Re: [none]

["Dave Proctor" <daproc@sd5.mailbank.com>]

Christopher_Martin GORDON <cmgord@ecr.mu.oz.au> wrote in message
80sn60$526$1@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU">news:80sn60$526$1@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU...
> : > Usually you put the location in square brackets
> : > first eg, [Melb] or [Vic]
>
> : No you don't - that was merely a suggestion by someone. If anything, it
can
> : be misleading. Given the nature of Usenet, people normally do not change
the
> : subject unless they are going well and truely off topic. BUT, it is
possible
> : to stay on topic and start referring to other states. Putting the state
in
> : can make the subject misleading.
>
> It this case it is more misleading if you don't put in [Melb] as Tram
Crash
> could be Melbourne, but could be Sydney or Adelaide.
>
> Just because it wasn't you idea, I think it is a good idea, I don't want
> subject lines like "anyone?" or "My station news" they don't mean anything
> at all.

I think it is a crap idea. I agree that "amyone?" was a bad subject, but no
need to put the location.

> So what do you have against putting the location in Square Brackets?

The thing that I have against it is that usenet posts tend to wander. If you
adopt this method, you will be changing the subject every fourth of fifth
post. Some news readers treat it as a totally new thread when you change the
subject, thus making it difficult to keep track of it all.

And what happens if the subject is trams> Do you place [NSW-VIC-SA} in the
subject? What if it is electric trains? [QLD-NSW-VIC-WA]? You cannot place
[AUS] as the first excludes QLD, WA and TAS, and the second excludes SA and
TAS. It is too cumbersome.

There is also the fact that a lot of people do not change the subject as the
thread evolves, and you will have people looking for Victorian stuff opening
a post with [VIC] in the subject and getting shirty because it has moved on
to DOO operation in Perth.

It is too cumbersome to work.

> I think it is a good idea, I don't want to have to start to read a thread
> just becuase I don't know where they are talking about.

Agreed that a decent subject is desireable - and when there is an ambiguity,
the state should be there - an example would be "Sydenham (NSW) upgrade", or
something like that, since there is more than one Sydenham aorund the
country. But not at the start of every post.

> What does a subject like "POTS" mean, if I didn't put [Melb] and what
> POTS was?

The [Melb} did not add anything to it.

> : > then something that will give the general subject
> : > of the thread like
> : > "Tram Crash" or "Hillside Trains stuff up" or
> : > something like that.
>
> : That is all you need to put.
>
> Location is nice, in this case [Melb] was needed, just look at all the
> crap about trams in Sydney and Adelaide.

*yawn*

> : > Then after the mistake has been made don't keep
> : > replying to that thread
> : > with out changing the subject to something
> : > meaningful like "Trams in
> : > Australia".
>
> : And who appointed you NetCop? (I thought I still was). :-)
>
> Well police then, or I will have a Royal Commission.

LOL

--
DaveProctor
thadocta AT dingoblue.net.au