[Pw_forum] nicknames and personal identity in this mailing list

[Stefano Baroni]

A proposal for a shared netiquette on this mailing list

Dear All,

a few times in the past, the question has been raised as to whether  
nicknames and hidden personal identities should be allowed in this  
mailing list. I would like to elaborate a little bit on this point,  
in the hope to arrive at a shared netiquette.

Revealing one's own identity should be considered as a sign of  
politeness and fairness to the other list members. I think it would  
be wrong to enforce this policy, but I also believe that each of us  
should make a serious effort to understand that it is far more  
pleasant to talk and to write to a human being with a name and an  
address, rather than to a virtual science-pal of whom one ignores  
everything but the nickname. This would also enhance mutual  
understanding and reinforce the feeling of this forum as a community.  
This being said, I think that we should all respect those who, for  
one reason or the other, prefer to stay anonymous: they will continue  
to receive the same attention (or lack thereof ;-) as the other  
"named" members.

Personal e-mails among list members, though, deserve a particular and  
different attention. As one of the promoters of this mailing list, I  
feel the responsability of making e-mail addresses of its list  
members publicly available. I think that revealing one's own identity  
should be considered as mandatory when addressing in private to  
another list member. Particularly so, when the identity of the  
addressee is publicly know. If the idenity of the addressee is  
publicly known, hiding one's own identity in a private correspondence  
is like placing an anonymous telephone call. You will all agree that  
this is not a practice to be encouraged.

In conclusion: I do appreciate knowing the identity of my  
correspondents, but I do not mind answering anonymous ("nicknamed")  
requests on the mailing list. Anonymity in the private correspondence  
among list members should instead be strongly discouraged, although,  
of course, we cannot make anything to forbid it.

Many thanks for your patient reading of my thoughts.

Stefano Baroni
Professor of Physics
Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati
Trieste

---
Stefano Baroni - SISSA  &  DEMOCRITOS National Simulation Center -  
Trieste
[+39] 040 3787 406 (tel) -528 (fax) / stefanobaroni (skype)

Please, if possible, don't  send me MS Word or PowerPoint attachments
Why? See:  http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html



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