From: desiree@netcom.com (Desiree Champagne)
Subject: Baseless Opinions (was Re: Oxymorons, and other important trivia)
Summary: It's the weekend you can't miss
Organization: Monster Truck Motor Fest
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 18:52:58 GMT


In an article (find the references yourself) Carp sez:

>The problem arises not in the data, but in the interpretation of that data.
>For example, suppose I flame Des.  What does that say about me?  Does it say
>that "Ed is a jerk", "Ed is just reacting to Des' post.", "Ed is having fun",
>or even "Ed is seeing how outrageous he can be"?  I don't think that a
>conclusion can be reached, given the data and the nature of the data. 

	The interpretation of the data is dependent upon the reader.
Four different readers will read your posts and come to four different
opinions of you.  It is the nature of the beast.  

	Now a reasonable person will understand that the net is a 
one-dimensional creature and not base their entire opinion of you upon 
what you may say.  But what you say *any time* on the net will give people
some little piece of information about you which they will use to start
formulating an opinion of you, as a poster.

> Even
>more significant, since one knows usually very little about the folks who
>post, how can *any* inference be drawn at all?

	When one posts, they do offer up something.  They are showing an
aspect of their personality.  I know that a lot of people have inferred
that I am angry, hostile person, for example, by what I write and my
style.  When I post in an angry, hostile manner, I am showing an aspect
of my personality.  Is it the overriding part?  I won't tell.  

>  Any opinion has a good chance
>of being wrong, so why go to the trouble of integrating the data when the
>data is so sketchy, subjective, and open to more than one interpretation?

	Anytime you post, you have to remember that the reader will always
draw conclusions and form opinions of you based upon what you write.
It's part and parcel of posting in an public forum.  If you don't want
people to form an opinion of you that is probably incorrect, don't post.
Now, of course, in an utopian world people would never form opinions of
others based upon such incomplete data -- but we all do.  Even in 
face-to-face interaction we do that -- whether we realize it or not.
Ideally, though people don't set rigid opinions of others based upon
incomplete data.  Opinions (I prefer the word assessments) of others
are subject to change as new input is provided.  

>Oh, just in case you wanna know, I flame Des occasionally just to give her a
>hard time.  No offense meant.  Unlike others, I don't take much I read here
>very seriously (but exceptions have been known to have been made)  :)

	So from this I can draw the conclusion that you post just to
have fun?   I've just drawn a conclusion based upon what you wrote (granted
it was a direct statement), but do you see how you do provide enough
data by posting to allow the reader to draw conclusions?  Taking it one
step further and drawing an assessment of you from it:  Ed likes to
flame just for the hell of it, he doesn't pass up the opportunity to
mildly slam somebody else, but he'll cover his ass by using a smiley
and putting in a mild disclaimer, just in case he's wrong.  In simple
terms:  Ed's a wishy-washy fellow. 

	See?  I've just formed an opinion of you based upon what you
said.  Right or wrong, I did it.  Every reader will do that -- generally
on a case by case basis.  If you generally post in the same manner,
people will start to believe that their first opinion was accurate 
and will then assign you that label.  If you care about that, then
it is up to you as the writer to make sure that more aspects of your
personality show when you write.

	As an infamous net.personality once told me:  "Anytime you post
you will offend somebody.  Everytime you post you will have people making
assumptions about you and your character -- it is up to you to make sure
that you write things so that the reader sums you up in a manner that
you desire."  It was great advice -- thanks Dan'l!

Desiree