top-post

1 definition found

top-post - Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) :

  top-post
   n., v.
  
     [common] To put the newly-added portion of an email or Usenet
  response
     before the quoted part, as opposed to the more logical sequence of
     quoted portion first with original following. The problem with this
     practice is neatly summed up by the following FAQ entry:
  
     A: No.
     Q: Should I include quotations after my reply?
  
     This term is generally used pejoratively with the implication that
  the
     offending person is a newbie, a Microsoft addict (Microsoft mail
     tools produce a similar format by default), or simply a
     common-and-garden-variety idiot.
  
     One major problem with top-posting is that people who do it all too
     frequently quote the entire parent message rather than trimming it
     down to those portions relevent to their reply -- this makes threads
     bulky and unnecessarily difficult to read and arouses the righteous
     ire of experienced Internet residents (this style is called "TOFU"
  for
     "text over, fullquote under", or sometimes "jeopardy-style quoting").
     Another problem is that top-posters often word their replies on the
     assumption that you just read the previous message, even though their
     perversity has put it further down the page than you have yet read.
     Oppose bottom-post.