This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/BF.2ADIAE/5002.3.1.1.1.2 Message Board Post: "Re" means "in regards to" or "regarding (what was written before). In this sense, leaving "Re" on the subject lines of replies makes very good sense. We don't need a "Rule" to follow standard business practice and standard practice English grammar practices. In the sense of English grammar, we are following an English grammar rule to use or leave "Re" in replies. This is the main reason Boards have this little feature programmed in. It has come to mean "in reply to" more in internet usage (Reply= "Re"--ply). Maybe this is where people get confused about the Re on Boards. I feel it is appropriate to add additional explanation AFTER THE ROOT part of a subject line. For example:: The 1st message says: Norfolk, VA McClures -- and they generally ask if others have a McClure family in that area. The "root" part of the subject is Norfolk, VA McClures No reason to keep saying Re: Norfolk, VA McClures ... ad naseum So my board might look like this (assuming all posts have in common Norfolk VA + McClure families)::: Norfolk, VA McClures re: Norfolk, VA McClures - Mary McClure married John Apple re: Norfolk, VA McClures - John Smith McClure b. 1812 re: Norfolk, VA McClures - date of 1st McCkure settlement re: Norfolk, VA McClures - Mary McClure Apple's children re: Norfolk, VA McClures - sorry, don't think we connect If a thread can be broken without losing the context of the other posts, I might try to break some threads. If the topic changes wildly, and it's possible to break the thread, I do break those. Judy