Responding to emails or pms

Have you ever received a reply to an email or private message that you initiated and found that the person had responded underneath, rather than above, your original message? It always catches me off guard, and I think, "Oh, they accidently hit send before responding" (something I often do, LOL).

So, why is that? While I am not saying the other way is **wrong**, at least in my world, it is the far more unusual way of answering. I just wondered why that person does it that way, and if it has something to do with using a different email program than mine?

Any thoughts?

Just today I was cleaning out my hotmail inbox and found one or two like that!!

I work with a woman whose reposnse is even harder to find....she often relpies in the text of the orginal email. Now she is usually doing this to answer my questions, but change the color or something!!!

Oh dear - I think that is how I always do it:o For the most part - I do NOT like my part of the converstaion repeated and so I generally delete everything on my reply before I type - but when it is something I am responding to - I leave the other person's part first.

I know when I am having a longer conversation - I like to go back and re-read what I wrote before I read a long reply, to refresh what it is they are saying. Mostly I save my e-mails for awhile so I can do this -- but Yes, I do leave the other part I am replying to at the top:o

I like to keep the same email going for awhile...so I can go back and reread when I need to. My daugher always starts a new one and it drives me crazy. A lot of times she answers something I asked and it doesnt even make sense because I have forgotten the question..lol
But yea, my MIL does that sometimes so I know to always scroll down to see where she typed..She is 70 years old and does good with the computer and is self taught, so I am just glad she can do it.

I just thought of another reason I either delete or leave the original at the top...:D

Have you ever gotten an e-mail and thought it was nice and long and excitedly start reading...then discover over half of it is your original at the end?? :p

I think that is why I either delete everything (no repeats), edit the mail I am responding to so it only has certain portions left - and then start my own message under it:rolleyes: Mostly, I prefer to NOT leave any original in my e-mail.

Now PM's are usually short so I sometimes leave the original in them but yes, I start typing underneath:o I never really thought of much "e-mail" ettiquette:D

Debbie, I love you, BUT...that is one confusing way to respond to an email!!! :D

Here - did I get it right now??:D :p

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Originally posted by Cataholic
Debbie, I love you, BUT...that is one confusing way to respond to an email!!! :D

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I know what you mean. Having the new part AFTER the old part is super hard to find especially when YOU answer on top of that! :eek: then everything is out of sequence.

I know that somewhere in the program (for email) you can choose to put your anser to a letter before or after. So obviously both must be acceptable (albeit confusing) :p

Uh oh! :rolleyes: That's how I've been doing it on pms! :o

I don't do this in emails, but in posts and PMs I reply underneath. In most of my PMs, I don't even include all of the replies sent back and forth, but if I do, I have to post underneath. It's just like a post. When you quote something, and you post underneath it so people know what you're commenting on. I think of that when responding to a PM. It drives me crazy to see the text on top of all the replies. :p

I have gotten a few e-mails and PM's that way and also thought at first, did they forget to respond, then I scroll down.......there's the response. :D Then I respond back on the top again. If the e-mail goes back and forth a few time, all mine are on top all their's on bottom. Really makes it hard to keep up with the conversation. lol

The one that really bugs me is the one who types in my e-mails. If I ask a question like hows so and so, they always type the answer right under my question. The whole e-mail goes that way. For everything I say they respond right under it. Drives me nuts.

I usually do mine after or without the original message, simply because i'm saying something in response to it. As in, they said something first, and I say something afterwards. I never thought of doing it the other way around and I think it's weird that way.

On another forum, when you quote or PM someone, your message automatically goes under the original message.

It's an option under e-mail preferences in your e-mail program to include the original message (or not) in your reply and to put your reply at the top or the bottom of the message It's easier to read the reply at the top because what you're reading is the latest information and you don't have to plow through miles of e-mail headers to get to the reply.

I've noticed that AOL people generally do not include the original message in their replies which drives me nuts! I get and respond to so much e-mail that if the original message isn't there I have NO idea what they're talking about or what the original message or question was about. Makes it MUCH harder to correspond.

Good netiquette also suggests using the bcc field to avoid the miles of e-mail headers on forwarded e-mails.

Some newsreaders and newsgroups (anyone here do newsgroups?) prefer the current response at the bottom but I find that confusing.

Yep, that has happened to me so many times, and I found it rather confusing too. I thought the person had forgot to type up a reply, until I scrolled down. :D

Debbie, I think it was you who did this to me....he he he. :p

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Originally posted by RedHedd
Good netiquette also suggests using the bcc field to avoid the miles of e-mail headers on forwarded e-mails.

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Funny you should mention that. Nothing like opening 10-11 forwards just to read a joke you have seen 5 other times. I don't understand why people don't just forward the last email, either....

