Part of netiquette is that groups can create their own etiquette. Most
groups I've participated in expect bottom posting. Most expect the post
being responded to, or the appropriate portions, to be quoted. Here
it's been the writer's perogi. I do what seems appropriate to the flow
of the discussion. If someone wants more info, they can backread the
thread. It seems to work.

Gene

Gary Jacobson wrote:

I just learned that I am a "Top Poster". Most of us here are. It's
considered bad net-etiquette to post on top of what the last or another
poster wrote. Did you know that? I didn't, and despite what I've read about
top posting it makes sense to top post. It's easier to follow from poster to
poster when top posting is used. Perhaps within a single post top posting
can be troublesome as the reader has to scroll down.

I'm mostly interested in what the last person said, not the prior person.

At work I've argued for, and implemented putting the most recent record on
top of earlier records.

I've just reviewed some posts here. Some posters don't even include the post
they are responding to. Who cares? It still works.

I find that most of the Euro-posters avoid top posting but instead snip the
irrelevant parts of the post they are responding to and then insert their
thoughts after a quoted section of an earlier poster. This is considered
"proper". I do that only when I am "conversing" or responding line by line.

Could it be that we are a small group and developed a short hand way to
communicate? Like among good friends or in a marriage some of the formality
is discarded as unnecessary and inefficient. It's ok because of the
"closeness" with the person. Or maybe not. Maybe I've just been a clod. But
then so are you probably.

Maybe we're like "jazz posters".

Feel free to post on top of this, and don't feel the need to snip and quote,
but please help me understand why I was told not to top post in RBT. Maybe
because it's a bicycle group and there hasn't been a fight in a day or so?
(Actually I was told in a kind way off the NG)

Do you remove a hard wax when you need to put a softer wax over it? No- only
if it the wax will be too thick, or if there is some other good reason to
remove it. Do you put a hard wax over a soft wax? Not normally, and only if
there is a specific reason to.

Are we losing contributors because of our bad manners?

Gary Jacobson
Rosendale, NY