Newsgroups: rec.music.makers
Subject: Re: Where Should I Post This?
From: derek@nezsdc.icl.co.nz (Derek Tearne)
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 93 22:59:32 GMT
Organization: Fujitsu New Zealand

In article <1993Jan8.192601.3132@pony.Ingres.COM> jonb@ingres.com writes:
>In article <1993Jan8.042024.23145@nezsdc.icl.co.nz>, derek@nezsdc.icl.co.nz (Derek Tearne) writes:
>>
>>Good hint!
>
>Bad hint.  The "Distribution:" header does, for all practical purposes,
>nothing.  I have no idea why this is, but constantly repeated empirical
>evidence suggests that it's very close to completely useless.

Impirical evidence suggests that it doesn't always work.  Leaving the 
distribution blank _always_ gets a world distribution by default.  So in fact 
the hint wasn't as good as it could have been.

If you pick a valid restriction you have a better than average chance of 
restricting your post to something less than the world.  Often distributions
for your home town don't work properly but you should be able to restrict
to at least your country.

If you attempt to put a distribution line in no one should flame you for 
asking about a lost pet in Tonapa.

>This wouldn't be such a problem, because the "wasted bandwidth"
>associated with a single local-interest ad that goes astray is fairly
>negligible, but what invariably happens is that such an ad is followed
>up by a million people saying witty stuff like "Hey, I can't make it to
>rehearsal in San Francisco, but maybe we could meet halfway in Ohio?".
>_That's_ what wastes the bandwidth.

This doesn't usually happen if the poster at least tried to restrict either
by using the distribution or a sensible subject line e.g. Band wanted 
FRAMINGTON MS USA.  If someone posts Bass Player wanted I will always read it 
wasting several seconds each time.  If this is occuring all over the world
that amounts to a lot of person hours.

I have posted several band wanted ads destined for NZ and I am pretty sure
they haven't escaped New Zealand.  They all have AUCKLAND NZ in large letters
in the header.  Restricting them to Auckland appears to be impossible but   
at least I am only wasting the time of other people in New Zealand and they 
don't have to read the whole post to find out if it's relevant or not.

So the answer to the original question is.  Post here but enter a value in 
the distribution line and state your location briefly in capitals in the 
subject header.
 
>There was recently a big flap on rec.pets.cats where someone innocently
>posted an article about a lost ferret -- with a perfectly reasonable
>distribution restriction, BTW -- and it fetched up a few continents away,
>and everybody had to get in their wise-ass remark.  

If the original poster had tried to restrict distribution then the wise guys
were just being rude - and were probably told as much - which was probably 
why the thread went on so long.
 
>Some people don't know about the "Distribution:" header.  Some people
>do know about it, use it properly, and the article gets spread all
>over the place anyway.  Some people know all this but really want to
>post something that's of local interest anyway, because they think it's
>important.  All of these people deserve some slack, because, bottom line,
>the feature just plain doesn't work, and there doesn't seem to be a damn
>thing anyone can do about it.

True, but it works sometimes and only takes seconds to enter so it's 
worthwhile using it.

BTW If anyone needs a Bassplayer in Auckland NZ phone 443 8091.

Derek "Still looking" Tearne


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