Ok RedHedd - now you have hit on *my* pet peeve. I HATE forwards unless they are something new and funny or have to do with kids, pets - something like that. BUT, :mad: why can't folks delete the addresses?????? Have you ever waded through ten batches of emails where the message was already forwarded?? Plus, everytime somebody forwards me something along with a zillion other addresses - think how many folks now have MY e-mail address. ARGH!! It only takes a second to delete all the crud at the headers and forward the good part (if there IS a good part) and sens it via BCC!!! That is why I now have several e-mails. One for internet transactions, one for folks who like forwards and one for people who I only e-mail with.

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Originally posted by RedHedd

Good netiquette also suggests using the bcc field to avoid the miles of e-mail headers on forwarded e-mails.

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Now - back to the original purpose of this thread - isn't it ODD to have the part I am responding to down here?? :rolleyes: :p

I delete the original message when I reply like that.

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Originally posted by sirrahbed


Now - back to the original purpose of this thread - isn't it ODD to have the part I am responding to down here?? :rolleyes: :p

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I think on a message it board it makes sense to have the part you are quoting above what you are responding to. Many people are reading it, and by reading the quote first and understand what you are responding to.

But to me, it makes more sense in an email, if the original is included, to have it below the reply. Why? I guess cause that is the way I have almost always gotten emails. I guess when I open an email, I expect to see the new first?

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Originally posted by Cincy'sMom
But to me, it makes more sense in an email, if the original is included, to have it below the reply.

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I am just being a brat:) I never gave it much thought until I read that *I* was doing it the annoying way:p

I gotten a email once.. one of those really stupid ones that have a bunch of

<
<
<
<
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those stupid things.... they drive me up the wall...
i do not know why people add those things for. :rolleyes:

anyway,, i always start a new one or delete the old text off... i know i dont like scrolling half a mile down a page to find the parts i want.

Well first let me say in my emails & pm's I respond on top, but in my posts I do it at the bottom. Just seemed like the right way to do it:)

I don't usually forward much mail because I don't like getting alot of junk so could some please explain what the bbc means in your email...I always wondered that:confused:

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Originally posted by anna_66
so could some please explain what the bbc means in your email...I always wondered that:confused:

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bbc means Blind Carbon Copy. The person receiving the email sees only their address at the top, and doesn't know who else the email was sent to.

I always respond underneath the original and I delete everything except the part I am responding about. To me, it is extremely confusing to have the response above the original because I don't know what particular part the person is respoinding to! Although I understand it is confusing if the unneccessary parts of the email are not deleted.

Also, in a PM, if you respond above the original, everytime you add a smilie it ends up at the end and you have to cut and paste to put it where it belongs.

I've gotten some long emails from people with lots of questions in them. In that instance I respond like this:

>> Original question. <<

My response.

>>Second original question.<<

My response

>>Third original questions.<<

My response.

That way the person receiving knows exactly which question I'm responding too.

I really think deleting all portions of unneccessary email is important. If the correspondence goes on for awhile and no one deletes anything, the email gets longer and longer - which takes up more bandwidth and more memory on your computer - and it's all unneccessary!

I usually delete the original message, just to make my reply not to long. But when I do not delete it, I always write my reply on top!

I delete the original message and then type my answers. I can't stand to have all that clutter from previous emails there. I also HATE it when my email address is forwarded to tons of people I don't even know.

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Originally posted by chocolatepuppy
Uh oh! :rolleyes: That's how I've been doing it on pms! :o

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Me too :o guilty as charged :o

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Originally posted by Cincy'sMom
bbc means Blind Carbon Copy. The person receiving the email sees only their address at the top, and doesn't know who else the email was sent to.

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Thanks Amy:) So now this means when I type a few different address in I also type them in the bbc section? Is that right?

I rarely leave the original message in a PM, but if I do, I write underneath it - just like when you quote something. In my opinon, what you refer to should be on top.

Concerning e-mails, I mostly post a new reply, but I can see the point of leaving the recieved text there, if it's business related - or if you're really in a hurry.

I'm usually so happy to hear from one of my friends that I pay no attention at all as to where their response is, top or bottom! :o

Regarding emails from AOL people, I think that when they reply to an email, it automatically doesn't snow the original message. I've noticed that quite often. Forwards from AOL are a pain, too, because you have to open window after window. I usually delete those forwards! :o

If I am replying to a PM someone sent me, I reply underneath - to me it is the same as quoting someone's post in a thread. If the PMs have gone back and forth in conversation, I only keep the very latest reply quoted and delete the rest.

In e-mails, I'll reply above the person's message to me. Again, if it has been going back and forth in conversation, I'll only keep the very latest e-mail response and delete everything below - my old messages included.