Re: Nettiquette Breach

[Kim Ballard <ballardk -at- MACE -dot- CC -dot- PURDUE -dot- EDU>]

Bonnie (I think) pointed out that flaming someone on their first post
is hardly a friendly invitation. I, too, was flamed on a first post to
a list, and, unlike Bonnie, I never participated in another
converstaion on that list again, despite a number of posts coming to
my defense. I sent the folks who defended me individual thank you
notes and posted a few responses to the flame to clarify my position.
(Actually,because the flame was so offensive, I never admitted that I
had accidentally posted to the wrong list so that, in a sense, the
objection (not necessarily the flame) was valid (I did mention that my
post was a first, btw).

So, having experienced flames myself, and knowing that I always reread
my messages before sending them and now sometimes check the headers
(which may be one reason I don't participate as actively as I'd like
in all the lists I read), I want to clarify to the person whose
initial post was about mechanical errors that I was not trying to be
rude or unwelcoming (is that a word?) In fact, the post reminded me
that one of the lists I read, a K-12 statewide list, suggests that not
proofreading or using the spellcheck available on that network is a breach of
nettiquette. Many of the folks on that list (adults as well as
students) claim that the spellcheck is used as an educational tool.
And some of the students dearly love to find that their teachers have
forgotten to proofread or spellcheck. Every once in awhile students
will point out some teacher's or adult poster's error with unrestrained
glee.

Got to stop this post now because I *do* want to reread it!

Anyway, first time poster whom I may have accidentally flamed, I'm
sorry if you (or anyone else) felt I was picking on you. Please feel free
to point out anything about this list you want. Or to explain why you
find it so useful.

--
Kim Ballard
Purdue University
ballardk -at- mace -dot- cc -dot- purdue -dot- edu