Re: Please help me with my undergraduate research

writserv@mi.net
Sun, 10 Mar 1996 07:05:32 -0400

> March 9, 1996
>
>
>Dear Fellow Internet User:
>
>Greetings my friend! I am a senior Marketing major at the University of
>North Carolina at Asheville. It is my privilege to have been selected to
>participate in the 10th annual National Conference on Undergraduate
>Research here in the Spring. The topic of my research is user attitudes
>and ideas toward certain common online activities- especially dealing with
>activities related to ethics (e.g. censorship, plagiarism) and marketing
>(e.g. advertising, direct mail).
>
>In light of the recent onslaught of "cyberspace" into our everyday lives,
>and the even more recent telecommunications bill, this research is
>extremely relevant and necessary. The fact that no researcher has yet to
>try to ascertain how people really feel about these issues makes my work
>even more important.
(...)
>
> Sincerely,
> Zack Rodman
> Senior, UNC-Asheville
>
>
>
>
>---------------------------------------------------\---|---/-------
>Zack Rodman, 704-255-7255, rodman@cs.unca.edu \ | /
>URL--> http://www.unca.edu/~rodman O O
>University of North Carolina at Asheville /---ooO--o---Ooo-----
>---------------------------------------------/
>
Look, Zack, I hope you graduate and have a good life.

But!

You're unsolicited "survey" is the kind of thing that a great many of us
cranky old internet users just do not want to see. (I do not presume to
speak for anyone else on this list.) The "internet" is doing just fine on
its' own and will continue to do so, I suspect, because it has a life of
its' own and no legislation in any one country poses a threat to it.

It has beeen suggested, here in Canada, that internet users be required to
have a licence. Pardon my language, but the "fuck you" response was
immediate. When you consider that we Canadians are usually very polite
about such things, you may understand why the (political) minister who made
that suggestion has not been heard from again. (It may be an election
year.)

The USA has freedom of speech embedded in its' Constitution and I have seen
some of the most YAHoo! red-necked Americans come out nasty when they
thought that their, and their childrens', guaranteed freedoms were about to
be curtailed. I just can't be concerned about regulation of the Net in the
US. Too many hungry lawyers.

This list is dedicated to Carnivorous Plants. You are welcome here anytime
you have a comment or question about the same. If you change your major,
we'll even help you graduate, but don't expect us to do your work for you.
There are more appropriate places for posting surveys of the likes of this.
You either have not given this much thought, or you know exactly what you
are doing.

IMHO

Rand from dreaded Canada