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-----------> This message was posted to the ONLINE-NEWS list. <-----------

Daniel P Dern wrote:
> 
> -----------> This message was posted to the ONLINE-NEWS list. <-----------
> 
> "Vin Crosbie"  said:
> 
> > I don't give a damn if the identity of an Online News poster is an inmate of
> > a mental asylum, a 4-year old child, or the president of the United States
> > writing under a pseudonym. I judge a person by his ideas, not according to
> > his job title or identity.
> >
> > You state that credibility can be given only to people who openly identify
> > themselves and their associations....
> 
> YMMV, but I beg to differ; while there may be cases where identity of the
> speaker is irrelevant, there certainly are many where that isn't true.
> E.g, if I said:
>     "Windows 98 is the best operating system I've ever seen."
> or  "G*t*w*y computers are great and D*ll's break a lot...and C*mp*q's
>       service is abysmal"
> or  "You'll find your computer works best using K*ngst*n memory"
> or even
>     "Comdex/Fall in Vegas is still an easy show to attend, and the
>       hotel prices are affordable."
> would you want to know who I worked for?
> 
> If a consultant praised a vendor, wouldn't you want to know if
> that vendor was also a client of theirs?  Similar point.
> 
> Context does count, in providing an often-valuable data point to
> assess the writer's perspective/bias.  This is deja vu; I recall
> this very argument re Xerxes -- a quick check of my saved postings
> show, from back in 1995, messages such as one with this header
> (from me, in fact)
> 

You don't need to know who someone is to know if they are biased. You
need to be knowledgeable about what they are talking about.

-- 
Michael S. Garber * click below for business card * Mexico Communicates
            -> http://busplan.mexcom.net.mx/mike.html <-

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