of your message as it amply demonstrates all (or most of) the shortcomings of top-posted replies.
Firstly: One may or may not immediately put the reply into context without referring to the quoted text, but more usually, not. The first part of the quote at the top acts as a reminder, and a reference-point.
I really dont want to see alug become a moderated list. One of the benifits of alug is that its a free forum where issues / comments are always responded to quickly. Moderation will reduce both of these aspects.
No. I do my own moderation, and I tend to plonk habitual top-posters.
Replying below is anoying because it means you have to scroll through a previous email that you have allready read, especially where there (may) be multiple of those.
Overquoting is as bad as top-posting.
Culling of traffic is always good. Interleaving messages is always good.
I can't argue with that - nor would I wish to.
Yes you might post some complete crap to the list every now and then, and be embarrased, or indeed flamed about it. But thats all in the good spirit.
I really *DO* hope this is laced with heavy irony...
J
ps. this isnt really comming from my microsoft windows through hotmail account honest guv.
Of course not. Who ever said it did?
From: John Seago johnseago@two-ravens.org.uk Reply-To: John Seago johnseago@two-ravens.org.uk To: ALUG main@lists.alug.org.uk Subject: [ALUG] Blocking Posts to the List Date: Fri, 8 Apr 2005 16:41:28 +0100
To the best of my recollection some of the lists to which I am subscribed refer posts to moderation where the subject list is, "Re: Contents of main digest...", thus, in the main, catching posts to which one may have replied in haste, by simply hitting the 'reply' button. such a policy would have caught the post by Bob Dove.
Aside to Bob Dove, top-posting is placing you reply above the quoted material, the usual practice is to cut the quoted material and then reply underneath the quoted material, or to interleave them into the quoted material. see: http://www.catb.org/~esr//jargon/html/T/top-post.html http://home.online.no/~shughes/a57998/quote.html which may be of some help. -- John Seago GNU/Linux User #219566 http://counter.li.org AFFS http://www.affs.org.uk/
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When top-posting the temptation is to hit 'reply' and leave in *EVERYTHING*
Nuff'said.