From: lmollett@lunatix.uucp (Laura Mollett)
Newsgroups: news.groups
Subject: Re: Group splits, killfiles...
Date: 10 Nov 92 13:33:25 GMT
Organization: Lexington Public Access Unix. -KY- (606) 253-1481

In article <1992Nov9.153842.279@news.vanderbilt.edu> LIPSCOJA@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu (Andy Lipscomb) writes:
>> However, people here seem to be implying that noone _ever_ posts bogus RFD
>> or CFV subjects in newsgroups.  In rec.games.frp.misc there was a whole
>> discussion about Gurps (a specific games system) that came through with a
>> subject line something like "RFD - Gurps System Rolls" or some such.  I don't
>> think this was a real RFD...I doubt it ever appeared in news.groups and I had
>> little to no interest in the subject.  I read the first couple of posts to
>> see if it had any relevance to me and didn't see any.  If suddenly this had
>> turned into another split discussion of rec.games.frp.misc without a change
>> in subject header, I, for one, would have been _very_ unhappy.  Some people
>> put specific games titles in their kill files.  If I had "Gurps" in my kill
>> file (I don't use one, so I don't know how it works) would I have missed an
>> RFD labeled this way?  It could actually be a valid and important question,
>> yes?
>> 		Just a lurker,
>> 				Laura Mollett
>
>Yes, you could have missed everything.  A note as to how to do it right:
>When rec.games.diplomacy was going through the voting process, someone realized
>that people who had killfiled diplomacy would miss the vote.  They then
>reposted it with * instead of diplomacy in the subject line.
>
>The real solution is for people to read EVERYTHING in news.announce.newgroups;
>but can it be done?
>
That probably is the solution and might be a very good one...however, _I_
really can't do this, and since I can't, I assume there are probably others
who can't either.

I'm not ignorant nor apathetic.  When I first acquired access to the net several
years ago, I spent a lot of time figuring out how things work because I like to
know how things work.  I concern myself with what happens in the groups I  
enjoy.  I know what RFD and CFV means.  However, this really did take a _lot_
of time.  I'm not a newsadmin and have no connection to the university that
carries the newsgroups here.  There was noone I could ask in person.  Even
reading through the huge list of newsgroups to see what ones are available
takes awhile so finding the newusers group can take awhile.  Since I work at
home and at that time had unlimited access, I had a lot of time, and spent it
figuring stuff out.

Now I'm connected through a private bbs rather than the university itself.  I'm
supposed to limit my time to an hour a day.  Since I have a friendly sysop and
there aren't a lot of people on here right now, I can sometimes fudge that
slightly...but not a lot.  I don't have time to read most of the groups I'm
interested in, and I simply cannot afford the time to read through news.groups
or news.announce.newgroups on a continual basis.  I pick up news.groups when
I see a RFD concerning one of the groups I'm interested in (as in this
case).  I still "kill" everything labeled "RFD Gurps whatever"...it's a huge
discussion (or was).  Gurps is a popular game, and I don't have time to read
through _all_ that.  I read one or two...enough to realize it wasn't a real
RFD and quit.

I think it's important that the subject lines on RFD be as clear as possible
so that all those who _might_ be interested but have limited time have as
much chance to participate as possible.  They might not be ignorant or
apathetic, but might just not have as good a connection as some others around.
Perhaps it would take a couple of extra posts to make sure everything got in
the subject line, or a few crossposts, but I think it would be worth that to
try and make sure "we" (that is those running things) have at least tried
whatever they can.

I'm not complaining about the way that the vote was run on rec.music.synth.
Again, I don't even read that group, and I'm sure that the gentle who ran
the vote did it as well as he possibly could.  But I do think that a possible
problem (subject lines on RFD's and CFV's) might have come to light with this
vote, and perhaps a solutions should be considered.  I don't believe in
complaining about votes once they're over...accept it and go on.  I missed the
entire rec.games.frp split vote as my bbs went down during that time.  I was
opposed to it, but others were not and so it goes.  Oh well.  But I do think
perhaps something could be done for future votes to insure that all runs as
smoothly as it possibly can.  Not perfectly, of course (my bbs may still go
down :) but anyway...

Just a few cents here and there...
				Laura Mollett
>
>Andy Lipscomb
>lipscoja@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu (Bitnet: lipscoja@vuctrvax)
>Don't blame me, I voted Libertarian.
Newsgroups: news.groups