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> Have we been trolled? Have we used about enough energy on this topic? Or since it's a valid occurrence within social networking and communication, should it continue as a valid topic for techwr-l?
I believe it's a valid topic for discussion. We all share information
here openly. I think I may have been cited as using an alias (I think
that's what the example of "techman" was pointing to), but note that
while my e-mail address and often my handle in other arenas is
"techcommdood", my actual name is present in my sig as well as being
tied to my e-mail address.
Since we're all sharing information, I think it's worth pointing out
that should someone be participating under one assumed identity and
writing articles under a completely different assumed identity, it's
quite plausible that content could be used as one's own work. This
isn't happening in this case, but it's open to possible abuse
nonetheless.
Specifically, the act of astroturfing has been looked down upon in the
past. There was an incident a few years ago involving someone from a
major help authoring tool vendor doing just that on the HATT/WinHelp-L
list. It caused quite an uproar on the list, just as it's doing here.
All ethics aside, these acts cause problems. We're already seeing lots
of volume due to this current issue. It's obvious that numerous people
have issue with the dual identity. Frankly, I'd just like straight
answers to my questions regarding the whole issue, but I'm quite
confident that this will not happen given past list conduct.
But given the list impact, the nature of the issue, and the ethics
involving it all, I think it's a valid topic. I also think it's worth
administrative investigation and action.
--
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
Senior Member STC, TechValley Chapter
STC Single-Sourcing SIG Manager http://techcommdood.blogspot.com
avid homebrewer and proud beer snob
"I see your OOO message and raise you a clue."
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