Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site phri.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utcs!lsuc!pesnta!phri!roy
From: roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: Re: more signal, less noise
Message-ID: <2003@phri.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 3-Nov-85 11:51:55 EST
Article-I.D.: phri.2003
Posted: Sun Nov  3 11:51:55 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 5-Nov-85 04:46:59 EST
References: <3500015@ccvaxa> <3500016@ccvaxa>
Organization: Public Health Research Inst. (NY, NY)
Lines: 26

> The turnaround time on Usenet is just too horrible to support discussion
> in a moderated group.  A response to a posting can take four days to work
> upstream to the moderator [...]

	Mail is generally much faster than news.  With optimized mail paths
(now a reality because of pathalias) your message to the moderator will
probably get there inside of a day.  Even if you just invert the news
"Path:" line, it won't be long before you reach a site that does path
optimization for you.  If you are really worried about speed, convince your
SA to put your site on the backbone.

	If what you are saying is important enough, it will stand the test
of time.  If your message is so pointless as to become worthless if it gets
delayed for a day or two, why bother posting it at all?

> A non-moderated group starts showing responses as the original posting
> spreads (sometimes [...] before the original posting).  I think that
> immediacy is an important part of the nature of the livelier groups.

	And an important part of the confusion and drivel.  If an extra
day's delay will keep things in chronological order, and filter out a lot
of the reflex responses and other trash at the same time, it's worth it.
-- 
Roy Smith 
System Administrator, Public Health Research Institute
455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016