TOFU describes a quoting style with written communication in electronic media. The acronym stands for Fullquote for "“text above, down"”: The E-Mail begins with the answer ("“Top Posting"”), among them a complete copy of the quoted E-Mail including all headers and the signature follows in the text.

With the electronic correspondence there are different standards, how to preceding messages is referred. In particular within the range of the business E-Mail the TOFU style is far common, because it makes it for the receiver possible to reconstruct on the basis an individual E-Mail the entire past procedure. The netiquette recommends against it a consolidated quoting style. From preceding discussion contributions only individual sentences are quoted and marked by special indention characters. This style ("“Inline Quoting"”) quick relieved that vintages of large quantities of successive messages.

Written in newsgroup and Web forums contributions usually read as part of a longer, thematically limited, discussion thread (Thread) and. The process of a discussion can be reconstructed easily. Contributions in Threads can be read more simply, if they are short. As quotation few words are sufficient.

With the choice of the quoting style the context of a message is important. In the Usenet there is a clear standard: the netiquette with Inline Quoting. Also in Web forums and mailing lists this style became generally accepted mainly. With other forms of electronic correspondence TOFU is far common.

Example

Dear Oskar, is not correct nevertheless at all. 5 is correct. "  Greeting max of Oskar wrote: > dear one max, > > 2 + 2 = 4 > like everyone > > best one of greetings knows > Oskar 

Dear Oskar, Oskar wrote: > 2 + 2 = 4 is not correct nevertheless at all. 5 is correct. "  Greeting max 

Dear Oskar, you states, 2 and 2 is 4. "  That is not correct nevertheless at all. 5 is correct. "  Greeting max 

Criticism at TOFU

Criticism at TOFU arises usually when meeting one another users, who use this quoting style, with traditional representatives of the Inline Quotings (e.g. in the Usenet or in mailing lists). In the more traditional Internet in the course of the years a clear standard became generally accepted, the Inline Quoting. It is in detail described in countless FAQs. Unawareness or ignoring of these simple rules by beginners encounters with experienced Usenet or Web forum users resistance. Turned around the criticism encounters at TOFU lack of understanding, where TOFU is the usual form of uncomplicated May louse exchange between private people or companies.

Contentwise the criticism turns around two questions, order and range of the quotation. With TOFU only the coherent answer ("„text above "“) comes, then must the reader, if it the purchase of the answer is not clear, which complete quoted Originalmail rereads, over to find out on which is answered exact. Critics reject the second selection having, proponents estimate the second selection ability. With the Inline Quoting are quotation and answer into one another verwoben. Here is immediately comprehensible, to which statements refer the new arguments. With longer Inline quotations the user must scrollen perhaps downward, while with these however the Scrollen for the understanding of the answer is inevitable usually, must with TOFU up to the conclusion be always gescrollt. Some persons bezeichenen TOFU trailers as Quotionnazis. See in addition also Godwins law.

The range of the quotation causes more difficulties. TOFU quotes the complete Mail and inserts before each line an indention character. Thus grows longer discussions with, in which Mails Mails quote, which quote Mails, an unclear quotation tree on.

The length of the individual lines exceeds fast the standard window width (and also in papierenen traffic used width) of 70-80 indications per line. Thus develop fast Kammquotings, which are only with difficulty readable.

To the bad legibility of long quotation trees also it contributes that they consist to a large extent of Headern and signatures. Problems with the range of the quotation can be reached simply by purposeful deletion of contentwise redundant parts of the quotation. Thus renouncement of "„the Full ratio "“, the rough complete quotation.

Widens spreading of TOFU in E-Mail traffic

The far spreading of TOFU in E-Mail traffic is to be due to the rapid rise of the Internet users since center of the 90's. A large part of the many new Internet users took over those up to then as generally valid regarded standards only partly. Additionally TOFU was promoted by the usual E-Mail programs: If the answered E-Mail is inserted completely into the answer and the cursor is set to the beginning (as for instance with Outlook), is it being obvious that the user uses TOFU.

So is for instance in business E-Mail traffic TOFU the usual form of the answer. Here isolated quoting and commentating of individual sentences were felt as unusual or, similar as this in a papiernen business letter the case would be impolitely.

Since many employers regard with TOFU potentially connected out stretchers of internal Mailwechseln as problem, frequently to the end of the Fullquotes additionally a Disclaimer ("“this is intended a confidential message and only for the addressee"…"”) is added.

Emergence

Although the phenomenon exists "“Top posting"” already longer, it became only to 2. March 2000 of Gerhard "“H"” Wrodnigg in the newsgroup RK Usenet with the German acronym TOFU designates for the first time. After its creation this term spread very fast within and outside of Usenet.

Alternative one to TOFU

• Quotation in the text, instead of under the text ("“U"”). Inline Quoting is standard in the Usenet and in panels, where Threads can be reconstructed simply.
• Clear up quotation, instead of full quotation ("“F"”). Signatures, headers and other technical details delete. Kammquotings repair. Goes fast and makes happy the reader.
• Linguistic style means like direct and indirect speech use.
• Quoted Mails as appendix of file attach. The text remains clear, the receiver has access to the complete procedure.
• TOFU and "“Inline Quoting"” meaningfully mix: In part quotations, to which the following answers refer, in the text; the complete quotation (with date and author) at the end. Thus the context of the quotations remains comprehensibly, at the same time the necessary quotation length in the text is above minimized.

Related links

• http://einklich.net/usenet/zitier.htm - quoting in the Usenet
• http://www.afaik.de/usenet/faq/zitieren/ (= learn.to/quote) - as I quote in the
• RFC 1855 - Netiquette Guidelines
• http://home.in.tum.de/~jain/software/oe-quotefix/ - "“ratio-fixed"” for Outlook Express

Articles in category "TOFU"

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