Re: Quoting the list

[bak #*at*# isadora.albany.edu (Brian A. Kell)]

 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 #*at*# biosym.com)
 Disclaimer: The above comments are my own.