What you need to do is move up to a newsreader capable of threading. That way you
can read a thread from begining to end. Once you move into the modern era of
reading news you'll realise that it's far easier to read the posts when the
replies are on the top. It saves from scrolling to the bottom of each and every
post.


Alan Browne wrote:
: Craig Schroeder wrote:

: Alan... What is the root of resistance to top-posting? I'm asking in
: a manner of curiosity.

: example:
: A: Because it makes reading the sequence of posts difficult
: Q: Why?
: A: No
: Q: Should I top post?

: That is the standard example. Two nettiquette "standards" applying to usenet
: postings: 1) snip away irrelevant text; 2) bottom post (and/or interleave the
: replies).

: With my reader (Agent 2.0), it seems so much easier to read responses
: as they come up on the top portion of the message reading screen
: rather than scrolling down on the typically excessive quoting that

: Snipping is also encouraged. Not everyone has seen the thread from the origin
: (and may not be able to if it has expired). So an "in-order" posting is easier
: to follow for people who jump into the thread.

: Snipping helps reduce the post to the essentials. From time to time somebody
: will state (like you): "my reader does..." but that is pretty irrelvant, the
: reader has to start somewhere, and the top is as good as any for a text message
: editor (mine optionally will go to the bottom).

: seems to be common. I've already read the post that is being
: responded to and would rather not scroll down to a reply. Again, I'm

: Again, not everyone jumping in has seen the origins of the thread.

: asking in a cordial, inquiring manner and not trying to argue. If
: there is a logic behind top-posting that makes sense to me, I'll
: certainly change my ways.

: Bearing in mind that 98% of usenet statistics are made up on the spot, I'd say
: about 80% or more prefer bottom posting as it is intrinsically easier to read.

: In my opinion, snipping and bottom posting are politeness issues ... so it seem
: polite to actually read all of the other persons post, polite to make an effort
: to snip, polite to make an effort to make the entire message readable. This
: politeness is for the collective good and pays off for everyone over time.

: Some (not all) who top post have selfish motives. "Last word" syndrome and
: placing their sig lines near the top of messages in a thread. The sig line in
: this case bearing links to their web page. That such people usually have little
: of value to contribute doesn't seem to hold them back in the least.

: I'm a former sysop from before the common use of the Internet and
: likely developed a sensitivity to over-quoting as we were using long
: distance at 300 baud to hold Fidonet (and others) communicating costs

: been there.

: to a minimum. My off-line readers and editors defaulted to
: top-posting so this also formed my habit, I suppose.

: For e-mail, I prefer top posted replies, but that is usually between a limited
: number of people for a limited duration. Usenet postings more often can run for
: a long time, so snip/bottom helps.

: I guess I picked up the snip/bottom habit very early in my usenet days. I admit
: that this is an *issue* for me to the point that I become an irritating
: bottom-post advocate. I believe that in the end it saves everyone else time
: when I invest my time in making something more readable; therefore the same
: courtesy is desired from others.

: Cheers,
: Alan

: --
: -- rec.photo.equipment.35mm user resource:
: -- http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
: -- e-meil: there's no such thing as a FreeLunch.--

--




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