From: bwood@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov (William Wood)
Subject: Re: Desperately seeking advice: How do you justify news?
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 18:28:00 GMT

In article <BETSYS.92Nov18143114@ra.cs.umb.edu>, betsys@cs.umb.edu (Elizabeth Schwartz) writes...
>In article <shaver.722015212@convex.convex.com> shaver@convex.com (Dave Shaver) writes:
> 
>>While some companies budget entire machines to be net gateways and news
>>servers, other companies argue that news should be eliminated.
> 
>>The question: If your management questioned the value of your news,
>>what would you say?  What if they said they wanted to turn the whole
>>thing off or eliminate 90% of it?  (The "non-business" newsgroups.)
>>What arguments would you use to maintain your feed?
> 
>I can itemize times when news has saved us time and money. It is
>fairly easy to do this for the technical groups, of course, but it
>isn't that hard to do for the rest.
>  How much work time is saved by being able to find a list of
>auto mechanics on the net, instead of spending company time on the
>telephone? Has a posting in rec.pets.dogs allowed a worker to not take
>an afternoon off to visit the vet? Have you gotten any office
>furniture cheap from misc.forsale?
>  Of course, netnews DOES lead to users spending some company time for
>entertainment purposes. That is hard to deny and your company might
>legitimately decide not to provide this service. Fortunately,
>commercial services are proliferating, so soon anyone who wants rec.
>soc., alt.binaries should be able to buy access. 
>--
>System Administrator                  Internet: betsys@cs.umb.edu
>MACS Dept, UMass/Boston               BITNET:ESCHWARTZ%UMBSKY.DNET@NS.UMB.EDU
>100 Morrissy Blvd                     Staccato signals
>Boston, MA 02125-3393                      of constant information....



<*>  I feel confident I can speak for most other folks at NASA when I 
say that much has been gained by having VNEWS available.  On the subject 
of research alone, many experimentors in the technology community have
been able to share a wealth of information in the quickest amount of 
time, without having to tie-up: land lines; satellite feed; or the 
waste of FAX transmissions.  Not to mention all of those notes stuffed
into courrier bags and FedEx and alike.  I really appreciate the above
posting.  

     Sure, people are going to be people, and yak yak about what some
might percieve as gossip or alike.  However, just having a medium like
VNEWS to get opinions for workers from all ends of the spectrum is the
essence of what "Quality Circles" are all about!  Think about it, if
you would.  Many dollars have been spent in this one area alone..to
incorporate the Japaneese theorys of business into the Amercian workplace.  
Here, we are doing just that..all because of the medium of VNEWS!

     As with all responces folks (like me) make to either the right or
left, on any particular issue, I'll probably have my share of flames.
But befor you flame me on the benefits of having VNEWS, remember on
'what' you are using to voice 'your' "opinions"!

     I lift my glass to Betsy and Dave for their insights to enlighten
the rest of us.  May you continue to bring-up lively issues like the 
above, which makes us (users of VNEWS) stop and think about those 
technologies we (in development) create.  Praise to those programmers
also.  A lot of work went into the development of VNEWS and alike.  
May noone take for granted, that which we now use daily.  - Bill -
AKA: Topcat.  Best Wishes.