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From: david@wlcrjs.UUCP (David Watson)
Newsgroups: net.news.group,net.misc
Subject: Re: Proposed newsgroup: net.news.public
Message-ID: <477@wlcrjs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 14-Dec-84 02:37:23 EST
Article-I.D.: wlcrjs.477
Posted: Fri Dec 14 02:37:23 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Dec-84 00:35:16 EST
References: <476@wlcrjs.UUCP>
Reply-To: david@wlcrjs.UUCP (David Watson)
Distribution: net
Organization: chi-net, Public Access UN*X, Chicago IL
Lines: 33
Xref: watmath net.news.group:2635 net.misc:7125
Summary: Count me in!

In article <476@wlcrjs.UUCP> price@wlcrjs.UUCP (Douglas H. Price) writes:
>
>I propose the creation of a new newsgroup net.news.public, to act
>as a forum for anyone concerned with the ownership, responsibility and 
>managment of Public Access Netnews sites, and any issues concerning
>Public Access computing facilities as well.  If discussion does not last,
>we can, of course, remove this newsgroup in the future.
>
>Discussion?
>

     Well, I plan to establish an open-access Site in Boston, and a  
net.news.public group seems like a useful and timely proposition
if there are many others who share the same crazy idea. 

    One interesting issue raised by the introduction of public-access
Sites can be kicked around in net.news.public, and it goes something
like this:  "Suppose that, despite net.announce.newusers and
other precautions, the new public-access sites generate a significant
number of postings which ignore netiquette and distract ongoing discussions
with naive or abusive messages. What (if anything) do we do about it,
and how do we feel about opening the net to that possibility in the
first place?"  There are many ethical, technical, and psychological
ramifications to this, not the least of which is the spectre of
elitism.  My opinion is that there will be lots of netnews problems
associated with the introduction of large numbers of Unix micros
into the marketplace over the next couple of years.
     Anyway, "net.news.public" seems like a great place to hash that
kind of thing around, so I support the creation of this new group.


-- 
      -David M. Watson (Mail: ...ihnp4!harvard!lhasa!watson)