🚀 go-pugleaf

"D. J. Blackwood" (djblackwood@hotmail.com) writes:
> I no longer operate a news server myself and I rarely have the time to
> follow long drawn-out discussions such as this.  So I tend not to get
> involved in the operational side of things, but stick instead to the
> group creation discussions.  If you want my opinion on cross-postings,
> they should not be allowed at all in any newsgroup ever.  Moreover,
> similar messages posted multiply to one newsgroup or multi-posted to
> several newsgroups should all be cancelled too.  Usenet-style news is
> not a broadcast medium; it is a narrowcast medium.  The trick is not to
> get your message before as many people as possible but to as few as
> necessary.  It is also a two-way discussion medium and in any discussion
> group that is too large you usually end up with a heated discussion
> between a small number of individuals with opposing viewpoints, while
> the majority sit silently on the sidelines.  (Conversely, a discussion
> among too small a group is often better described as silence.)  One last
> point, due to the distributed nature of newsgroups, they are often
> mistaken for a public soapbox for free speech.  In fact, virtually all
> of the news servers are privately owned and operated and are solely for
> the use of the clients of the operator.  The fact that it works at all
> is a tribute to the tolerance and cooperation of news admins everywhere.

According to http://onag.pinetree.org/
these are the ONAG members:
       Chris Lewis (Nortel/BNR and Ocunix) 
       John Stewart (Carleton University and ONET) 
       Paul Tomblin (National Capital Freenet) 
       Gordon Dewis (Pinetree) 
       Dave Blackwood 
       Russell McOrmond (Flora Community WEB) 
       Miranda Gray

So far the only ONAG members participating in this discussion have 
been Lewis, Dewis, and Blackwood. The other ONAG members are 
presumably too busy to participate and provide their views.

Mr. Blackwood has told us that:
- He no longer operates a news server
- He rarely has the time to follow long drawn-out discussions 
- His opinion is that cross-postings should not be allowed at 
  all in any newsgroup EVER

> "Chris Lewis" <clewis@nortelnetworks.com> wrote in message
> news:9segk9$cvk$1@zcarh46f.ca.nortel.com...
>> [ott.config - there's no non-crossposting rule there, and this is
>> obviously on-topic for ott.config]
>>
>> According to No Spam  <no.spam@shaw.ca>:
>> > On 7 Nov 2001 12:47:47 GMT,
>> > in ott.general
>> > Gordon Dewis <gordon@pinetree.pinetree.org> wrote:
>> > >Aren't you the same person who said "please add ott.education.misc
> to
>> > >the charter enforcement 'bot just a week or two ago"? :)
>>
>> > Now this is rich.
>>
>> > You're now attempting to take a jab at Elat by raising something
>> > that not only doesn't do anything to enhance your credibility,
>> > but in fact serves to illustrate your pedantic nonsense.
>>
>> He did ask.
>>
>> > Elats 'general' discussions aren't on topic for can.config either,
>> > but I originally added that NG in the hopes that
>> > Chris, Dave, etc. might pick up on what was going on and
>> > casually suggest that you back off a bit, pull in your horns,
>> > and stop getting so carried away.
>>
>> I'm more-or-less equally involved in can.config and ott.config (but
>> very busy of late elsewhere, so, haven't been following things that
>> closely).
>>
>> So is David (Blackwood), albeit, much less so of late.
>>
>> Both us us are members of ONAG.  Gord is a member of ONAG too.
>>
>> For various reasons to do with available time and resources, I have
> had
>> to shut down my ott.* enforcement bot, and Gord has assumed that role
>> in my place.
>>
>> As I see, the main reasons for implementing these rules are an attempt
>> to keep groups focussed on their subject matter, rather than turning
>> into multi-newsgroup sprawling/neverending flamewars.
>>
>> As such, they generally should only be implemented when there's a
>> demonstrated need for them, or when you have really good reason to
>> believe they'll be needed.  And if they turn out to be
> counterproductive,
>> they should be removed/relaxed.
>>
>> No-crossposting rules have been inplace for ott.business.* and
>> ott.forsale.* for years.   They have done a good job in preventing
>> the groups from becoming completely overwhelmed like some groups have.
>> But their volumes are such that if we removed the limitations, they'd
>> become swamped pretty quickly.
>>
>> I think there's a good case to be made that once ott.general settles
> down
>> again, we could remove/relax the restrictions.
>> --
>> Chris Lewis,
>> For more information on spam, see http://spam.abuse.net/spam
>>
>> It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after
> them.
> 
> 
--
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