repyling - quoting - continued

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jake
  • Start date Start date
J

Jake

Also, is there a way to reply so that I can get the original message in the
right place at the top of the email so I don't have to edit, cut and paste?
 
In
Jake said:
Also, is there a way to reply so that I can get the original message
in the right place at the top of the email so I don't have to edit,
cut and paste?
Click to expand...

Well, "right place" is subjective, and in email (as opposed to usenet) 'top
posting' is far more common and usually preferred. I don't know that you can
get Outlook to place the cursor at the bottom of the replied to text, at
least not natively.
 
Jake said:
So top posting refers to?

in message
Click to expand...


As Lanwench said, it [top-posting] is used in Usenet (aka newsgroups) but
where bottom-posting is the de facto standard (Microsoft groups users are
used to top-posting because that is what Microsoft stuck them with as the
behavior in OE). You already used top-posting in your reply post to
Lanwench because you put your reply at the *TOP* instead of at the bottom.

OE can now be made to bottom post using a registry hack which was described
in SP-2 for Windows XP (read Microsoft's KB article #886340) so you need to
be using Windows XP and apply SP-2. Yeah, I know, it is the extreme rare
few that ever bother reading about what changes or fixes are provided within
a service pack.

Note that top- and bottom-posting is just one aspect regarding how to reply
to posts. When replying, you should include some of the post to which you
are replying (because your reply may show up on a user's NNTP server before
the original post shows up) but usually you should not include all of it.
Trim off the garbage from the quoted portion in your reply. Unless you are
replying to everything in the original post, just include enough to provide
context to anyone else reading your reply.
 
Thanks, I was looking to find out about a good email response as well? What
should that look like, are there any tools to make it easier to reply
properly?
Is that supposed to be bottom or top posted?
Vanguard said:
Jake said:
So top posting refers to?

in message
Click to expand...


As Lanwench said, it [top-posting] is used in Usenet (aka newsgroups) but
where bottom-posting is the de facto standard (Microsoft groups users are
used to top-posting because that is what Microsoft stuck them with as the
behavior in OE). You already used top-posting in your reply post to
Lanwench because you put your reply at the *TOP* instead of at the bottom.

OE can now be made to bottom post using a registry hack which was
described in SP-2 for Windows XP (read Microsoft's KB article #886340) so
you need to be using Windows XP and apply SP-2. Yeah, I know, it is the
extreme rare few that ever bother reading about what changes or fixes are
provided within a service pack.

Note that top- and bottom-posting is just one aspect regarding how to
reply to posts. When replying, you should include some of the post to
which you are replying (because your reply may show up on a user's NNTP
server before the original post shows up) but usually you should not
include all of it. Trim off the garbage from the quoted portion in your
reply. Unless you are replying to everything in the original post, just
include enough to provide context to anyone else reading your reply.
Click to expand...
 
Jake said:
Thanks, I was looking to find out about a good email response as well?
What should that look like, are there any tools to make it easier to reply
properly?
Is that supposed to be bottom or top posted?
Vanguard said:
Jake said:
So top posting refers to?

in message

Well, "right place" is subjective, and in email (as opposed to usenet)
'top posting' is far more common and usually preferred. I don't know
that you can get Outlook to place the cursor at the bottom of the
replied to text, at least not natively.
Click to expand...


As Lanwench said, it [top-posting] is used in Usenet (aka newsgroups) but
where bottom-posting is the de facto standard (Microsoft groups users are
used to top-posting because that is what Microsoft stuck them with as the
behavior in OE). You already used top-posting in your reply post to
Lanwench because you put your reply at the *TOP* instead of at the
bottom.

OE can now be made to bottom post using a registry hack which was
described in SP-2 for Windows XP (read Microsoft's KB article #886340) so
you need to be using Windows XP and apply SP-2. Yeah, I know, it is the
extreme rare few that ever bother reading about what changes or fixes are
provided within a service pack.

Note that top- and bottom-posting is just one aspect regarding how to
reply to posts. When replying, you should include some of the post to
which you are replying (because your reply may show up on a user's NNTP
server before the original post shows up) but usually you should not
include all of it. Trim off the garbage from the quoted portion in your
reply. Unless you are replying to everything in the original post, just
include enough to provide context to anyone else reading your reply.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


E-mail is like telephone calls or writing: you acquire professionalism and
skill with use. How you compose your mail depends entirely on the audience
you target for them. You could Google on '+"e-mail" +rules' to find
http://www.emailreplies.com/ but that suggests style based on your mails
sent in a business environment. That is not the same environment as when
jotting notes off to your buddy who just sent you an e-mail saying the party
got moved from Joe's house to Mary's house where you don't need to really
quote anything and can just send back a "Okay, party moved to Mary's. Be
there. Thanks." Googling
(http://www.google.com/search?q=+"e-mail"+%2Brules) turns up lots of
articles like
http://ezinearticles.com/?E-mail-Protocol---12-Simple-Rules-to-Stay-Connected&id=98875.

Since e-mail is personal communication, and since the originator already
knows what they said, they are usually most interested in the new material
and don't need much, if any, context with quoted material. So put the new
stuff (your reply) at the top and quote only enough to provide context, if
any is needed. The longer you wait to reply, to more likely that you should
quote something to provide context for your reply.
 
Back
Top