23. Why do people worry when someone's name is the subject of a post? (rec.arts.sf.fandom)
Description
This article is from the Science Fiction Fandom FAQ, by Vicki Rosenzweig vr@panix.com with numerous contributions by others.
23. Why do people worry when someone's name is the subject of a post? (rec.arts.sf.fandom)
Because that type of subject line may convey the wrong message.
For a long time, it has been a rassef tradition that bad news about the
person is conveyed in such posts--announcements of ill turns of health
or death, for instance. Rassef functions as a bush telegraph--we pass
along information about friends and acquaintances, because other people
may also want to know. It's best to use subject lines which are more
informative--"Query about John Barnes's Books"; "Fred Derf's teeth"; or
"RIP Joe Shlabotnik 1919-2001"--to reduce misunderstanding. (Thanks to
Kevin Maroney for revising this answer.)
Continue to:
My Books
