🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <DHwoA8.BMD@ferret.ocunix.on.ca>,
>What you're forgetting Dave, is that it is going to require the admin to
>do _something_ no matter what we decide on.  This is not a choice
>between the admin doing nothing, and the admin doing something.

It is a choice between an admin doing nothing or doing something.  There
are many sites which do not automatically create (or change the
moderation status of) newsgroups and who do not do it manually until
they get enough complaints from users or customers that doing something
becomes the easier way out.  No all news sites even have news admins and
some of these sites are significant ISPs.  As unlikely as it may seem to
some professional news administrators, running news is often a very low
priority and is frequently mis-managed if its managed at all.

>Those systems so poorly run to not be able to issue a changegroup aren't going
>to be well run enough to do a newgroup _either_.

Exactly.  But at such sites users can continue to post to
can.infohighway and their postings will get out to all the existing
sites and not be dropped on the floor somewhere due to a change of
moderation.  Yes these users will be at a disadvantage but they won't be
cut off altogether.

The net effect of changing the moderation status of can.infohighway from
unmoderated to moderated is that many users will lose their ability to
post to that newsgroup altogether until such time that they can convince
their local news admin to take the appropriate action to correct this.
As we have seen with the initial propagation problems with can.infobahn
vs. can.infohighway this can take quite some considerable period of time
to resolve.  It may not be an issue at BNR but it is an issue at many
sites.

Further, some segment of the population will feel stifled by the
requirement to have their postings "approved" by someone else before
they are distributed.  Again, this may not be an issue at BNR but it is
an issue for some proportion of the user community.

Creation of a new moderated group allows for a more focused discussion
with a better signal to noise ratio without limiting anyone's ability to
continue to post freely on the subject in the existing group.

I think we have debated this long enough.  There is clearly support for
a moderated newsgroup and only one vocal proponent for simply changing
the moderation status of can.infohighway.  If there are no other
substantial objections to the creation of a new moderated newsgroup
can.infohighway.moderated then I will create it in a week.  Would the
moderator(s) of the newsgroup please send me a copy of the proposed
charter, the address to which to send postings, etc. between now and
then.  Thanks.
-- 
David J. Blackwood
Systems Integration Manager		Room 1139, 400 Cumberland Street
Inter-Office Communications Section	Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0L8
Office Communications Division		Voice: 613 957-9305  Fax: 613 952-1095
Revenue Canada				Internet: dave@revcan.ca