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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!mark
From: mark@cbosgd.UUCP (Mark Horton)
Newsgroups: net.followup,net.flame,net.religion,net.news.b
Subject: Re: What to do about all these "quotes" of articles
Message-ID: <602@cbosgd.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 23-Dec-84 15:42:00 EST
Article-I.D.: cbosgd.602
Posted: Sun Dec 23 15:42:00 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 24-Dec-84 03:19:14 EST
References: <1308@eosp1.UUCP> <6730@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Organization: Bell Labs, Columbus
Lines: 29

If all you're doing is including the text of the article, verbatim,
you have no business even including it, at the beginning, end, or
anywhere else.  Sure, there's a chance the original article hasn't
reached the reader yet, but it's pretty remote, and not worth all
the extra transmission and reading.

The include-text feature is intended for two uses:  (1) to remind the
reader of the essence of the original article, in case it's been a
few days since they read it, and (2) to allow a point-by-point response
to the questions or statements made in the original.  Both of these
uses are even more valid for mail, but can be useful for news as well.

If you're going to include text, you have an obligation to edit it down
to the bare gist.  Often the point you are responding to is made in one
or two lines of the original message.  If the original message is very
short (say 4-5 lines) it's fair to include the whole thing.  It is NEVER
appropriate to include things like signatures or other text that has nothing
to do with what you are adding to the conversation.  Most text-including
followup commands automatically generate a line that says who posted the
original message, which is plenty to tell who said what.

Perhaps we should modify the followup commands to refuse to post a followup
that contains mostly > lines, for some suitable definition of "mostly"?
Maybe they could also generate the following line at the top of the message:
	Be sure to edit away irrelevent text, like this line.
This way, if this line is still there, people know some lummox posted it
and will feel free to ignore the message.

	Mark Horton