🚀 go-pugleaf

I would like to make a suggestion for a new newsgroup for the balt.* (and 
possibly dc.* and md.*) areas.

How about a group called balt.internet-services?  This would be an area 
where ISPs, web hosting companies, web design companies, and other 
internet related consultants and freelancers could post ads for their 
services.  Currently, these companies cannot (offically) advertise on 
USENET, though many of them break the rules and do so anyway.

In addition, this would provide a way for people who have access to 
newsgroups, but not the WWW to find out about ISPs and other Internet 
related service companies.

I will state outright that since I operate an ISP, my interest in such a
group is somewhat self-serving.  However, I am posting this suggestion
mainly on behalf of the many part time and home-based web programmers and
consultants we have as customers who don't have any other way to actively 
promote their services. 

I also would have no objection to a general balt.commercial-ads group. 
The bandwidth and storage space required on our news servers to carry such
commercial ad related groups would be inconsequential, in my opinion,
especially in compairison to the resources we have to have to carry
alt.binaries.*, for example.

All comments welcome.  Please post your replies to this newsgroup, and 
not as direct E-mail to me.  I would prefer a public discussion.

Paul Gani
manager, Smartnet Internet Services, LLC