Re: [Hampshire] Benefits of top-posting?

On Fri, Nov 23, 2007 at 11:08:25AM +0000, Dr Adam J Trickett wrote:
> Everyone at work top posts and it drives me mad trying to figure
> out what they are saying on complex emails, but everyone also says
> it's the norm, and question why I bottom post.
>

In a corporate environment where _everyone_ else top posts and uses
Microsoft OutHouse, I will revert to that also. If I mail companies for
support and they reply top posted, I will also top post back. Especially if
it is a conversation between me and one support individual.

> * It's easy for short answers where you are answering to the subject
> line, and there is pretty much no content.
>

Also corporates seem less bothered about the crap below your reply. You can
reply and leave a hundred further mails below yours and nobody seems to
care. Unlike a mailing list where disk space and bandwidth are issues, where
we generally ask people to trim.

> * It's lazy/easy because it's the default behaviour of Lookout.
>

It's not lazy, it's just the default so people use it. Many people in
business have no clue what "top posting" or "bottom posting" means. They're
not being lazy by not trimming, they're just doing what is the accepted norm
as you say.

> However I can't really see the point as it stands. The people who like
> to top-post what is the benefit to you, why do you do it?
>

I want people to read my mails, so I conform.

Cheers,
Al.