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From: dunlops@stolaf.UUCP (Steve Dunlop)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: Some reasons to keep net.general
Message-ID: <1740@stolaf.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 19-Jun-84 15:47:40 EDT
Article-I.D.: stolaf.1740
Posted: Tue Jun 19 15:47:40 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 21-Jun-84 03:51:01 EDT
Organization: St. Olaf College, Northfield MN
Lines: 33

- If net.general is removed, people will still post garbage to newsgroups
  in which it doesn't belong -- net.announce could become the next net trashcaan.
  Removing net.general won't fix anything.

- There is still a need for a newsgroup for announcements and items of
  interest to nearly everyone.  Net.announce doesn't entirely fill this
  need.

- Net.general once did serve as a valid newsgroup for general interest items.
  With some work, and cooperation from individual sites, it could be this
  way again.  I would suggest the following:
	o  New releases of net software would prevent anyone but site
           administrators from posting to net.general.  If anyone else wanted
           to post to net.general, they would mail their posting to their
           site administrator. Although this is censorship, I think that it
           is necessary to keep net.general alive.  If a site administrator
           refuses to post an article to net.general, users can still post
           their articles to other newsgroups.  This would help keep obscene
           and inappropriate articles out of net.general, without really
           denying anyone use of the net.  It would also prevent accidental
           postings to net.general.

        o  Articles posted in net.general would be limited to 24 lines.

I am sure that many people will feel that the limited censorship I have
proposed is a violation of rights and goes against the philosophy of the net.
There is some truth to this, but eventually we are going to have to realize
that the net has become too large to allow unlimited posting of articles to
all newsgroups.  Posting net articles is, more than ever, a privilege, NOT a
right.

				-- Steven Dunlop
				ihnp4!stolaf!dunlops