TopPosting !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bart Silverstrim]

Chris wrote:
> On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:47:57 +0200
> Mario Vukelic <mario.vukelic at dantian.org> wrote:

>> In any case, you conveniently didn't quote the link to the Ubuntu
>> mailing list etiquette that specifically asks to bottom post, quote,
>> and trim the quotes. At this point I don't see how one can insist on
>> it being a personal preference, unless one deliberately wants to throw
>> courtesy out of the window.
>>
>>
> 
> 
> ... in which, there seems to be many that (want) do just that.

That implies intent.

After many years working with users and being on various lists and 
observing email usage patterns and IM usage, I've come to the conclusion 
that all the side "arguments" are really more like justifications for 
being lazy.

That's right, lazy.

Email is a substitute for instant messaging where the message, as far as 
the sender is concerned, will get to the other person later or at some 
point but they kind of expect them to get it and reply right away.

I get endless top-posted emails that are, essentially, brain burps.  A 
single sentence followed by a paragraph or two of previous content 
re-quoted.

Even better is when someone decides to hit reply to a previous mail to 
ask something TOTALLY UNRELATED to the subject line.  They just hit 
reply because it was from John and they wanted to email John something. 
  Blip!  They type one or two lines and hit send, even thought the 
paragraphs they include are totally irrelevant.

By top-posting they don't have to trim out crap.  I love seeing repeated 
"disclaimers" urging you to delete the message if you weren't the 
intended recipient, even though legally it means zilch.  Oooh...you're 
not responsible if the message was a virus?  Great!  Must make it true. 
  I'm glad you put all that extra crap in there.  Along with a clever 
seven-line sig.  And repeated this over and over for every reply you 
fail to trim out.

They don't have to edit, they don't have to carefully read...in essence, 
top-posting means they don't compose a message.

It means less effort, less thought, and the defenses they use for using 
it are a cheap way of saying they don't don't want to take the extra 
moments to create something that reflects they put some thought into 
making something make sense.

The only time I top post is when I forward something on to someone to 
say, "this is what I got...take a look at it.  Let me know what you 
think."  At that point, it's in my sent items, that's how I can search 
for it if I need to refer to the past messages (another common whine you 
hear for justification of top posting and neglecting to trim).  If 
anything it makes looking for back items harder since a search finds 
text in the original I want plus the one you quotes plus the one it was 
quoted again in and...!@#$%

Email is not mail.  It's a cheap substitute for instant messaging that 
people "Settle for" when the recipient isn't available via IM, and in a 
world where everyone is expected to be tethered to some kind of 
technological leash available to your whims at the push of a send button 
you kind of end up expecting this behavior we see now.

We're a lazy, self-centered species. I don't see complaining about this 
on a message forum is going to change people's nature.  Unless someone 
is going to sit down and actually take charge of the list and enforce a 
particular set of etiquette and rules, this isn't changing.  At most you 
can just ignore messages that top post regardless of whether you have 
the answer, or you start replying with your own message back to that 
thread saying you had the problem and solved it but don't want to waste 
your time sorting screwed-up messages.