From: plutchak@pilsner.geo.brown.edu (Joel Plutchak)
Newsgroups: news.groups,misc.jobs.misc
Subject: Re: RFD: reorganization of misc.jobs and similar groups
Followup-To: news.groups
Date: 12 Jan 1993 14:19:57 GMT
Organization: Brown University Planetary Geology
NNTP-Posting-Host: pilsner.geo.brown.edu

In article <1isp5dINNpc4@rodan.UU.NET> weinss@rpi.edu (Stephen Andrew Weinstein) writes:
>These proposals are independent.  Some can be approved without the others:
>1. Rename misc.jobs.misc misc.jobs.discussion to cut down on postings there
>	that belong in misc.jobs.wanted or misc.jobs.offered.

   Maybe a good idea.  It's goes against convention, though, so expect
some resistance.

>2. Create new group misc.jobs.nonpermanent or misc.jobs.shortterm for 
>	temporary, co-op, summer, internship, etc., positions.  (Requests,
>	offerings, and discussion)  (I'm still unsure of the exact 
>	name.  "Temporary" has the wrong connotation.)

   I don't believe it's necessary.  See various comments below.

>3. Split misc.jobs.offered.entry into misc.jobs.offered.entry.almost and
>	misc.jobs.offered.entry.newgrads to because of complaints by people
>	who felt that jobs requiring experience were de facto not entry level.

   Definitely not necessary.  The .entry group is already a failure.
A small percentage of the small amount of postings over the past six
months have actually been entry-level positions.  The few people who
actually have posted entry-level positions to the entry-level group
might as well just put "ENTRY LEVEL" in the subject line, and use the
.offered group.  After all, people looking for entry-level positions
still read the parent newsgroup (unless they're totally clueless), 
so a separate newsgroup is redundant, given the volume.
   Furthermore, any messing around with the .entry group would have to
take into account the CFV for the group, which I believe stated that
after six months (January 27, by my reckoning), it would be rmgrouped
if it were deemed a failure.  Since the person responsible for that
clause refused to discuss exactly what would constitute a failure,
I'll just take responsibility for declaring it a failure. :-)

>4. Create new hierarchy misc.jobs.local.* and move all regional job groups
>	(aus.jobs, ne.jobs, ba.jobs, ca.jobs, can.jobs, ont.jobs, etc., etc.)
>	under it (e.g. make ne.jobs into misc.jobs.ne).  This may make it 
>	easier for people planning to move to find jobs in their 
>	destination area.

   Again, I think it not only unnecessary, but presumptuous.  We who
have and use regional groups have and use them for a reason, and won't
take kindly to those who would take them away from us.  The regional
groups serve a distinct purpose, e.g. to limit distribution of messages
to those in the area (or those who specifically receive a feed of a
regional newsgroup).  And as for using the distribution line to limit
distribution, the last position I posted with an "na" distribution was
answered from places like Singapore and Germany.

>5. Replace misc.jobs.offered and comp.jobs.offered, with
>	misc.jobs.offered.computer and misc.jobs.offered.noncomputer.
>	This should help with the current problems of computer jobs
>	constituting most (but not all) postings to misc.jobs.offered
>	and computer offerings being located in two separate groups.

   If you create it, they will post?  Not likely.  The reason there
are few non-computer postings is due to the nature of USENET.  Creating
a group without demonstrated need won't create useful traffic (e.g.
the entry-level group).

>6. Replace bionet.jobs, comp.jobs, vmsnet.employment, biz.jobs.*, and 
>	similar groups, with misc.jobs.biology, misc.jobs.computer, 
>	misc.jobs.computer.VMS, misc.jobs.business.*, etc.

   Do the bionet, vmsnet, etc., hierarchies come under the purview of
USENET at all?  Why is there this desire to meddle with them?

>Some of these proposals were earlier made informally by others.
>Some are original ideas of mine.

   And they all need much further thought.
--
Joel Plutchak, Research Programmer/Analyst
Disclaimer: Involuntary vocalization may occur.
Newsgroups: news.groups,rec.food.cooking