On 20 July 2013 07:36, mac <ammonius.grammati...@gmx.co.uk> wrote: > On 20 Jul 2013, at 03:48, Steven Roberts <cwmbranmathstu...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > So, has anyone else been too worried about using the wrong protocol on > here? > > This issue is a hardy perennial. There seem to be two worlds: one that > maintains the original and ancient traditions of the early internet, and > puts replies (preferably only plain text) below the original post; and one > - containing the majority of the commercial, business and government world > - that follows conventions introduced by Microsoft, and replies in HTML > above the original. > > Here, we are hard-core traditionalists: plain text replies below original. > We sometimes have to remind people to do it. >
I see it more as a case of using the right approach for the context you're in. I exchange email every day with a mix of people who all have different preferences in that respect. So when I reply, I take two factors into account: What is my reply about? Am I replying to individual point in the original email or is it a general reply to the overall content? Who am I replying to and what is the context of the conversation? Is it a conversation between me and a small group of people or is it a conversation with a large group of people some of whom I don't know? Based on the answers to both questions, here's what I do: - If I reply to individual points in the email, I always post inline and delete the parts of the email I am not replying to. If my recipients are used to top-posting, I will prefix the whole thing with "see reply inline below" or words to that effect. - If I reply to the whole email in a conversation with a small number of people I know (like my own team), I will top-post because I assume they've followed the discussion so far and don't need to refer to the original email to understand my reply: therefore top-posting mean that they get the information they need at the top of the message. - If I reply to a mailing list or any conversation with a large number of people, I will post inline to ensure that the people who haven't followed the conversation know the context. That's the basics. After that, I may sometimes adapt what I do to other factors. For example, when replying to an old conversation in a situation where I would normally top-post, I may post inline instead to ensure that the recipients are reminded of the subject. Or to summarise: there is not "one true way" to do it, just do what you think is right based on context, taking into account both what you are replying to and who you are replying to. Thoughts anyone? Cheers, Bruno
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