If I understand your question correctly, the reason that many people do not
post with a "formal name" is that many of us (lurkers and posters alike) are
often students.  Therefore, lacking any professional affiliation, signature
lines are habitually forgotten.

We are often encouraged and sometimes required to sign on to this list for
courses.  Students will many times just sign on using their personal mail
accounts (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.), as I did when I signed as a requirement for
my Museum Studies class last spring.  Of course, a student's personal
account is very informal, as is the majority of email traffic even from
professionals.

Now that I actually have a real job in a museum (and am also still a
student-count me as one of the lucky ones), I no longer use my personal
email address to post, and of course I have a "professional" signature line.



Niccole Cook
**************************************************
Development Associate
Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center
1212 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh, PA  15222
www.pghhistory.org


 -----Original Message-----
From:   Digital World Trade [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:   Friday, November 30, 2001 8:44 AM
To:     [log in to unmask]
Subject:        Re: Odd Mail

Although I find this list to be one of the most professional and
enlightening online, I see too many posting without a formal name.
Personally I am not comfortable receiving e-mail from unknown sources.

May I ask why people are allowed to post to this list without a contact
name? I have seen some post here by using just a created e-mail address ID
as their signature name [although these same will often give advice or
critical comment.]

Regards,
Mr. Nicola Linza

Founder and Managing Director
CDP Cultural Disaster Protection
Homepage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CulturalDisasterProtection
Cultural Disaster Protection supports cultural disaster prevention,
response, and recovery.

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