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Subject:(Possibly OT) Can I quote you? From:kcronin -at- daleen -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 2 Apr 2002 07:36:42 -0700
This may or may not be pertinent (like much of what I post), but I had a
thought today that I'd like to bounce off some of the great minds in the
Continuum.
It's not uncommon for students to occasionally happen upon this list,
sensing in it a good reference resource (or maybe just some people who
might be willing to do their homework for them). Many of these students'
inquiries could be easily answered by perusing the archives. Indeed, one
recent inquiry could be answered primarily by going through some of Deb's
previous polls. I assume many of us point this out to those who post such
queries. It's not a blow-off; it makes good sense, and forces the student
to do some actual research.
But to what extent can/should they use such archival information? Can they
quote us? Our opinions have been made public by the fact that we've posted
them here. Is it therefore acceptable for a student to write something
like, "One writer, a Keith Cronin from Layoff City, Florida, remarked that
'Information Mapping is utterly fabulous,'" even though I did not say this
to the actual student doing the research? (If this is the case I shudder
to think of what might be done with some of my sig lines.....)
I do not really object to this concept, but I wonder if some of us might.
Or is that simply part of the responsibility we assume when we post to
this sort of public forum?
I guess more than an ethics question, it's an issue of legitimacy: are
opinions stated in an Internet bulletin board "quotable" as academic
research? What do you think?
Keith Cronin
who had to work SO hard yesterday to resist the temptation to post an
April Fool's rumor about Andrew Plato being sighted at an Information
Mapping seminar, where he was heard to ask countless questions about fonts
and formatting....
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