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From: chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: Re: On Proposing New Groups
Message-ID: <714@nsc.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 28-Feb-84 14:47:40 EST
Article-I.D.: nsc.714
Posted: Tue Feb 28 14:47:40 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 2-Mar-84 15:45:24 EST
References: <2612@alice.UUCP> <313@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Organization: National Semiconductor, Sunnyvale
Lines: 51

Werner has a good point. Sometimes there might be a topic that comes up
that simply doesn't seem to fit anywhere else, so creating traffic flow to
justify it becomes hard. By requiring traffic flow on a topic before we
create it, and then not giving it a place to generate traffic, we put these
topics right between a large rock and an even larger rock.

As one of the more vocal proponents of the "Don't create it until it proves
itself" school of ballroom dancing, let me attempt to explain WHY I feel
the way I do:

o	First, there are places where random topics can be set up. At times
	they are inconvenient, but they exist. Net.misc is a good place for
	things that don't have any real home. You can also consider playing
	conqueror and simply take over a unused topic. Applicative
	programming? Why not take over net.research? That is stretching the
	point a bit, but if you leave pointers in, say, net.misc and
	net.news.group (I hesitate to suggest net.general) that a subject
	is starting in a given topic, it will get those interested to look
	in. The topic doesn't even have to come close to the subject if you
	don't want it to and have enough people to keep the discussion
	going (this is the real advantage of an anarchy like the net). If I
	want to talk with all of my friends about Third Dynasty Egyptian
	Tarot Cards in net.wobegon, I can, and there isn't anything they
	can really do about it. Realistically I would use some topic with
	NO usage such as net.rec.wood instead of one that simply has
	pitiful usage, but you get the idea.

o	If there were some way to get rid of the d*mn topics that don't
	work out I'd be a lot easier on creating the idiotic things.
	net.tv.da was created as a temporary topic and it is STILL around!
	(hint! Hint! HINT!) Which means that this is the last time I will
	recommend a temporary topic. If a topic can be created with some
	assurance that we can get rid of it if it bombs, I'd be a little
	more willing to experiment, but reality shows me that once it
	exists, it exists forever unless people go to outrageous expense
	(and risk bodily harm) to get rid of them.

It isn't the topic that is the problem, it is the net. There are some real
problems with the way the net works and is administered, and we simply
haven't found any good answers to them yet. Until we do, I am going to 
continue to scream for a conservative attitude on topics because otherwise
we will overwhelm ourselves with lots of things that nobody uses or
understands...

chuq

-- 
From the Citadel of the Autarch:	Chuqui the Plaid
{fortune,menlo70}!nsc!chuqui		P.S. Nuke Wobegon!

Don't dream it, be it!