Public Category/Content-Type Symbol 

Symbol

Pinfo/Pubfo Divide Symbol - Public Regard

Symbol

Importance/Alert Symbol: Simple or Detailed 

Simple Symbol

Notes - General - Sept, '08

A courtesy code is a part of climbing a kind of ladder, in the exchange between the author and the reader of a PCN (personally casted newsletter).  This is the first thing that would be seen on the subject line.  These codes are to assist readers in determining whether or not they wish to proceed further up that ladder, such as to reading the rest of the subject line, or to skip or delete the transmission then and there.  When looking at the code, the sender is also seen, which serves the reader's ability to gauge, over time, that sender's use of the symbols. 

Courtesy codes were conceived at the time of making these PCN pages, to see what they look like and what assistance they provide, and I believe they are primarily inspired by the symbols '*', '+' and '!'.  The '*' is believed to be the real star of the show, since this is the scandalous material, or the material that flies in the face of popular opinion; it is where pinfo and pubfo divide. Pinfo is what an individual knows, whereas pubfo is what the public knows, or could know.  One might surmise each as requiring of its own integrity.  The '+' is good for areas where the population is more evenly divided than with '*', and the '-' is good for general public agreement, or accord.  

The '!' is an alert symbol, giving the ability to distinguish between regular material and material marked as important, and I think it has found a few (good) homes here.  It's simple form is used herein, with either '!' or nothing, and it is placed in front, to make it more prominent, and to separate it from the divide symbol (which places at the end).  The category symbol sits at center, and gives an ability to size up the venue for the content.  The divide symbol tests one's ability to summarize material from a PubfoNet perspective; as publicly acceptable, polarizing, or unacceptable. 

The content type code breaks down all possible material into news, information and entertainment.  Sometimes, it seems that the material is wandering across these three, making it hard to come up with a code.  Sometimes, news is informative, and sometimes, its entertaining.  In fact, I think that would work (but I don't do it here).  Where uppercase letters are the major codes, and lowercase letters are the minor codes, and where the codes would read from left to right, the following could be said: A news article that is also very informative and somewhat entertaining, could be coded as "Nie", etc..  The author would simply have to take the time to do it, each time.  The reader might also try it, and produce different codes that the writer.  I found it interesting on a number of occasions to try to come up with the best, single letter for each of my PCNs, spurring the notion of spinning two or three.  As it turned out, I just used 'N' most of the time.  Maybe I'm one of those 'N' people, or maybe I'm getting a lot of inspiration from 'N' as of late.  I'll go with 'I' for weather news, and 'E' for sports news if I ever come across any, to spread things around. 

Courtesy codes are an experiment in what they look like when they are used.  I'm pleased with these results, in terms of their ability to visually facilitate the rapid gathering of the nature of the referenced material, in consideration of its potential, initial spread.  As for the "My PCNs" experiment, perhaps if the newsmakers would just calm down a bit, then there wouldn't be quite so much 'N'. ;-)  When public matters are checked, what calling is there for going on here?  I would hypothesize that PinfoNet expands and contracts separately from PubfoNet, primarily by way of its '*'.  Do you dare read the messages with its marking?  PinfoNet is epitomized by it's '*', which is for information that is not or will not be upheld, when publicly placed.  

In order for information to survive a truly public forum, it has to survive in the minds of the many, and it will, as a joke, if not as a serious thing.  It will survive with some public regard for it.  What is its public regard?  Answer that, and you have found your divide symbol.  This code tells the reader what the public agreement would be, in regards to the use of their time and interest.  It provides additional information in cases where there is agreeable, contentious, or highly contentious material enclosed.  It is a PubfoNet symbol, and is employed herein on the basis that everyone has access to PubfoNet, but also, where PubfoNet may not be a precise thing to gauge.  A set of three symbols is also derived from a desire to not be off by two, but perhaps by one.  With only two symbols, off by one is off by quite a bit.  Anything in the middle ground gets a '+'.  

I have found it an interesting journey to try to produce the codes for the messages I've written.  It is more difficult (if not impossible) to figure importance and regard symbols after a year has passed, because of how much the value of the material has changed.  Perhaps the most interesting thing has been to get myself to produce the codes in the first place.  This system has made me sit and consciously weigh my articles.  On the authoring side, I think it's a bit of work, hence, "courtesy code", but when spanning the symbols, I would present NIE codes as quick and useful for the reader...  Particularly in cases of wandering subject lines (that's me). :-) 

More Notes (and Conclusion) - Oct 4, '08 

Having to produce category and divide codes in the face of these 250 or so authorings has proven expansive as an experience, if nothing else. 

To further define public regard: What is the public perspective?  There really doesn't ever have to be one at all, but there can always be one.  Herein, the origins of public perspective are the most widely public influences, such as the present-day White House, congress, and the national media outlets.  Think of the public regard symbols that you see here, then, as US-based. 

If it can be said that the primary purpose is to deliver a piece of news, then the category is 'N'.  If the primary purpose is to enlighten or inform, then the category is 'I', where not already consumed by 'N'.  If the purpose is experiential, then the category is 'E'.  Where 'I' would be informative at the very least, 'E' would be the experience of the message at the very least.

At this time, I'm on the fence as to what to do, exactly, when something is meant as an experience, but where it also introduces, or is set off by, a new news item.  A new news item can also inspire an informational message, such that, while it is sparked off by the delivery of the news item, it also digresses into an informational theme, such that the news item only sparks an 'I' transmission.  I haven't yet been completely definitive on matters, but this is where I make a call as to whether or not to go with 'N' or 'I' in such a case.  

It's been quite expansive to play with these symbols.  'E' is selected for some personal expressions, to reflect streams of consciousness on a couple of occasions, where perhaps 'I' would be most suitable, as the primary purpose appears to be to inform, but where 'E' is selected due to the personal nature of the content.  This makes 'E' to be 'editorial', 'I' as 'informational', and 'N' as 'public work-related matters'.  In this case, "public" is "US".

Conclusion
It seems clear to me that I have put more of myself on display by rendering these codes.  I believe that I have added insight into myself as an author, from the reader's perspective.  I am stating what I think "public" does and does not approve of, and I am stating what I think is important.  To perhaps a lesser degree, I am stating whether or not I think a thing is news, information or entertainment.  Importance and regard codes are also "time-stamped" (along with "N", if you think about it), reproducing the feel of each dispatch at its time of dispatch. In consideration of the given source material, I find these codes to communicate and contextualize effectively.

- Mark G. Meyers