DR Brat

Yeah! Do we bring back the Guillotine? Any volunteers to be Madame Defarges, and sit beside it and knit?

Pat P

If you look above this is why I don't like bottom posting. I've done it as an example. I use Free Agent, and when I bottom post the previous posters info is at the very top, yet their post is at the bottom. It becomes very complicated when the threads are long with several posters.

...and like Catherine wrote, I really dislike the scolling that is involved in a long thread, so I often skip the entire thing. Yes, that's my perogative, and we all do as we feel. Thank goodness there are not newsgroup police :)

take care, Linda

However, what one person may deem necessary to the flow of conversation isn't always what another reader would find necessary. Sometimes although the quote and the response may be enough for those that author them to understand, those of us that may join/read the conversation part way in won't always be able to fully understand the context of the dialogue/argument, and are left searching archives to find the origination of the conversation. And as we all well know, there are some of us here that would rather jump into an argument based on snippage than on understanding the basis of the argument.

The argument for bottom posting is always about being able to better follow a long conversation, but I think that nearly anyone actually following the conversation over multiple days is going to be able to do so without having to reread old comments first. It's only easier because that is what we're used to. The problem with top posting isn't that it is more confusing and harder to follow--it is the exact same format as bottom posting, just in reverse order and without the need to scroll past old stuff to get to the new. The problem is when top posting and bottom posting are both done intermittently within the same thread. When I reply to a thread, I tend to follow whatever convention was used in the post I am replying to. The sticklers that insist on bottom posting after a thread has been top posted really irritate me.

Bottom posting was a good usenet convention back in the days when the internet and the people on it were less abundant. Now I find bottom posting an archaic tradition that doesn't meet the needs of today's usenet participant, especially for those that are regular participants (posters or readers) of "family" newsgroups, such as RCTN. It's simply too bulky and cumbersome to be effective in lengthy threads. Top posting, if done consistently, really is a more efficient method of posting. It's time for change!!

Not ashamed to be a top poster even though I just bottom posted, Jinx

On Fri, 11 Nov 2005 12:39:41 -0600, Jinx the Minx muttered something like:

My main argument against top-posting is that people who do it rarely trim ANY quoted text. A real pain to read if you're getting your feed through Google Groups, or reading a mailing list archive. But it's not worth arguing about; I generally just delete unread the posts that have more quoted text than new material, regardless of where they put their reply.

-Bertha

I often go back and reread old comments. Part of whether I do depends on how long and convoluted the discussion gets.

Ok. It's easier because it's what I'm used to. What's wrong with that?

Well, no. Top posters tend to just add what they want to in one lump. Bottom posters, in my experience, are more likely to distribute their comments, so it's not the same format.

For some of us, that's where our program puts our cursor when we hit reply. I try to put my answers where they make the most sense, so that if a post has been top posted to, I'll cut off everything but the most recent response and bottom post to that. It's what works for the way my brain works.

Top posting makes sense if someone just wants to make a quick reply, but if the conversation gets complex, I prefer to intersperse my comments so that they are in juxaposition to the paragraph to which they actually respond.

Personally, I don't think anyone should be ashamed of whether they top or bottom post. I'm used to a particular way and I find it easier to do and easier to follow. Not everyone agrees with me or sees it that way, and that's fine, but I'm certainly not going to be ashamed of doing something the way that it makes the most sense to me to do it.

Elizabeth

Heck no, no one should be ashamed of anything. It does appear that we all agree that what we are comfy with is what we like best. It seems to depend on the newsreader and how our brain works. So, I'm sure we will just carry on as we always have...doing whatever we want.

take care, L>Personally, I don't think anyone should be ashamed of whether they top

I do as well, so at that moment, scrolling up or down is hardly relevant. I just don't want to HAVE to scroll through dialogue I wouldn't otherwise need to reread, just to get to new dialogue in every single message.

Absolutely nothing! Not trying to denigrate bottom posters, just pushing for greater acceptance of top posters! Usually we are flamed for being ignorant SOB's on usenet, but there is a method to our madness!

More likely, but sometimes not to the benefit of the discussion. If not done properly, can be extremely difficult to follow. I won't name names, but there are some of us here that are horrible for that. I think interjecting comments should only be done when a succinct, cohesive paragraph will lose relevant point-by-point meaning. This is usually not the case for most discussions, however.

(snippage)

Now if I truly had my way, my newsreader would insert peoples' names in front of their dialogues instead of or next to the carats, like dialogue is scripted for a play. When there are many participants to a thread and snipping becomes rampant, it can be difficult to attribute the right comment to the right person. But alas, I don't think I have that much influence on the powers that be!

Interjecting, Jinx

Since I'm in the process of knitting a baby blanket that's 3/4 bramble stitch which is a big pain to do on fat needles, can I play Madame Defarge.

I've been called that by very many people over the years anyway.

Lucille

Back in the early 1990s, I knew a poster whose newsreader did exactly that. But that was back when most of us were posting using rn or trn on Unix based machines and people played with their software.

Elizabeth (I was also connecting at 14.4kbps and have no interest in going back to that)

I find I delete more if I top post than if I bottom post, to be honest. I agree with you - untrimmed posts are a real pain to wade through.

As are those forwarded jokes in email that haven`t been trimmed of the >>>>>. If they`re worth forwarding, they`re worth deleting those and generally tidying up! It`s amazing how many times they get forwarded without that being done!

Another moan, while we`re at it - I do get tired of all the boring filthy jokes/pictures I`m sent. I`m no prude, and don`t mind rude if it`s funny - too often they`re just filth for filth`s sake. Not particularly offended - just bored.

Pat P

Our local newsgroup is so pedantic about top posting, that if you top-post they actually killfile you! No wonder the newsgroup is dying!!!

Pat P

Hee hee! At the risk of getting a smack in the mouth, I`ll venture to say you`d be ideal! You have to get (or knit) one of those caps though!!!

Pat P

Been there, done that :*))))

On Fri, 11 Nov 2005 21:44:25 GMT, Pat P muttered something like:

Oh yeah, I'm no fan of any kind of "forward this to everyone in the world" schemes. Especially the "forward this urgent warning to all your friends now, you could save their lives!!!!!1" variety. Usually after I send the culprit the link to Snopes about their latest "warning," they either learn to check for themselves before forwarding, or they stop forwarding them to me. I'm such a spoilsport.

I think our peeves all come down to the same thing--we object to laziness in communication. If you can't bother to edit, tidy, check facts, or generally put a little thought into what you're sending, you clearly don't feel what you have to say is worth that minimal effort--in which case, why should anyone else think it's worth reading?

-Bertha

Jinx for Major GOW!!!!!!!

Sharon (N.B.) ...................................................................

I remember those days and how we thought it was blinding speed. At first that is!

Definitely one of us, isn`t she! ;-))

Pat P