At 04:50 AM 4/14/2010, Tom Azlin N4ZPT wrote:
Guess times change. Top posting is the standard on some reflectors. Especially with folks reading using small screens.
Doesn't bother me either way, provided people trim unnecessary quotes from their emails. I prefer things done in order, like this message, but as long as it's possible to follow the conversation, I'm fine with it. :)
In order of increasing annoyance:
Properly quoted messages with trimmed quotes. May be more than one part of quoted text with new comments following. - This is my preferred format.
Top posting with quotes trimmed - Also a good option, and probably the easiest for users of Outlook to manage.
No quoting at all - This can cause confusion, as there is no context.
Top posting without trimming quotes - Now we're starting to waste bandwidth, especially on mobile devices. However, this format is a good one when forwarding emails, and is in common business usage, where it is often the most appropriate format, e.g. "Can you please respond to this customer's query...".
Bottom posting without trimming quotes - This is HIGHLY annoying, especially for mobile users. People reading the email have to scroll through pages of quotes, to see anything new. And it's several times as many screens on a mobile device to get through all that crud...
Improperly quoted email - Emails where it is difficult to tell quoted material from new material (usually because of careless formatting) are particularly difficult to follow.
Fully quoted email, no new content - Why repost an email without commenting on it? A total waste of bandwidth, and a waste of the reader's time.
In all cases, quoting of mailing list footers is particularly annoying, as this adds no useful value.
Think of your readers. Email rules are changing, IMHO, and compared to traditional "Netiquette", you'll notice these tips are very open and flexible. :) We're certainly no longer reading email over a 300 baud modem, but our screen sizes may be _much_ larger (i.e. just about every desktop) or smaller (mobile devices) than the traditional 40x24 or 80x24 text only formats that were dominant back then. For some of us, mobile bandwidth does cost serious money.
73 de VK3JED / VK3IRL http://vkradio.com