Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site mit-eddie.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!rh 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