🚀 go-pugleaf

In Steve@bongo.cc.utexas.edu (Steve Bromberg) writes:
>. . . [A]nd is there life beyond Steve Jackson?
>What was that digital ritual for quittting a newsgroup?


	barf right into the middle of it?!?	:-)

	I've caught myself wishing for the group to become moderated;
	ANYONE (even the brain-dead posters we have seen lately) is
	likely to have an improving effect ...

	the alternative is to send critical email notes to posters,
	but that is like fighting mosquitos with a water pistol...
-- 
  werner@cs.utexas.edu |  ..!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!werner | werner@UTXVM.bitnet
              "Free Advice and Opinions -- Refunds Available"

[followups are redirected]

In article <lo9jiuINN1kj@dimebox.cs.utexas.edu>
	werner@cs.utexas.edu (Werner Uhrig) writes:
>	I've caught myself wishing for the group to become moderated;

A little bit of history for the folks just tuning in.

About two years back we tried to create a newsgroup called `austin.announce'
to be a low-volume, high-interest newsgroup for messages that get lost
amidst the traffic in austin.general.  The problem is that some older
news implementations treat the name `announce' as a magic cookie, and
insist that a newsgroup with it in the name must be moderated.  This
turned into such a hassle that we decided to try again, but with the
name `austin.important'.

`Austin.important' has been a flop.  I can tell you through personal
experience at least one reason why.  As the keeper and poster of the
CACTUS newsletter, I feel the monthly message is an announcement of
general interest, and belongs in such a special newsgroup.  But then
I look at the name `important', and gawsh that's awful intimidating.
Yes, there is very broad interest in the CACTUS newsletter and it
probably belongs in a special announcements group.  But `important'?
I dunno.  It's not like the world will end if you don't see this
month's newsletter.

The name `austin.important' stinks.  `Austin.announce' is much more
meaningful and reasonable, but history has shown it is workable only
if it is moderated.  (Yeah...the number of crufty, old B-news installs
is declining, but it ain't dead yet.)

If we are going to do anything, I'd advocate resurrecting `austin.announce'
as a moderated group and killing off `austin.important'.  And, yes, I'll
volunteer if somebody is needed.
-- 
Chip Rosenthal  512-482-8260 | Now I only use my gun whenever kindness
Unicom Systems Development   | fails.  - Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
<chip@chinacat.Unicom.COM>   |