Newsgroups: ont.singles
Path: utzoo!lsuc!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!neat.ai.toronto.edu!gara
From: gara@theory.utoronto.ca
Subject: asking out over the net
Message-ID: <89Feb20.002511est.38074@neat.ai.toronto.edu>
Keywords: use of this newsgroup, women posting
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto
Distribution: ont
Date: Mon, 20 Feb 89 00:25:06 EST

On reconsidering my posting about the bet Blaine made with me,
I realize that my posting was ambiguous.  My mention of Blaine's
bet could be construed as an invitation to ask me out.   So I
hereby state unequivocably:

	I do not wish to be asked out over the net.

When I said, "*IS* this what this newsgroup is for?"  I should have
added, "...because if it is, I'm in the wrong newsgroup!  Bye!"
So:
	A hex on Blaine for making the bet;
	A double hex on Blaine for starting this "asking out over 
	the net" business.

It's not for me to say, of course, but I feel that that is an 
inappropriate use of this newsgroup.  Should a person be looking to
meet people through this group, perhaps a personal ad posted here
would be a good idea.  (Maybe even someone would volunteer to be
a post office, so the postings could be anonymous.)  

I have heard it lamented here that not enough women post.  I've 
heard from a number of women (okay, a VERY SMALL number) who say
they read but don't post here.  At the time, I wondered why...
now I think I know.  I thnk we'd all like to see more women post;
that is more likely to happen if we make this newsgroup a 
comfortable environment for women to post in.  I, for one, feel
pretty *uncomfortable* right now.

-gara

P.S.  Of course, I don't think that open invitations, like to
TARTS, are at all inappropriate.  It's only the acronym I 
don't much like.  How about NTICE - Netters Tippling In 
Comfortable Environments?  Doesn't that sound more, well, 
enticing?
are at all inappropriate.