I'm not sure how on-topic this is for the GnuPG list, but it talks a little about online etiquette, and as such it may be useful to the list as a whole.
Andrew Berg wrote: > Robert J. Hansen wrote: >> In the universe of practicability, what he wants to do is not possible. > I know that. I just forgot to add that I know it. First, please do not quote private emails to public mailing lists without the original author's consent. Private emails may contain sender- or recipient-specific information which the original author would rather not see in a public list that maintains a searchable archive. Second, what you really forgot to add was a smiley. Psychologists have done a ton of studies on how we perceive others via email, and what they've discovered is that people overwhelmingly are awful judges of the emotional context of email, and they are also overwhelmingly awful about recognizing the fact they are awful judges. People read emails and feel great certainty about what the 'real' emotional context is. > John Clizbe wrote: >> Folks won't snicker behind your back that way. > Why would people snicker behind my back? I wasn't seriously suggesting > that he try to do it. In the absence of any contextual clues to make it clear you were joking, John was reading your message straight-up. When reading your message straight up, it comes across as being kind of ankle-biting. Had you added a smiley, or some note at the end to explain it was a joke, you probably wouldn't have received that reaction. All it amounts to is a joke (a) wasn't received by the intended audience and (b) the intended audience responded as if it was straight. This sort of thing happens tens of thousands of times a day on the internet. So let's all go back to our respective corners, and return a few minutes later with an appreciation for the expressive power of the simple, underutilized, smiley. :) _______________________________________________ Gnupg-users mailing list Gnupg-users@gnupg.org http://lists.gnupg.org/mailman/listinfo/gnupg-users