message etiquette

I've noticed that sometimes, when people reply to a message, they 
include or "quote" the entire message.  Other times, they don't
quote any of it.

When you quote the entire message, your reply becomes more
difficult to read.  Also, the message gathers multiple
copies of the instructions to leave the list.

On the other hand, when you don't quote any of it, it
can be difficult to understand the reply, because you
don't know to which message it pertains. 

My suggestion is to quote just enough of the message to
provide context.  People reading this should have access
to all of the messages, so a hint is often enough.

You may wish to include substantial portions, but intersperse
your comments on a point-by-point basis.  This is a common
technique in email.

The over-riding rule is to give some consideration to
how your message looks when someone else is reading it.
Things are a little different with a mailing list than
with email between two people.  People may read the
messages in a different order.  Just try to keep the
readers in mind when you compose your message.

Thanks,
   George


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  George Dinwiddie                                  gdinwiddie at min.net
  The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span those hours spent in
  sailing.          http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Alberg30/
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