Re: Top posting
Here's my take:
One of the *BSD newsgroups I subscribed to used to be pretty nice. Not too much traffic, helpful people.
The last time I went online to ask a question (after some years of absence), and followed up on that question, some @#$@#% started whining about my top posting.
Which totally turned me off the newsgroup.
The important thing is : It's the content, stupid.
The value of web forums, newsgroups, mailing lists is content : information and knowledge.
You can bottom post all you want, but if the content is garbage, your post is worth zero.
If you have good info to share, and if you top post, I don't care. The info you are sharing is worth it.
Some anthropologist in the future will study the evolution of newsgroups, forums and mailing lists. My personal observation as a participant in such environments since 1993 is that these environments ALL evolve into personal fiefdoms one way or another if intolerance is allowed to fester and grow.
Some minority of users will always try to impose their unspoken rules, regulations and preferences on newcomers. I have even encountered a case where I was asked to change my NAME. Because some one else had the same name and an old timer on the list could not tell us apart (he was too lazy or stupid to look at the email address).
So top posting or bottom posting? It's like pornography: if u don't like it, don't read it. But please don't impose your morality on the rest of us.
Ben
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