HTML etiquette

[Araby Greene]

Sheryl, and others,

My comments about whether to notify a Web author about odd HTML were  were meant as an answer to your specific, but *hypothetical* question, NOT to demean you personally. You were considerate and nice to ASK whether it would be a good idea. 

With your specific example (of what can go wrong with Composer/WYSIWIG editors), I felt that just a "no, don't do it" did not address your question adequately, because this particular problem is not so easily fixed. 

I might talk to the author(s) if it was a general problem to be solved in my own workplace or a friend I knew well. Sometimes, I have e-mailed Web authors to let them know that I'm seeing something odd, like "&nbsp" because they left off the ";" at the end, or a CGI script that did not work, and I would hope that someone would help me out the same way.

It would be presumptious and mean-spirited of someone like me, who contributes so little to this discussion list, to call you names. I have often enjoyed your contributions to this list, both questions and answers. My response to your reasonable "what if" question was a "what if" response, not meant as a hurtful barb; it it seemed so, I do apologize to everyone on this list and to you personally.

Araby Greene
greene at bulldog.unca.edu