From: steveh@grafex.Cupertino.CA.US (Steve Harding KA6ETB)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv.soaps
Subject: Re: notice to all.... sub-groups
Date: 28 Sep 92 23:56:01 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: The GRAFex Company

satilley@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu writes:

> In article <-65nmrq.amyk@netcom.com>, amyk@netcom.com (Amy Kurtzman) writes:
 
> > Basically, I think you need a more sophisticated kill file. It sounds
> > like you are killing each individual article and including each new
> > subject heading with the kill. The r.a.t.s. FAQ on kill files shows
> > how to make one that only requires one line per soap that you don't
> > want to read about. The kill file doesn't need to take up half of your
> > disk space! I am not an expert on kill files, so I can't quote the
> > exact format here (and I'm not a Unix expert, so I don't know how to
> > look at my kill file right now without losing this article). But I do
> > think I have described your kill file problem and proposed the right
> > solution.
> > 
> > The idea of including only the referenced soap (e.g., SB) is bad
> > because then I would have to spend more than and hour and a half
> > looking at each article to decide it if I want to read it. With topics
> > in the subject line, I can scan them all at once using = and only pick
> > the ones of interest.
> > 
> > The abbreviations have been standardized and usually only newcomers
> > use the wrong ones until the error of their ways is pointed out.

> What about separating this group into the major networks: NBC, ABC, CBS.
> That way, if someone watches only <one> networks, they only have to have that
> one in their reading list.   And, then a kill file would only be the one or t
> that you don't watch.
> 
> For example, this would be rec.arts.tv.soaps.nbc ,etc. You get my point./
> 
> Unfortunately, this would have been nice, unitl I started watching all 3 NBC
> soaps and GL!!!!! But, it would still be easier than weeding through all thre
> networks and the prime time  stuff.

I have to agree with Amy.  Learn how to use your kill file.  If your news
reader does not have a kill file, then you are using a poor news reader.
Check with your system administrator.

Secondly, the routine to go thru to create newsgroups is not trivial.  It takes
at least three months.  As I recall, the steps are similar to below:

1.   A Request For Discussion (RFD) must be filed on news.groups.  The RFD
     must include a charter for the proposed new groups.  The charter states
     what kind of traffic will be allowed and whether or not the group will
     be moderated.

2.   After a period of time (which I forget, but is at least a month), a
     second RFD is posted.

     Discussion on the merits of the proposed new group takes place in the
     newsgroup proposing the change (in this case /r/a/t/s), AND news.groups.
     Readers of news.groups are merciless.  These are the high volume voters
     (voters, you say?  But USENET is not a democracy...it is anarchy.  More
     on this later).

3.   After the discussion period is over, a Call For Votes (CFV) is issued.
     Now comes the hard part.  Someone has to collect and tally the votes.
     Which means someone somewhere on the net has to create a script or write
     a program to automatically collect the Yays and Nays.

     This is from memory, and therefore is suspect.  A CFV to pass has to have
     at least 200 voters, and (this I am sure of) there must be 100 more Yays
     than Nays.

     If it passes, the new newsgroups are created.  If it fails, then the
     supporters must wait six months and go through the process again.

As I said, USENET is an anarchy.  But even in an anarchy, there must be some
rules (read guidelines).  The above are the guidelines followed (as I said,
to the best of my recollection) to create or modify newsgroups.

Hardly worth the effort, especially when judicious use of a kill file will
solve the problem.  (BTW...I'd vote against it.)

steve

-- 
play:steveh@grafex.Cupertino.CA.US 408.252.0578     work:harding@nas.nasa.gov
              A prince trapped in the body of a dirty old man.
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv.soaps