6 ms·

Why Bottom Posting Sucks

1 points by peter123 17y ago

RiderOfGiraffes 17y ago
I concede that scrolling through pages and pages of previously seen text on a small device, ony to get to the one new line that says "Yup - I'm on it!" is a strong argument for deprecating bottom posting. However, it's an even stronger case for applying some common sense in quoting. Why should you quote page after page after page, when quoting the subject, one line of context, and then your one new line, is not only enough, but time saving and preferable? The answer is obvious - people are simply too lazy. There is a less obvious (to me) answer. If it all goes horribly wrong, you can't be blamed if you didn't cut. If you quoted everything, you've covered your six. For most people the combination of making sure youdon't get the blame and not having to think is simply irresistable. Yup, long and pointless quoting is here to stay. Anyone with a workable replacement will have an overnight success, even if it takes 10 years to come.
- cperciva 17y ago
  I sometimes solve this problem with > Stuff I'm responding to... My response to stuff... ==== Original message follows ==== All the original content, including stuff I copied and responded to at the top of the message... This has the disadvantage that it creates two copies of the text I'm responding to; but in cases where I'm responding to one or two lines out of a much larger email (but where having the entire email copied can provide helpful context) it seems a small price to pay.
  - RiderOfGiraffes 17y ago
    I almost alwayswork in-line, cut the pieces that are superceded, irrelevant, agreed or otherwise unnecessary to this email, and keep it short. I hadn't thought of keeping all of the quoted original as a backup, because I don't bother to cover my six. If someone wants to call me out, as has happened, I quote the entire exchange and add a context-sensitive summary and commentary. I'll think about keeping the original, but for me, I don't think it will be relevant. Oh, and I up-mud you, so I don't know who down-mud you. I thought your comment added value, and I'd love to know why someone thought it did the opposite.
durdle 17y ago
Top posting. What's the most annoying thing on the internet?

1 points by peter123 17y ago

I concede that scrolling through pages and pages of previously seen text on a small device, ony to get to the one new line that says "Yup - I'm on it!" is a strong argument for deprecating bottom posting. However, it's an even stronger case for applying some common sense in quoting. Why should you quote page after page after page, when quoting the subject, one line of context, and then your one new line, is not only enough, but time saving and preferable? The answer is obvious - people are simply too lazy. There is a less obvious (to me) answer. If it all goes horribly wrong, you can't be blamed if you didn't cut. If you quoted everything, you've covered your six. For most people the combination of making sure youdon't get the blame and not having to think is simply irresistable. Yup, long and pointless quoting is here to stay. Anyone with a workable replacement will have an overnight success, even if it takes 10 years to come.

cperciva 17y ago
I sometimes solve this problem with > Stuff I'm responding to... My response to stuff... ==== Original message follows ==== All the original content, including stuff I copied and responded to at the top of the message... This has the disadvantage that it creates two copies of the text I'm responding to; but in cases where I'm responding to one or two lines out of a much larger email (but where having the entire email copied can provide helpful context) it seems a small price to pay.
- RiderOfGiraffes 17y ago
  I almost alwayswork in-line, cut the pieces that are superceded, irrelevant, agreed or otherwise unnecessary to this email, and keep it short. I hadn't thought of keeping all of the quoted original as a backup, because I don't bother to cover my six. If someone wants to call me out, as has happened, I quote the entire exchange and add a context-sensitive summary and commentary. I'll think about keeping the original, but for me, I don't think it will be relevant. Oh, and I up-mud you, so I don't know who down-mud you. I thought your comment added value, and I'd love to know why someone thought it did the opposite.

durdle 17y ago

Top posting. What's the most annoying thing on the internet?