RE: [compost_tea] Digest Number 894 re buch (and others)

From: Tom Jaszewski <tom_at_livesoil.com>
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2004 16:05:51 -0800

 

 

-----Original Message-----



You might find it easier to follow if you didn't simply reply and repost th=
e
entire digest!!

 

Your English is very readable!

 

Perhaps some Usenet etiquette should be used by all of us?

 

http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html

 

The Do's and Don'ts of Posting on Google Groups

The easiest way to learn what's acceptable on Usenet is by watching how
others use it. Once you've read a few hundred posts and witnessed a few
flame wars erupt, you should get a feel for what's appropriate and what's
not. To help you get there a bit faster (and to make sure you don't
unintentionally set off a flame war of your own), we've included some basic
tips that will help you fit into the Usenet community more easily. This
guide is adapted from the very helpful "A Primer on How to Work With the
Usenet Community" by Chuq Von Rospach. For a more complete guide to Usenet
posting rules, search on Google Groups for 'usenet posting rules' or just
<http://groups.google.com/groups?q=usenet+posting+rules&num=100&hl=en=
&lr=&sa
fe=off&meta=site%3Dgroups> click here.

The cheat sheet for posting on Usenet

* <http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html#human#human>
Never forget that the person on the other side is human.
*
<http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html#assume#assume> Don't
assume that a person is speaking for their organization.
*
<http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html#careful#careful> Be
careful what you say about others.
* <http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html#brief#brief>
Be brief.
*
<http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html#writewell#writewell>
Write well.
*
<http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html#descriptive#descript=
i
ve> Use descriptive subject lines.
* <http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html#think#think>
Think about your audience.
* <http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html#humor#humor>
Be careful with humor and sarcasm.
* <http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html#once#once>
Only post a message once.
* <http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html#mail#mail>
Use mail instead of posting a follow-up.
*
<http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html#summarize#summarize>
Summarize what you are following up.
* <http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html#cite#cite>
Cite appropriate references.
* <http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html#mark#mark>
Mark answers or spoilers.
* <http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html#limit#limit>
Limit line length and avoid control characters.
*
<http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html#advertise#advertise>
Please do not use Usenet as an advertising medium.
* <http://www.google.com/googlegroups/posting_style.html#avoid#avoid>
Avoid posting to multiple newsgroups.

Never forget that the person on the other side is human.

Because your interaction is through a computer it is easy to forget that
there are people "out there." Situations arise in which emotions erupt into
a verbal free-for-all that can lead to hurt feelings. Please remember that
people all over the world are reading your words. Do not attack people if
you cannot persuade them with your presentation of the facts. If you are
upset at something or someone, wait until you have had a chance to calm dow=
n
and think about it. Try not to say anything to others you would not say to
them in person in a room full of people.

Don't assume that a person is speaking for their organization.

Many people who post to Usenet do so from machines at their office or
school. Despite that, never assume that the person is speaking for the
organization that they are posting their articles from (unless the person
explicitly says so). Some people put explicit disclaimers to this effect in
their messages, but this is a good general rule. If you find an article
offensive, consider taking it up with the person directly, or ignoring it.=
 

Be careful what you say about others.

You read these posts; so do millions of other people. This group quite
possibly includes people you know and care about. Information posted on the
net can come back to haunt you or the person you are talking about. Think
twice before you post personal information about yourself or others. Postin=
g
personal information even in the most innocuous groups can be extremely
hazardous. If you don't want it known by a large segment of the world's
population, don't post it.

Be brief.

Never say in ten words what you can say in fewer. The longer you make your
article, the fewer people will bother to read it.

Write well.

Most people on Usenet will know you only by what you say and how well you
say it. Take the time to make sure your posting will not embarrass you
later. Minimize spelling errors and make sure the article is easy to read
and understand. Avoid the temptation to WRITE IN ALL CAPS when you want to
make a point. Writing is an art that requires practice. You are your words
on Usenet. Choose them carefully.

Use descriptive subject lines.

The subject line enables a person with limited time to decide whether or no=
t
to read your article. A title like "Car for Sale" posted to rec.autos
doesn't convey as much as "66 MG Midget for sale: Campbell CA". Keep your
subjects short and to the point.

Think about your audience.

When you post an article, think about the people you are trying to reach.
Asking UNIX questions on rec.autos will not reach as many of the people you
want to reach as if you asked them on comp.unix.questions or
comp.unix.internals. Try to get the most appropriate audience for your
message, not the widest.

It is considered bad form to post to a general interest group like
misc.misc, soc.net-people, or misc.wanted and then post the same message to
some other, more targeted newsgroup. If it belongs in the targeted
newsgroup, it does not belong in the broader one.

