From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!eagle!mhuxt!mhuxj!mhuxi!mhuxv!mhuxm!pyuxjj!rlr
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Title: Re: Re: net.music.dead
Article-I.D.: pyuxjj.417
Posted: Fri Feb 11 09:33:58 1983
Received: Sat Feb 12 03:56:50 1983
References: hao.430

Net.wobegon is a perfect example of a 'piddly little frivolous' newsgroup.
Minimal traffic, limited topic.  The problem was that the PHC (Prairie
Home Companion?) or whatever the radio show is called did not seem to
fall exclusively into a broad category (like music, tv, etc.).  Perhaps
a net.humor newsgroup should have been created to accommodate net.wobegon,
net.tv.sctv, etc. (net.humor as distinct from net.jokes, which contains
netnews readers' [attempts at] jokes).

[I think] The work of the Grateful Dead can be considered music, and should
probably be discussed in net.music.  The motive to 'spare' us non-Deadheads the
agony of sifting through the volumes of Dead-oriented stuff doesn't hold
water, because, as I've already said, to date, that 'volume' consists of
a few ticket requests (reasonable for net.wanted or net.music) and a request
for info on how to find a record by Jerry Garcia (probably belongs in
net.records--which relates to buying/selling/caring for the actual physical
records that music, comedy, etc. may be contained on).  Be a little more
sociable, people.  Join in on discussions about new wave, heavy metal,
classical music, as well as dead music, in a newsgroup devoted to music.

I realize that a group can be created at anyone's whim through the magic of
netnews software, so no one can stop the creation of net.music.gdead. So, if it
is created, I hereby propose a contest.  (which can probably be applied to
all new so-called 'frivolous' newsgroups).  In the one month following the
original posting of the first article, how many articles will be posted that
1) are not announcements of the new group, 2) are not discussions about the
nature of the group itself (its charter?), and 3) could not have been posted to
some other newsgroup with the same effect (topic discussed, audience reached)?
The contestant with the number closest to the actual number of useful articles
posted to the newsgroup /and/ the earliest postmark wins...  uhh, a Grateful
Dead album. (I'm tempted to say that the second place winner gets /two/ Dead
albums, but I won't say that... whoops, I just did!----just kidding).  Since
I currently don't own any Dead albums, and I probably should own /one/, I'll
kick off the contest with my entry---ZERO.  The only problems:  who runs the
contest, and who provides the album?  (I'm just proposing, not volunteering.)
I think since Greg Woods had the original idea for the group, and since he
surely has some old Dead albums that have been worn through to the other side,
he is a candidate for both posts (JUST KIDDING!!!).

I'll leave it to someone more qualified than me to explain why a proliferation
of sundry newsgroups all over the place is bad for transmission of news over
the net.			Rich