> Mike Nichols (1:348/601) wrote to Mike Nichols [in Virginia?]
 > at 09:25 on 01 Jun 1996:
 >
 >  MN> Please don't answer my mail.  It's confusing for those
 > who don't
 >  MN> read origin lines.  There are a bunch of us who share
 > the same name
 >  MN> out here in fidoland.
And Steven Horn replies
 
 > It's not "your mail", Mike.  It's public mail posted in
 > an echo which anyone may answer.
 >
 > Now if he was answering your netmail, you'd have reason
 > to be worried.:-)
 
Problem is, there are several BBS packages which scan the echomail areas and 
present matching messages to the user as 'your mail'.
 
Yes, these are public messages in an echomail area, not netmail.  If 
non-Winnipeg Mike wants to join in the conversation, he is free to do so.  On 
the other hand, since we can't immediately see that he is not 
Mike-in-Winnipeg (we can read the origin line, but it's not immediately 
apparent -- many systems don't put a location in their origin line), it 
causes confusion.  And since messages may be presented to a user out of the 
context of the echo, it also causes confusion.  Therefore I suggest the 
following useful rules of 'netiquette':
 
1) If you are presented with 'mail' in your 'new messages' display, and 
someone you don't know is talking to you about something you don't remember 
talking about, they are probably talking to another user with your same name. 
 They aren't talking to you, so it isn't necessary for you to answer.  So 
writing 'I don't know what you are talking about, why are you writing to me' 
is unnecessary and kind of lame. Just ignore the messages, the same way you'd 
ignore it if someone called out your name on the street and when you turned 
to look, it was someone you didn't know.
 
2) If you like the conversation and want to join in, identify yourself as 
'the other ' or sign your message with ' in ' 
or in some fashion that will make it clear you are a new person joining the 
conversation.
 
3) Answering messages which are addressed to another person, and attempting 
to impersonate that other person, is rude and annoying.  Assuming that 
someone else with the same name who answers messages to you is deliberately 
trying to impersonate you, without evidence of same, is also annoying.  It's 
Fidonet tradition not to be excessively annoying and not to be too easily 
annoyed.  Be polite when pointing out these confusions
 
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