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From: rh@mit-eddie.UUCP (Randy Haskins)
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: Objection to annonymous postings
Message-ID: <3232@mit-eddie.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 3-Dec-84 22:11:22 EST
Article-I.D.: mit-eddi.3232
Posted: Mon Dec  3 22:11:22 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 4-Dec-84 19:58:26 EST
References: <1875@nsc.UUCP> <639@pucc-k> <6188@brl-tgr.ARPA> <373@grendel.UUCP>
Organization: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 34

I find all of the following annoying:
1. Anonymous postings
2. Alteration of the header info
3. Signatures that are frequently longer than the articles
4. No signatures at all

Now, I'm not a serious guy.  In fact, there are probably a bunch of
people who don't think I'm ever serious enough about anything.  But
there's no need to have to be funny in the header or signature.  If
people want to be funny, be funny in the article.  If you shouldn't
be funny in the article in the particular group, then why should you
be funny in the header or signature?  As far as anonymous postings
and lack of signature, I just have this little thing about me:  I
like to have some handle on the person I'm "listening" or "talking"
to.  I realize that I'm not going to have a good picture of a person
just because I know their name, but when I see names, I can associate
messages and their tones with names, and after a while, I know how
people feel and think.  This is especially useful, since it gives
further hints as to when to exercise the 'n' key.  As much as I
am "into" computers, I am equally "into" people, so I want more than
a username to be able to associate with people.  The usual comments
about this being basically a new form of communication that the
social fabric doesn't know how to deal with apply here.  I actually
think it's pretty exciting to be involved in this new form of
communication that will undoubtedly be the shape of things to come.
That's why I think we should be a little more serious about some
things.  Think about what you do when you use the phone: if the
person you are calling doesn't already know who you are, you usually
identify yourself, right?  Why should this be any different?

(If there's no signature here, it's because something didn't read
my .signature file...)
-- 
Randwulf  (Randy Haskins);  Path= genrad!mit-eddie!rh