Post by Peter T. DanielsPost by Tony CooperPost by Peter T. DanielsHowever, Tony and I, and most others here, don't falsify the
past by selective editing.
Splork! Tony Cooper routinely removes parts of what he replies
to when he has no answer to what was in those parts.
That's called "snipping". It's exactly what is being advocated for
here.
No, it's called evading uncomfortable questions.
Post by Tony CooperNot all questions or points made have merit or are deserving of
response. You, more than anyone else here - are the source of
those questions and points that should rightfully be ignored.
You of all people are not qualified to decide what should be
ignored.
Should we elect somebody?
Poetry has turned to practical matters, so I want to state my position
on snippage. I consider it almost every time, and do it (when
convenient) to eliminate lines that are unconnected with my response. I
have a fairly inclusive view of what is relevant, so it may sometimes
seem to some people that I don't snip enough. Tough noogies: it seems to
me that they snip too much.
In these arguments about procedure (snipping, attribution lists, whom
one is allowed to respond to) I have seen again and again that the chief
source of contention is the difference in newsclients or other software
used, each poster pushing for the rules that go best with that poster's
equipment and reading habits.
I have my own set of those: my habit of cleaning up attributions to make
them readable stems from my interest, when reading, in knowing who said
what. I read messages here in their order of arrival, and my memory
often needs to be refreshed if the preceding post came in a day or more
earlier.
Mark B's attribution practice has been mentioned: I complained a time or
two about that, but stopped when I saw he didn't give a damn. Now I
remove the accumulated attribution marks from his "poster labels"
whenever I reply to him, and leave the post otherwise as it is. I think
they're marginally readable that way.
I'm not going to make any non-negotiable demands, but I think it might
help if people who dislike aspects of others' messages simply cleaned
them up to their own taste in replying.