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From: jpn@teddy.UUCP (John P. Nelson)
Newsgroups: comp.misc,comp.unix.questions,comp.unix.xenix,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Questions without answers
Message-ID: <4840@teddy.UUCP>
Date: 4 Jun 88 18:24:52 GMT
Article-I.D.: teddy.4840
References: <50@uisc1.UUCP>
Reply-To: jpn@teddy.UUCP (John P. Nelson)
Organization: GenRad, Inc., Concord, Mass.
Lines: 37

>The trend is to ask a question, and then to finish it by saying "Please
>reply to E-mail/private mail

In my opinion, this doesn't happen OFTEN enough.

The correct "netiquette" for this situation is the for question asker
to say:  "please MAIL replies, I will summarize".  That way, there is
only ONE answer, instead of 10 duplicate answers (which in my opinion
are MUCH more boring than the questions).

USENET is not a BBS system.  There is as much as a week's delay from
one end to the other.  Try to remember that your answer may already be
old news.  If you MUST post a response, one good technique is to mark
the question as unread, wait a day or so, then come back to it.  If you
don't see any replies, you might just have something to contribute!

I almost ALWAYS mail rather than post an answer.  I feel that if
no one else answers the question publicly, and my answer is the best
of those mailed, then the questioner will forward my response to the
newsgroup.  About the only time I post is when I must correct a
WRONG answer that was posted!  Unfortuntely, it is the people who
really don't know the answer who are most likely to POST a response!

If you see someone ask a question that you would like an answer to,
simply send HIM mail, requesting that the answer be posted, or mailed to
you directly.

>Comments and Feedback encouraged, publicly to this newsgroup.

Because of this, my response is posted.  Otherwise, I would have
MAILED it.

-- 
     john nelson

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