Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site utcsri.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utcsri!mason
From: mason@utcsri.UUCP (Dave Mason)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: Re: A modest proposal (and net.sources)
Message-ID: <1418@utcsri.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 21-Sep-85 16:31:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcsri.1418
Posted: Sat Sep 21 16:31:03 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Sep-85 16:42:28 EDT
References: <3261@pur-ee.UUCP> <2143@ukma.UUCP>
Reply-To: mason@utcsri.UUCP (Dave mason)
Organization: University of Toronto/Ryerson Polytechnic Institute
Lines: 60
Summary: monitoring already happens / need net.sources.d?

In article <2143@ukma.UUCP> david@ukma.UUCP (David Herron, NPR Lover) writes:
>In article <3261@pur-ee.UUCP> mazina@pur-ee.UUCP (Der Kaiser) writes:
>...
>>		A monitor for each group.
>...
>[With these duties: ]
>>	1) Read ALL the articles posted. (In net.flame, a BIG job)
>>	2) Mail warnings to inappropriate posters. 
>>	3) If a poster repeatedly ignores warnings (3 or more?),
>>	   mail a note to their system site administrator, requesting
>>	   action.
  I think this is already done, at least informally, and I'm not sure
we really need/want official monitors.
>
>.... There's only one duty I'd like
>to add:
>	4) monthly/biweekly/weekly posting of "proper etiquette"
>	   for that newsgroup.
  I think Laura's idea of permanent articles is a better approach.
>
>At any rate, here's a possible posting I came up with for net.sources.
>(This is a slightly changed net.sources that understands what is happening
>with net.sources with it moving towards mod.sources).
>
>Purpose:	Net.sources is for postings related to program sources
>		which have been posted to the network.
>
>1. For postings of sources, send them to the mod.sources
>   moderator, John Nelson (john@genrad.UUCP).
>2. Be warned that posting sources here may get you flamed.  Also, you
   This is not the right approach, I don't think.  mod.sources serves a
useful purpose, but so does net.sources.  Some things are not really of
sufficient importance for the moderator to post them.  There are those
of us who still like the free-for-all atmosphere of this net, while trying
to keep our heads above the flood.  I agree that net.sources is becoming
next to useless, but I suggest other solutions.

   I suggest that the postnews software be changed to know a little about
new groups, and:
   1) if there is a newsgroup.d, the Followup-to field for a message to
newsgroup should be filled in with newsgroup.d.  This is already what
is supposed to happen in net.jokes & net.jokes.d; I think it could well
apply to net.sources.
   2) if net.sources is included in a distribution list, other groups
should be discouraged or disallowed.  I was recently guilty of including
net.sources in a distribution list, which I did because I wasn't sure of
the readership in net.wanted.sources (and everybody else was posting
junk to net.sources...why not me :-).  A monitor of that group mailed
me a (fairly) polite note asking me not to do that, and having thought
about it, I wouldn't do it again.  I think a message from postnews would
have had the same effect.

The other approach is to get rid of newsgroups completely, and use keywords
(or something), as is being discussed in net.news.notes.
-- 
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	!utcsri!mason		Dave Mason, U. Toronto CSRI
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