[OT] Between the lines of the previous post.

[Richard Gaskin]

A post tells a story.

Conceivably, all stories could begin with the Big Bang, but for most 
stories the very beginning of all things isn't relevant to the point, so 
the storyteller trims the telling to the relevant parts.

With posts, I find it easier to read them when they're pruned to include 
only the relevant portion of the preceding comment.

If the author made a mistake and pruned too much, or I just want some 
further background on the top, the archives are always just one click away.

As for order, Citizen Kane and some other good stories are told well 
starting with the ending.  But few stories benefit from that.  I prefer 
to read a reply which includes the portion being replied to before the 
reply itself.

This also makes it easier to exercise judgement about pruning, since of 
course we want the reader to be able to move past the old stuff and get 
to the new stuff as soon as practical for the communication at hand.

-- 
  Richard Gaskin
  Fourth World Systems
  Software Design and Development for the Desktop, Mobile, and the Web
  ____________________________________________________________________
  Ambassador at FourthWorld.com                http://www.FourthWorld.com