Neil wrote:
I received a message in another newsgroup saying that I shouldn't
top-post my replies. I always top-post, because I feel it's easier
for the reader to see the reply,
Sure, but what about all the readers for whom it is not a reply? If I ask a
question and you top post an answer that's great for me. For someone who comes
along later and sees only your post they have to read it backwards.
One thing that is certainly true is that top posting is easier for the poster.
Saying that it is easier for readers is at worst disengenuous and simply
incorrect at best.
(newsnet posts are not merely a conversation between two people)
Do you guys agree or disagree or don't care?
The biggest problem with top posters is that they don't trim down to the
specific quotes they are replying to. Leaving a huge quoted thread in a post
with a few comments at the very bottom is just as bad or worse than top posting.
Many assume that how the thread looks in their interface is how it looks to
everyone else and don't consider how the thread looks days or weeks later. You
can't assume that the whole thread is being read in real time with memory of
previous posts helping out.
To me it is a bigger deal in discussion threads. If an initial post is a
question that can be definitively answered in a single response then having that
response be top posted is not such a big deal. Longer threads get to be a mess
real quick with top posting though. Of course one never knows when a simple
question/answer thread is going to turn into a long discussion thread.
Ultimately the conventions of the group are what should be followed (if it has
any).
--
Rick Brandt, Microsoft Access MVP
Email (as appropriate) to...
RBrandt at Hunter dot com
