OT: message formats

[P.M. van Nugteren]

How do you like to read your mail listers? Sometimes messages contain
discussions from up to four ppl or two ppl which have included several
replies with their own text in one message quoted, dubblequoted or even
triplequoted. Not exactly fun to read.

The point is that I would like to know how to write messages in the most
efficient way possible. And of course read such messages from others. 

If this topic is already covered or if there is a policy somewere on the
web please don't flame me but show me the right way.

Otherwise here are some questions;

What reads best and quickest?;

Replies between quoted lines or whole message of sender unseparated?

Replies first or after message from sender?

Ascii art yes or no?

Replies directly AND to the list or just to the list?

Original message quoted or orignal spaced more to the center?
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If anyone has got more questions than please post them I can't think of
anymore right now.

Problems I can think of are e.g. long download times for members so
double mail is actually a waste of bandwidth. Second many ppl don't have
much time or don't want to spend much of it, long messages will
therefore not be read accurately, shame because the sender obciously
needs attention. The difference between the amount of replies is
amaizing when I use just one/two lines or lot's of similar questions.
Third but not so relevant, shorts. For non-native English ppl things
like OTOH or IMHO are I guess very confusing at first but maybe I've
overlooked an important "shorts-webpage".

Thank you for your attention.

Regards,

Paul van Nugteren

(Holland)