From ynottnaro@yahoo.com Mon Sep 23 22:23:55 2002
Subject:Re: Posts and Language

Thanks Bruce! I'll try and be a little more cautious
and / or vigilant! Keep up the good work.

tony
--- Bruce Wahler wrote:
> Hi Tony,
>
> >PS....I got censored by the group for some
> >reason...I'm not sure what I said that was wrong,
> but
> >it said it was sexual discrimination. Am I missing
> >something??? I would have thought it was the
> "slut"
> >comment icw Joey, but Bruce was able to send that
> to
> >me no problem, so I'm not sure what's up. If
> anyone
> >has a clue, clue me in, cuz I'm REALLY NOT trying
> to
> >offend anyone. THANKS!
>
> Yeah, my reply got to the group, but it bounced from
> one of the members, probably because I sent the
> reply with a verbatim copy of your paragraph.
>
> All,
>
> This might be a good time to caution everyone about
> the wording used in the emails. This list tends to
> run like a bunch of friends sitting around chatting
> at a party or something. As such, there is a
> certain amount of ribbing, name-calling, and the
> like in the posts that are acceptable between
> friends. That said, there are three issues that
> counter what I just said. None of this is directed
> at Tony or anyone else in particular; it's just
> something to think about:
>
> 1. Sometimes, self-effacing humor and comments said
> in jest don't translate well onto the printed page.
> The author can come off looking like a jerk, a
> bully, or even offensive. Smiley faces (emoticons)
> help to put things in context, but even they don't
> have enough range to cover all the bases. Read over
> your comments before pushing the Send button, to see
> if there's another meaning that might get read into
> your post.
>
> 2. Certain words that are considered offensive can
> be used in particular situations among close friends
> without creating offense. Be aware, however, that
> once you publish these words, the "among close
> friends" pretty much disappears. In a group as
> large as this one (475+ members), it's risky to
> assume that everyone else understands and accepts
> the context.
>
> 3. Some of our members use company email accounts
> to receive their posts. This opens up a whole new
> world of issues involving harassment, offensive
> materials, etc. The fact that you might say
> something to a friend in private has little bearing
> on whether his/her employer would allow the same
> comments in a work environment. And many companies
> consider all email sent to a work account as the
> "work environment." Please keep offensive and
> risque terms out of your emails when possible.
>
> I realize that this whole thread smacks of
> censorship and PC, two concepts that are distasteful
> to this author. (That's "political correctness,"
> not computers. I don't hate computers -- OK,
> sometimes when they crash I do.) Sometimes, though,
> the concepts that they represent have to be
> acknowledged, especially with a group as diverse as
> this one.
>
> Regards,
>
> -BW
>
> --
> Bruce Wahler
> Design Consultant
> Ashby Solutions™ http://consult.ashbysolutions.com
> CloneWheel Support Group and HiNote moderator
> 978.386.7389 voice/fax
> bruce@ashbysolutions.com
>

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