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From: dan@oresoft.uu.net (Daniel Elbaum)
Newsgroups: news.admin
Subject: Re: Two Points of Netiquette
Message-ID: <1989Sep6.185147.11108@oresoft.uu.net>
Date: 6 Sep 89 18:51:47 GMT
References: <1989Sep6.015314.16485@algor2.algorists.com>
Reply-To: dan@oresoft.uu.net (Daniel Elbaum)
Organization: Oregon Software, Portland, OR
Lines: 51

In article <1989Sep6.015314.16485@algor2.algorists.com> jeffrey@algor2.algorists.com (Jeffrey Kegler) writes:
:As a point of netiquette, everyone should bear in mind that given some
:sort of personal attack, or an attack on a business, the attacked
:party will almost inevitably reply, and the result will not be good
:for the sound to noise ratio...
:
:There are two ways of joining a debate.
:
:Method A: "When you published X in your magazine, it raised great
:questions in my mind about its policies and general quality."
:
:Method B: "Article X is typical of why your magazine is a rag."
:
:I do not question the right of someone to start this debate, but using
:Method A makes life easier for all of us.

    These two methods differ only in that B uses metaphor and A uses
lots of extra syllables.  They are both attacks which characterize
the target according to the author's impressions.  Such attacks provoke
responses in kind, initiating heated exchanges of opinion without
bringing light to bear on the subject matter.

    If you have a beef with a statement contained in article X, or
with the style in which X was written, or with a percieved bias
behind statements in X, address those points directly without
bringing in such noisy and noise-generating waste as your opinion
of the magazine.

    If you have a beef with the magazine, then talk about that,
keeping your scope limited to those aspects of the magazine which 
strike you as wrong.  Criticize the magazine if you want to improve
it; otherwise, express yourself in alt.flame.


:You might also consider using Email and awaiting that person's reply,
:in case he has a ready, satisfactory answer, or your point might not
:be of that great general interest.  This will almost always be the
:right thing to do first.

	Hear, hear.

:-- 
:Jeffrey Kegler, Independent UNIX Consultant, Algorists, Inc.
:jeffrey@algor2.ALGORISTS.COM or uunet!algor2!jeffrey
:1762 Wainwright DR, Reston VA 22090


-- 
Spa link snot the temper tent, a few cannery doubt lowed.

({uunet,tektronix,reed,sun!nosun,osu-cis,psu-cs}!oresoft!(dan)@oresoft.uu.net)