From: tstpcc@gwunix1.gwu.edu (Paul C. Chemmanoor)
Newsgroups: alt.culture.kerala
Subject: Posting tips.
Date: 23 Dec 1992 13:05:26 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu


                       The Rules of Posting.
		       --------------------


I just wanted to put down a few things about what I 
consider is good style in a post.

I hope this encourages the silent ackers to attack their
respective keyboards with vigor. :-)

And I hope the more experienced ackers will forgive my 
powers of presumption, which is limitless to say the least :-)

1] When replying to an article always mention the person you 
   are responding to by name.

   It is always better to say "Mr X. said A,B, and then he concludes
   by saying Z! Imagine that."
   than to say "Someone said Z a few days ago."

   The advantage of taking this approach is that Mr X will get directly 
   involved in the debate and it may lead to a fruitful discussion instead
   of fizzling into repeated statements that are generalizations.
   Names allow us to focus on issues.

   If there are many people involved then use all their names.
   It is likely that you have forgotten their names by the time you
   wish to respond. Take the trouble of looking at the original 
   articles. On the newsreader rn this is easily done by using the
   'P' key, which repeatedly brings back the previous articles.

2] Always proceed logically from one point to the next,
   unless you are writing fiction [ In which case I prefer the
   opposite :-).] This gives the reader the impression that
   you have a clear case to present, and will probably hold the
   readers attention. 

   As you write make sure each statement follows from the previous
   in the natural order of things. If they dont start a new paragraph.

3] As in real life encounters, the whole point of discussion on the 
   usenet is to exchange views not to force the other person or persons
   to come around to your point of view.
   This is all the more so when it comes to opinions.

4] When you make a mistake and someone points it out, acknowledge the
   error and the person who pointed it out. 
   This is my way of saying "You cant argue with reality."
   This the toughest point to stick to, egos and pride always come
   into the picture and mess up the situation.
   This is were I have made most of my mistakes.

5] When the shoe is on the other foot, that is when you have the facts
   right and the other person is wrong do not rub it in his or her face.
   It is better to say "I think Q happened in the year Z not in Y."
   than to say "You must be crazy! in the year Y, even P had not happened,
   let alone Q. You sound as srewed up as your G.K."
   This kind of rebuttal is the source of most flame-wars on newsgroups
   noticeably on soc.culture.indian etc. 
   Thankfully on ack we havent seen much of this yet.

6] Never get emotional. Atleast avoid it as long as you can.
   Saying "I hate all men, my close friend Y was a dowry victim"
   or "Please, I appeal to you fanatics, please do not stab mother India."
   or "Women are only after money, they do not understand a man."
   is real bad.

   Chances are people will ignore your message and in turn will classify 
   you into a slot where they will leave you, marked as a "Tears for Fears"
   character. Perhaps this is because the vast majority of the people 
   reading this net have sensibilities that do not react kindly to emotional
   outpourings.

7] When including an article in your reply, delete all that you are not 
   replying to. And insert your comments after the portion of the article
   that are relevant to that comment, instead of including a large article
   and adding a few comments at the end. People will be grateful and will
   read your article, in addition to saving bandwidth on the net.

8] Avoid using all capitals for your message. On the newsgroup it sounds like
shouting.
Saying "DOWRY IS THE DIRTY KILLER." 
instead of "Dowry is the dirty killer."
will not help you get any friends.
To emphasize a word or phrase use asterisks.
Saying "Dowry is the *dirty* killer." emphasises
dirty quite well.

9] Keep a post short. My max limit for non-fiction is around
   250 lines. preferably 100 lines. beyond that people lose
   interest.

10] The final rule is to re-read your article for
    internal consistency, precision, tone and logical 
    progression before posting. 


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.    ~ ~                                                                  .
.    o o         signito ergo sum.                                        .
.     |       i sign therefore i am.               paul chemmanoor        .
.     =                                            washington d.c.        .
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