This way people who didn't see the original message, or don't remember it, will know what you are refering to. Please do not quote more than is necessary from the message you are replying to. You want to include enough of the original message to give your reply context, but not so much that it becomes tedious to wade through. Also, lots of unnecessary text wastes memory and time - some folks are still paying by the minute for online access. Don't carry on personal conversations in public.
Some email lists generate dozens of postings each day.
Postings to CMML should pertain in some way to children's music. More Information For more about email lists, netiquette and email in general, you may want to follow these links. I have to admit I haven't had time to look all these sites over carefully myself.