If your message is of interest to a limited geographic area (apartments, ca=
r
sales, meetings, concerts, etc...), restrict the distribution of the messag=
e
to your local area. Look for newsgroups targeting users interested in your
particular geographic region.

Be familiar with the group you are posting to before you post. You shouldn'=
t
post to groups you do not read, or post to groups you've only read a few
articles from - you may not be familiar with the ongoing conventions and
themes of the group. One normally does not join a conversation by just
walking up and talking. Instead, listen first and then join in if you have
something pertinent to contribute.

Be careful with humor and sarcasm.

Without the voice inflections and body language of personal communications,
it is easy for a remark meant to be funny to be misinterpreted. Subtle humo=
r
tends to get lost, so take steps to make sure that people realize you are
trying to be funny. The net has developed symbols called emoticons to help
convey emotions. A common one is :-) for a smiley face (look at it sideways=
)
which should be interpreted as 'this is meant to be funny'.

Be aware that frequently satire is posted without any explicit warnings. If
you find an article outrageous, ask yourself if it may be intentionally
inflammatory. Don't post a self-righteous rebuttal if you suspect someone i=
s
just fishing for users with low humor thresholds.

Only post a message once.

Avoid posting messages to more than one newsgroup unless you are sure it is
appropriate. If you do post to multiple newsgroups, do not post to each
group separately. Instead, specify all the groups on a single copy of the
message. This reduces network overhead and lets people who subscribe to mor=
e
than one of those groups see the message once instead of having to wade
through each copy.

Use mail instead of posting a follow-up.

Frequently, when someone asks a question, many people send out identical
answers. This leads to congestion and confusion. It's better to email your
answer directly to the poster and suggest they summarize to the network.
That way, others only see a single copy of the answer, no matter how many
people respond. Just click on the author's name in the article view to
launch an email form.

Summarize what you are following up.

When you follow up an existing article, Google Groups includes the full
article in quotes, with the cursor at the top of the article. Tempting
though it is to just start typing your message, please STOP and do two
things first. Look at the quoted text and delete parts that are irrelevant.
Then, go to the BOTTOM of the article and start typing there. Doing this
makes it much easier for your readers to get through your post. They'll hav=
e
a reminder of the relevant text before your comment, but won't have to
re-read the entire article. And if your reply appears on a site before the
original article does, they'll get the gist of what you're talking about.

Cite appropriate references.

If you are using facts to support a cause, state where they came from. Don'=
t
take someone else's ideas and use them as your own. You don't want someone
pretending that your ideas are theirs; show them the same respect. For
example, much of this FAQ was derived from a post that has been widely
disseminated across Usenet. You can find that post
<http://groups.google.com/groups?q=usenet+primer+author:netannounce%40des=
haw
.com&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&rnum=3&ic=1&selm=REPOST-8712.7341003418=
.Evz288.I0w%4
0tac.nyc.ny.us> here.

Mark answers and spoilers.

When you post something that might spoil a surprise for other people (like =
a
movie review that gives away the ending), please mark your message with a
warning so that readers can skip the message if they don't want to know tha=
t
particular detail.

Limit line length and avoid control characters.

Try to keep your lines of text to less than 80 characters for optimal
readability. If people quote part of your article in a followup, short line=
s
will show up better. Hitting return when you get to the end of the Google
Groups entry form will put a line break after each 80 characters.

Please do not use Usenet as an advertising medium.

Advertisements on Usenet are rarely appreciated. In general, the louder or
more inappropriate the ad is, the more antagonism it stirs up. Just think
how annoying it is to you to have your evening meal interrupted by a
telemarketer. The feeling is the same when someone posts inappropriate
commercial messages in a newsgroup. If in doubt, don't do it.

Avoid posting to multiple newsgroups.

Few things annoy Usenet readers as much as multiple copies of a posting
appearing in multiple newsgroups (called "spamming"). A posting that is
cross-posted (i.e. lists multiple newsgroups on the Newsgroups: header line=
)
to a few appropriate newsgroups is fine, but even with cross-posts,
restraint is advised.

 

 

From: Pierre-Charles Crozat [mailto:pccrozat_at_fastmail.fm]
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2004 1:38 AM
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [compost_tea] Digest Number 894 re buch (and others)

 

* This forum is very difficult to follow :
- because the subject of compost tea is very complex
- because the language is English (not a mother tongue for everybody)
- because the thread is sometime confused
.








Received on Mon Nov 15 2004 - 20:46:45 EST

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