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Old March 8th 05, 04:48 PM
Andy Turner
external usenet poster
 
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On Tue, 8 Mar 2005 10:55:35 -0500, "Neil" >
wrote:

>
>"Andy Turner" > wrote in message
.. .


>> You're not on your own though Mary, it seems that most
>> top-post-whiners are afflicted with the same blinkered outlook that
>> leads them to believe that their preferences must be the only one and
>> that they're somehow at liberty to tell other people off for not
>> adhering to *their* preferences. The penny never seems to drop as to
>> why so many people regularly use top-posting and resist change. I
>> mean, would *you* change to top-posting if you joined a group where
>> most people did?
>>

>
>What's most interesting to me here Andy, is that you're arguing a point so
>strongly (the right for people to top-post if they wish), when you choose to
>bottom-post.


Sure, although I'd say that I tend to 'interleave' post rather than
bottom post. I break down posts into points and reply to them
individually, rather than putting all my text at the bottom. I prefer
this method since it reflects the way I like to write. However, it
won't suit everyone, so I don't expect everyone else to follow it.

I have been known to top-post when the nature of my reply (or even of
the thread I'm replying to), means that it makes more sense. Top
posting has its advantages (attributions make a lot more sense for
example).

But yes, as you say, I'm not arguing for top-posting at all, I'm just
saying that there doesn't have to be only one style of post, that you
can't try to enforce your own preferences on other people and you
certainly can't be surprised if they resist your request (especially
if you admit that you would ignore the opposite request).

It's simply a case of getting used to more than one style of post,
learning more than one trick as it were. Before long you won't even
notice what the style is, you'll simply read the text that was written
- and that is *surely* what we're here for.



> Also interesting is that the top-posting offender that sparked
> this debate, really doesn't care whether her posts annoy others, and
> doesn't appear to have sought to understand the background behind
> this thorny issue.


Nor should they really care. The problem at least equally lies with
those who choose to get upset by such trivial matters. The thing that
the TPWs have to get into their heads is that there is no right/wrong,
it's just different styles, different preferences. The huff that some
people get into about other people's preferences is quite frankly
bizarre. Do the whiners believe that top-posters are doing it just to
annoy them or something? Or, could it just be that they prefer that
style and find it easier?


I'd love to see top-post-whiners exercising the same kind of
ridiculous prejudice in real life and whining at people for having
different accents or other different preferences.



>It's true that some groups are more tolerant to top-posting than others, but
>I believe that if asked not to top-post (especially when cross-posting),
>that the request be honoured.


Personally I think it's extremely ignorant to make such requests of
total strangers. This is shown in the nature of the replies that such
requests are generally met with.



> For everyone's benefit, there is an excellent
> explanation of the history of top-posting and
> bottom-posting he
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-posting


Cheers. I'm particularly intrigued by one section since it reflects
what I've long since said - that the emergence and popularity of
top-posting is simply a result the changing demographics and usage
patterns of internet subscribers - in a nutshell I'd say "You can't
expect even usenet to operate like it did in 1985. Times have changed,
get with the program". Here's the quote:

"Objections to top-posting, as a general rule, seem to come from
persons who first went online in the earlier days of Usenet, and in
communities that date to Usenet's early days, among the most vehement
communities those in the Usenet comp.lang hierarchy, especially
comp.lang.c and comp.lang.c++. Etiquette is looser (as is almost
everything) in the alt hierarchy. Newer online participants,
especially those with limited experience of Usenet, tend as a general
rule, to be less sensitive to top-posting, and tend to reject any
argument against top-posting as irrelevant."




andyt

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