Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ginosko!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!apple!usc!hacgate!ashtate!dbase!dveditz
From: dveditz@dbase.UUCP (Dan Veditz)
Newsgroups: news.admin
Subject: Re: The Dynamics of Debate on USENET
Message-ID: <265@dbase.UUCP>
Date: 29 Sep 89 20:41:05 GMT
References: <35033@apple.Apple.COM> <46115@bbn.COM> <35037@apple.Apple.COM> <1989Sep27.175601.5363@ladc.bull.com> <822@swbatl.UUCP>
Reply-To: dveditz@dbase.UUCP (Dan Veditz)
Organization: Ashton Tate Devlopment Center Glendale, Calif.
Lines: 22

In article <35037@apple.Apple.COM> chuq@Apple.COM (Chuq Von Rospach) writes:
>o Discuss the posting, not the poster.
and other good rules which I'm deleting since one of them was not to repeat

In article <822@swbatl.UUCP> uusgta@swbatl.UUCP (Tom Adams ISO 5-4237) adds:
>If what bothers you is [the] style,...spelling, grammar, immaturity, 
>pomposity [etc.] ...of the poster,... *use mail first*.

Everyone here in news.admin seems to agree with these guidelines of socially 
acceptable USENET behavior, but how do you 1) make all net-posters aware 
of these guidelines, and 2) make them follow these guidelines.

These are rules of civilized behaviour, while our society is becoming
less civilized.  We would be better for it if these ethics were adopted
in what passes for political debate in our country; with the example set
by our politicians' campaigns and by other leaders in our society, how
can we expect much better from USENET posters?

This is not to say we shouldn't try to improve debate on USENET -- it would
have good effects even outside the net if we could.  But it's a large problem.

Dan Veditz