Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!rochester!udel!mvac23!thomas
From: thomas@mvac23.UUCP (Thomas Lapp)
Newsgroups: news.newusers.questions
Subject: Re: why all the disclaimers?
Message-ID: <66.UUL1.3#5131@mvac23.UUCP>
Date: 5 Aug 89 01:37:22 GMT
References: <11007@polya.Stanford.EDU>
Reply-To: mvac23!thomas@udel.edu
Organization: MultiVac23, Newark, DE, U.S.A.
Lines: 24

> Why does everyone feel the need to put in all these disclaimers?  - "my
> opinions, not those of the US government, blah blah blah". Does anyone
> suppose that anyone might suppose that newsgroup ramblings might amount to
> official policy statements by organisations? Has anyone gotten into trouble
> in the past over this sort of thing? Enquiring minds want to know.

One reason is so that people reading the message know what relationship, if
any, the poster and his opinions relate to his/her organization.  There are
several newsgroups which do post "official" information such as product
announcements and job postings.  You want to know if these people are just
posting something they read on a company bulletin board somewhere or whether
they really are the spokesperson for a product/idea/job.

Also, if you talk about a product or service, it is kind to let people know
if you are affiliated with that product or service so that they know if the
posting may contain "bias" or not.
                         - tom
==============================================================================
Internet: mvac23!thomas@udel.edu                     | Why wait for something
          or                                         | to happen, when, by
          mvac23%thomas@udel.edu                     | exercising the rights
uucp: {ucbvax,mcvax,psuvax1,uunet}!udel!mvac23!thomas| you have, you can MAKE
Location: Newark, DE, USA                            | it happen?
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