Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ginosko!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!netserv2.its.rpi.edu!sandro
From: sandro@itsgw.rpi.edu (Sandro Wallach)
Newsgroups: news.newusers.questions
Subject: Re: Signature files
Message-ID: <6870@rpi.edu>
Date: 20 Aug 89 15:19:14 GMT
References: <15046@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> <1937@prune.bbn.com>
Sender: usenet@rpi.edu
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
Lines: 109


All my usenet instincts cry against posting into the middle of a
flamewar, especially on the side against the "old hands", and even
against the side I used to beleive in.  HOWEVER, everyone seems to be
missing an important point.

Imagine you're at a Banana PC user's group meeting with 50 people.
You've met about 3 of them before.  Everyone sits in a big circle and
starts talking about their experiences, with some people asking
questions and a lot of people trying to answer them, or just adding
their opinions.  Each person talking is wearing a big name tag which
you glance at whenever you hear them; eventually you start to learn
names and figure out who gives good advice.

Now imagine everyone is wearing identical clothes, and everyone has a
paper bag of their head.  The ONLY way to tell people apart is their
name tags.  

Do you really believe you could remember who was who as quickly
without faces or clothes?  Do you really believe you could judge
people's statements as quickly, and know how much heed to pay them,
without associating the speaker their earlier statements?


I'm suggesting that signatures make usenet easier to use.  Signatures
make it easier to recognize people.  I'm proud of everything I post;
if you like some of my postings, you'll want to give my other postings
more serious consideration.  And if you dislike my postings, then,
too, you will remember me and be able to disregard my postings more
easily.

A signature is like a letterhead with a memorable logo and slogan.

I learned to recognize Rich $alz's postings quickly because he has such
a distinctive way of writing his name.  For him, "/r$" is enough of a
signature.   I'm having trouble remembering what Bill Weisner is like,
although his name does ring a bell.

Good usenet software, especially on a fast network, could do this all
much better.  But we don't have it yet.


Meanwhile, I think I agree that signatures usually should not contain
email information.  I'll sleep on that, and then maybe change mine.
Of course changing my signature will be like shaving off my beard or
Datsun changing its name; some people wont recognize me any more.
Still, if I keep part of it (like the slogan) I should do okay.
 
Newsgroups: news.newsusers.questions
Subject: Re: Signature files
Expires: 
References: <15046@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> <1937@prune.bbn.com>
Sender: 
Followup-To: 
Distribution: world
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
Keywords: 

All my usenet instincts cry against posting into the middle of a
flamewar, especially on the side against the "old hands", and even
against the side I used to beleive in.  HOWEVER, everyone seems to be
missing an important point.

Imagine you're at a Banana PC user's group meeting with 50 people.
You've met about 3 of them before.  Everyone sits in a big circle and
starts talking about their experiences, with some people asking
questions and a lot of people trying to answer them, or just adding
their opinions.  Each person talking is wearing a big name tag which
you glance at whenever you hear them; eventually you start to learn
names and figure out who gives good advice.

Now imagine everyone is wearing identical clothes, and everyone has a
paper bag of their head.  The ONLY way to tell people apart is their
name tags.  

Do you really believe you could remember who was who as quickly
without faces or clothes?  Do you really believe you could judge
people's statements as quickly, and know how much heed to pay them,
without associating the speaker their earlier statements?


I'm suggesting that signatures make usenet easier to use.  Signatures
make it easier to recognize people.  I'm proud of everything I post;
if you like some of my postings, you'll want to give my other postings
more serious consideration.  And if you dislike my postings, then,
too, you will remember me and be able to disregard my postings more
easily.

A signature is like a letterhead with a memorable logo and slogan.

I learned to recognize Rich $alz's postings quickly because he has such
a distinctive way of writing his name.  For him, "/r$" is enough of a
signature.   I'm having trouble remembering what Bill Weisner is like,
although his name does ring a bell.

Good usenet software, especially on a fast network, could do this all
much better.  But we don't have it yet.


Meanwhile, I think I agree that signatures usually should not contain
email information.  I'll sleep on that, and then maybe change mine.
Of course changing my signature will be like shaving off my beard or
Datsun changing its name; some people wont recognize me any more.
Still, if I keep part of it (like the slogan) I should do okay.
 
(my first       /\             //////sandro\\\\\\    For better or worse, it's
graphic        //\\ /\        ///sandro@rpi.edu\\\   easier to obey a rule than
dotsig-       ///\\//\\\\    /sandro@itsgw.rpi.edu\  to think for yourself.
Nature)      ////\\//\\\\\\\/sandro@rpitsmts.bitnet\            -Life In Hell