Messenger by default "quotes" the original message when doing a reply. This is standard Internet procedure and is generally considered a courtesy to the recipient.

To Reply to a message: Select the message to which you wish to reply Click on the either the Reply button or the Reply All button. In the case of responding to a message sent to several recipients (such as the "everyone" group at Oakton), choosing Reply means that your response will only go to the person who originally sent the message ('John Smith,' in this example). Choosing Reply All means that 'John Smith' plus everyone who received the original message will receive your response. After choosing Reply All, the header on your reply composition window will look something like this:  It's usually not a bad idea to double-check the header to make sure you're sending only to the people you mean to. If you see anyone (or any group such as "everyone@oakton") listed that doesn't belong, you can simply select the name and delete it.     Tab to the composition area (if the cursor isn't already there) and type in your reply to quoted message. When ready, click on the Send button

Netscape Messenger
Forwarding Messages

To Forward a message: Click on the header of the message you wish to forward Click on the Forward button on the toolbar. A composition window should appear Type in the name of the recipient(s) you wish to forward to Tab to the composition area and type in anything you wish to add to the original message.

Note: With the composition area open, you may not see the contents of the message you are forwarding. The default setting is not to show the original message in the body. Whatever you type in the composition area will, when the recipient reads it, precede the contents of the original.