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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gatech!spaf
From: spaf@gatech.UUCP (Gene Spafford)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: Re: net.general.newusers; short proposal, long argument
Message-ID: <11700@gatech.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 19-Jan-85 12:55:32 EST
Article-I.D.: gatech.11700
Posted: Sat Jan 19 12:55:32 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 20-Jan-85 06:17:55 EST
References: <336@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Reply-To: spaf@gatech.UUCP (Gene Spafford)
Distribution: net
Organization: The Clouds Project, School of ICS, Georgia Tech
Lines: 42

In article <336@ssc-vax.UUCP> alcmist@ssc-vax.UUCP (Frederick Wamsley) writes:
>SUMMARY
>
>Distribute information about how to use net.general in a newsgroup
>called net.general.newusers.  Overseas sites could elect not to 
>receive net.general.newusers. People who know the rules could 
>unsubscribe from it.
>
>The new group would cover ONLY rules for net.general and would not
>try to duplicate the material in net.announce.newusers, which covers
>the whole realm of netiquette.
>
>  [...]
>Objection #4 -- So who has the time to write an intro to net.general?
>
>I'll write it.  There's no reason to take any more time away from
>Chuq, Mark, Spaf & co.
>
>
>Well, what do people think?  Am I totally off base?  Have I come
>up with something worthwhile?


I think the intentions are good, but I doubt it will work.  I think
a better approach would be to go ahead and write the article (as you
volunteered above -- great!  That's the kind of positive help we need)
and I can include it in the standard net.announce.newusers posting.

The question about what to do with net.general has been around for
quite a while.  I think the most rational comment I've seen (from many
people) is that net.general is filling a need, even if it isn't
meeting the originally stated goals.  If net.general were to be deleted,
people would start posting the inappropriate garbage to net.misc, or
net.news.

If only news administrators would make sure that their users read
the stuff in net.announce.newusers before they post anything....
-- 
Gene "7 months and counting" Spafford
The Clouds Project, School of ICS, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332
CSNet:	Spaf @ GATech		ARPA:	Spaf%GATech.CSNet @ CSNet-Relay.ARPA
uucp:	...!{akgua,allegra,hplabs,ihnp4,linus,seismo,ulysses}!gatech!spaf