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Path: utzoo!mnetor!genat!maccs!methods!peter
From: peter@methods.UUCP (Peter Blake    Mr Sys Adm)
Newsgroups: tor.news
Subject: Re: lsuc UUCP & news report
Message-ID: <136@methods.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 16-Dec-86 08:58:27 EST
Article-I.D.: methods.136
Posted: Tue Dec 16 08:58:27 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Dec-86 06:59:05 EST
References: <1441@lsuc.UUCP> <7410@utzoo.UUCP>
Reply-To: peter@methods.UUCP (Peter Blake    Mr Sys Adm)
Organization: Methodsworks, Inc., Burlington, Ontario
Lines: 54
Keywords: news administration tools, lots of work
Summary: We need a news flow monitor tool

In article <7410@utzoo.UUCP> henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) writes:
>I see a potential problem with this newsgroup.  It already has two distinct
>types of content:  human discussions on local news problems, and voluminous
>automated status reports.
.....
>It may be worth considering two separate newsgroups.

I'm glad Henry raised this issue, and I agree with Henry that tor.news
is quickly developing into a problem.  However, I am not convienced
that creating another news group just for status reports is really the
answer.  We are still stuck with the problems of:

	1) Who's going to read those reports after the novelty
	   wears off?  (Let's face it they are not exciting).
	2) How are we going to recognize subtle flow problems?
	   Not every news administrator is going to scrutanize
	   the reports even from his/her own machine. (Its that
	   boredom factor again).
	3) How do we fix the problems?

I believe that we really need to consider writing some cute code that
will perform report/statistical analysis and inform us when a flow problem
does exist.  But before we all put our super-programming hats on and
consome mass quanitites of extra-strong-programmers-coffee, I suggest that
we, as a community, consider what we want to gain from such a tool(s)
and how are we going to implement it (it is no good if only a few of
us abide by the "rules").

Two goals that I think we would all like to see are:

	1) Quick and accurate flow problem detection and analysis.
	   Not only should problems be detected, a solution should
	   be suggested to correct the problem.  A relatively
	   inexperienced news admin, like myself, are sometimes quite
	   overwhelmed and appreciate suggestions and advice.
	   (For you universities playing with expert systems, why
	    not consider doing something for news administration).

	2) Relief from manually monitoring the news.  (My overall
	   goal is to get the system to monitor itself and only
	   bother me when there is a problem it can't handle - can
	   you say lazy, I knew you could).


How do the rest of you all feel?  I realize that what I am suggesting
will amount to a lot of effort; however, I believe that such effort
will reap its own rewards.

-- 
Peter Blake			   Deadline!?!?  What's a deadline?
Methodsworks Inc., 3385 Harvester Rd., Burlington, Ontario, L7N 3N2
phone: (416) 632-6500

UUCP:  ...!{utzoo!mnetor!genat!maccs,watmath}!methods!peter