[Wylug-discuss] List Etiquette: Top Posting vs. Bottom Posting

[Mark P. Conmy]

On Sun, 28 Oct 2007, David Holden wrote:
> On Sunday 28 October 2007, Mark P. Conmy wrote:
>>
>> If people don't want to take the time to correspond, I'm not going to be
>> a fascist about it though, I'll just ignore it.
>
> So your too busy to read posts that are not formatted how you want and
> I won't reply to list where I'm going to be reprimanded for being too
> busy to format them according to how someone wants them formatting.

It's not like that...quite.

My position is this.  We all have preferences.  I don't get to tell you
you're wrong and you don't get to tell me I'm wrong.  When a debate is
opened, however, I think it's fair that I should explain why my
preferences suit me and (IMO) make more sense.  That doesn't force you
to agree _or_ comply.

The separate issue is participation.  Take TV programmes, for example.
There are some very popular programmes that I thoroughly dislike.  Some
of them just don't appeal in content, some I don't like the format.
Even if 99% of the country likes the format of a particular show,
doesn't mean I have to watch it.

So it is with mailing lists/threads/whatever.  And I don't flatter
myself that my (non)involvement matters one whit.

My comment was simply that when I find an individual/thread/group too
much work, I stop reading.  That's my prerogative.

> By the way its not just an issue of this list in isolation, I've been pull up
> for bottom posting on other lists.. so now my thought process is - so amongst
> the couple of hundred lists I'm on which format do these folks like...

The cynic in me asks why you don't take the hint. ;-)

Joke - honest.

> What a productive thread this is turning out to be..

But it _is_ if people would put away their flamethrowers.

Mark