On Sat, 1 May 1999, Carrol Cox wrote:
>
> If these maillists ever began to *really* work, it would become
> commonplace for subscribers to risk stupid statements, because
> other subscribers would assume that a stupid statement did *not*
> mean a stupid author.
Actually, by that criteria, the maillist was working in this instance -- I did write spontanously enough to make such a mistake, and it didn't offend the person whose name I mangled. (He wrote back saying "No biggie. I like viking names, anyway.") Which frankly I expected. But better too polite than not polite enough, I think. I think that's the best way to deal with what you call the "thinness of cyberspace" -- the inherent shakiness of the trust we have in text unbuttressed by facial expression or tone of voice. If consciousness of that fragility brings about an increase in solicitude, it's not a constraint, it's a good thing.
Michael
__________________________________________________________________________ Michael Pollak................New York City..............mpollak at panix.com