From bak@isadora.albany.edu  Sat Nov 21 10:44:04 1992
From: bak@isadora.albany.edu (Brian A. Kell)
Message-Id: <9211212044.AA12283@isadora.albany.edu>
Subject: Re: Quoting the list
To: chemistry@ccl.net
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 92 15:44:04 EST


Regarding referencing material read on a mailing list or newsgroup:
It seems to me that if a person actually had a personal communication
with another, then the information could be referenced as "personal
communication".  This would be, perhaps, face-to-face, telephone, or
e-mail exchange.  In such cases, it's usually appropriate to obtain
permission from the source before quoting the information in another
work.

In the case of a mailing list, the situation doesn't really represent
a "personal communication".  It's more like a seminar: the person
speaking makes statements that many people hear (read) simultaneously.
Would it be appropriate to quote someone else's work from a seminar
without their knowledge (assuming there are no printed abstracts or
proceedings)?  At this point in the evolving history of computers,
it's not yet generally accepted that archives of a mailing list are
similar to printed books, and, I think, shouldn't be treated as such.
So, I agree with the previous writer that a personal exchange with the
poster is probably the best way to procede.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian A. Kell  (bak@biosym.com)
Disclaimer: The above comments are my own.