Re: Mis-Posting

[kuijt@umiacs.UMD.EDU]

>I have never agreed with the idea that you cannot quote someone's e-mail
>message to you. [...]
>
>If it is addressed to ME, not a list, not posted as publication, then
>once it's in my mailbox, it's mine.

This is not an issue of net-etiquette.  This is not an issue of copyright
or of freedom of information or law at all.

This is simple courtesy.  You treat a private conversation as a private
conversation, whether it is email or voice.  Which means that it is
_always_ discourteous to broadcast a private message, regardless of the
content.  If the content is inflammatory it has other disadvantages,
but it is always discourteous even when the content is innocuous.

You should always assume that if the sender had wanted to make the message
public, he would have, and for reasons of his own he sent you a message
in private instead.  You should respect his reasons, even if you do not
know them.  If you wish to repost a private message, you should _always_
ask permission first, and only do it if you get that permission.

Dafydd ap Gwystl
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