| From: | Fro <fro@***.AB.CA> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Admin: Formatting-- part of FAQ |
| Date: | Fri, 10 Jan 1997 20:44:31 -0700 |
and suchlike lately, so here's a little snippet from part II of the
ShadowRN FAQ. Please feel free to email me if you want the rest <g>
-Fro
Assistant Fearless Leader
------------------------------
Replying to previous messages
(adapted from a Frequently Reposted Message by Doctor Doom)
When one seeks to juxtapose one's own views with an earlier
message, i.e. reply to an anterior posting, one should:
1. Facilitate differentiation between original and cited
material by denoting text from the former correspondence
with initial line characters (">" and "]" being
typical),
rather than simply append one's own material at the end.
2. Quote, or cite, only those lines pertinent to your reply
or commentary, that is to say, avoid repeating the entire
message. With over 200 messages some days coming through
ShadowRN, this is extremely important.
3. Quote the earlier posting previous to insertion of one's
own script, RATHER than including the preceding post at
the end of your message. Hence, observers may see what
instigated one's reaction, and following that,
specifically what one's reaction or reply actually was.
In line with this is the popular procedure that
"intermingles" the respective texts, by which one replies
to specific lines of text individually, followed by
another citation, followed by more response material, and
so forth. And please, use a blank line between your text
and the authors, much easier on the eyes.
4. Indicate the prior posting's authorship by identifying
said message's originator at the beginning of the earlier
material, and not by the inclusion of the (typically)
multiple-line signature file.
I only mention this in interests of the greater good and due to
the fact that others have made similar complaints. It is poor
Net etiquette for those who choose to plow through the volume
of mail this list produces and to have to contend with such
obviously unnecessary verbiage -- especially those members who
must actually PAY for electronic mail service.
