Posted by beardedlady on July 18, 2002, at 12:58:36
< Please don't post anything that others could take as accusatory or put them down.
This is an awkward sentence, and it needs some fixing. Here are a couple of suggestions:
Please don't post anything that others could take as an accusation or an insult.
Please don't post anything that others could take as an accusation or a put-down.I dislike the sentence for another reason, however, which is this: It's impossible to know what someone else will take as an accusation or an insult. Some people are wired to see things in a negative way and may take offense at something inoffensive. (You know some people are asking right now if I am "accusing" them of being wired this way, but this post has nothing to do with any specific person on the board! It's often hard to tell how some people will respond.)
Most people know when they're accusing or insulting someone else. Asking them to predict how someone with a different agenda may see it is unfair.
So here is a better suggestion:
Please don't post accusations or insults.Or this:
Please don't post accusations or insults. If you are in doubt, don't post it.beardy
poster:beardedlady
thread:6346
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20020627/msgs/6346.html