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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!hao!cires!nbires!ut-ngp!werner
From: werner@ut-ngp.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.general
Subject: suggestion to reduce posting on multiple news-groups.
Message-ID: <374@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 26-Jun-83 02:14:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.374
Posted: Sun Jun 26 02:14:29 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 29-Jun-83 06:06:17 EDT
Lines: 32

A suggestion to reduce posting of articles to multiple news-groups.
		------------------------------------- 
It is a gesture of consideration, I guess, when someone posts an article
to multiple news-groups, because someone else might be interested in it who
is not following the principle news-group it is addressing.  A problem,
however, is that most of the follow-up articles are then also posted every-
where and create a flood of artticles, expensive in resources and folks'
time and patience.  The response that there is an "n"-reply does neither
address the resulting problem nor is it considerate of others' needs.
 The number of messages one filters is large already, without having to
cope with duplicates on 3 different news-groups, especially when at low
Baud-rate terminals.

We could reduce the problem by establishing a new form of etiquette, allowing
the postingof an article addressing a "new" topic to several groups, but
requiring that the author identify the "major" news-group where all follow-up
discussion should take place.  Etiquette says, one respects the judgment of
the original author and does so. To follow the discussion "passively" one
starts reading the news-group in question.

A less desirable alternative is the posting of an article in one news-group
X only, but posting a "Note" to other news-groups advising that such-and-such
topic  is bing discussed on group X, thus giving a courteous hint to people
who might not follow group X at that time that they might want to do so.

Trying to keep up with many news-groups might become a little more enjoyable.

A more complicated (but very appealing and attractive solution) would be a
different news-system not with news-groups but with keywords identifying
the contents of a message, where one would follow certain "keywords",
and one could "enable" the display of announcements of follow-up articles.
Oh well, caught trying to rock the boat again, I guess ...