Re: What is Top-Post???

[Kent West <westk@acu.edu>]

Daniel L. McGrew wrote:
> Please explain to me what top-post is???
>   
It's when your reply to an email is at the very top of the message.

It's just backwards from the way you read everything else in the world
(in English, that is), and is largely the result of Microsoft email
clients (Outlook, Outlook Express) defaulting to that position, thereby
training an entire generation of computer users THE WRONG WAY of
replying to email.

Your reply should go below the material you're replying to,
interspersing your replies as necessary to multiple items. As in:

 > I write this Topic 1 item.
Your response to Topic 1 goes here.

> I write this Topic 2 item.
Your response to Topic 2 goes here.

> I write this Topic 3 item.
Your response to Topic 3 goes here.

This way, when someone else joins the conversation (such as someone
searching the archives), they can start reading at the top of the email
and read downwards, just like they read every other document they've
ever come across their entire life.

You should also trim out excess, non-relevant material. (See how I
trimmed out your sig, and the email you included at the bottom of your
top-posted message?)

Also, on this email list, people generally don't want you to CC: the
people who wrote whatever you're replying to. CC:ing them causes them to
get two identical copies of the same email (notice how you only got one
copy of this message? That's because I did not CC: you). Just reply to
"debian-user@lists.debian.org", and they'll get the message without it
being duplicated. (Some people want CC:s, but they'll request them in
such a case.)

-- 
Kent