[CentOS] Top Posting -- [OT] YAET (yet another ettique thread)

Bryan J. Smith thebs413 at earthlink.net
Thu Dec 29 20:59:48 UTC 2005


Jim Perrin <jperrin at gmail.com> wrote:
> Let's not forget your mispelling of 'etiquette'

I majored in engineering for a reason.  ;->

>, use of acronyms,

Which I reguarly define/expand, but people seem to miss if I
don't re-define them at every part of a post, or within the
last day.  ;->

> diet,

I'm verbose in e-mail.  That's the side effect of being a
writer -- both technical and non-technical (although that's
not under my real name).  Especially the non-technical
composition, which preaches colorful use of verbs, indirect
phrases, etc...  There's nothing wrong with direct
statements.

At the same time, there is something to be said for someone
who details something from start-to-finish -- answering just
about any question anyone might have.  I do it for the
original poster, maybe 1-2 other people at the most -- which
means the overwhelming majority of the list doesn't
appreciate it, and many find it "insulting" like I'm "talking
down to them."  That's the difference between knowing a group
in e-mail and knowing someone in-person -- in-person, you can
quickly gage what the level of familiarity of the person you
are conversing with.  Even for groups, you know the audience
of the group -- whereas a list is all over the place
(especially for a single list).

Also, this list is archived, and it shows up in Google -- and
I get those thanks almost daily.  ;->

> generally cordial demeanor in email, blog, etc.

Of course, I'm the dude with the 'tude in e-mail, blog,
etc...  I write e-mail/blog entries at 45 wpm (I literally
pumped out a 7,000 word in under 3 hours).

If you want professional writing, then you'll find my "net 5
wpm" in CMP Media and MacMillan publications.  I'm sure my
writing style even in technical publications, a by-product of
non-technical composition education, effects my clarity when
I'm cranking out 45 wpm like here.

> Always willing to throw gas on the man with the lit match

At 45 wpm, you get the raw BS, without the benefit of body
language, tone, etc... that often results in things being
taken the wrong way and quite as unintented.  But yes, I need
to work on making sure I don't do that in e-mail.
 
> Here's to joking and hoping that Bryan doesn't own
> firearms.....

In know it was a joke, but seriously, why would I pull a gun
or do anything to you off-list?

Despite the fact that many people have taken things outside
the lists in my time, I've always been there to help people
in-person -- even those people who hate me and use every
avenue to discredit me.  My absolute all-time biggest critic
has been a person I've saved regularly over many, many years
in his in-person, professional life.  But eventually I
realized, as others did, that the more you help him, the more
he feels the need to discredit you in public to save his own
face.

-- Bryan "Yeah, I just added more BS to this YAET" Smith


-- 
Bryan J. Smith     Professional, Technical Annoyance                      b.j.smith at ieee.org      http://thebs413.blogspot.com
----------------------------------------------------
*** Speed doesn't kill, difference in speed does ***



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