Top Posting

[Ric Moore]

On Mon, 2010-12-27 at 14:19 -0500, Raeven Cogan wrote:
>  What is top posting and how can avoid doing it? I am sorry for asking
> such a simple question but I have never been part of a mailing list
> until now; thus, I have no idea what I am doing. 
> 

Just look at the other posters and follow the examples of replying. That
is always a good thing to do when entering a email-list ...check out the
lay of the land, so to speak. Top-posting is replying to the post with
your reply on top. It doesn't read well at all. The effect is like this:

Abby: "Smack it with a broom!"
Dear Abby: "There is a spider in my bathtub!"

The answer is before the question. Yet, a zillion Microsoft users do the
same thing in email. I can only conclude that they don't read
newspapers. For personal correspondence, it's supposed to be OK,
although I don't do that either. But, when your question is put to the
web for posterity, to be googled for and found, then that future user
will get a gumbo of literary confusion reading replies on top of the
original question. Ergo, I do not regard top-posting as evidence of
intelligence by the poster.  For further info, google will supply you
with many many page on the topic ...which is the second rule of the
list ... search first, ask second. Welcome! Ric

-- 
My father, Victor Moore (Vic) used to say:
"There are two Great Sins in the world...
..the Sin of Ignorance, and the Sin of Stupidity.
Only the former may be overcome." R.I.P. Dad.
Linux user# 44256