Re: Requesting Posting Courtesy

[Kent Newton <KentN -at- METRIX-INC -dot- COM>]

On Thursday, March 14, 1996 10:08 AM, TECHWR-L wrote:
>>In the past couple of weeks, a few people posted messages to which I
>>would have liked to send a private reply.  However, I could not do so
>>because they failed to include their email address.

>This is incorrect. Every message sent to this list includes the email
>address of its sender. Some mail programs fail to display the addresses
they
>receive.

>I think the lack of courtesy, if any, does not lie entirely with the
sender.
>...RM

>Richard Mateosian                       Freelance Technical Writer
>Review Editor, IEEE Micro                  http://www.c2.org/~srm/
>President, Berkeley STC                  Copyright 1996 srm -at- c2 -dot- org

Richard is the second person to notify me that the list provides the
address of the poster.  However, the other person sent me that notice
through personal e-mail.  I would have sent this reply to Richard in
private; however, because of a corporate decision to use MS Exchange as
our mail program, I was unable to see his email address in the header and
he did not include it in his signature.  I'm sure I am not the only
person who is unable to see the e-mail address provided in the message
header because of the constraints of corporate choice in mail programs.

But beyond the technical difficulties of incomplete or incompatible mail
programs, let's liken e-mail to snail mail.  Sure, the name and address
of the sender may be on the envelope, but it is still proper (and often
expected) to put your name and address somewhere on the letter itself.
 Would you like to receive a letter with no signature or address on it?
  What would be your opinion of the writer?



Kent Newton
Senior Technical Writer
Metrix, Inc.
kentn -at- metrix-inc -dot- com