From: callison@kittyhawk.ecn.uoknor.edu (James P. Callison)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: KEYWORDS (was Re: the spirit of rec.guns)
Date: 23 Jan 93 15:59:37 GMT

# I think the keywords thing is a good idea, with two reservations.
# 
# 1)	Perhaps Our Esteemed Moderator could permit a "Keywords: "
# newsheader to do this job more in the spirit of the conventions of Usenet
# and (more important to me) more aesthetically pleasing than in the Subject
# line.

Actually, the Keywords: header does get through (I think), but using
the Keywords: line in a search takes much more time to search, and is
more noticeable. The reason you don't see the Keywords: line very often
in r.g is the lack of usage, IMHO.
I'm not entirely opposed to using the Keywords: line, but I really don't
believe that it would be as effective as putting them in the Subject: 
line. Especially when you're using a newsreader like nn, where all
you get to see before reading the article is the Subject: line.
(I personally use rn, so I don't have that problem. The only problem
I have is keeping the danged thing on the thread...which is where
the keywords in the Subject: line would be a great help.
 
# 2)	When I was new to rec.guns, I had no concept of reloading - I
# thought that factory ammo was IT.  I stumbled upon a reloading thread, and
# now even though my rifle was destroyed in a fire and I have nothing to
# reload for, I plan to reload my ammo as soon as I move out of the People's
# Republic of Illinois.  The point being, I agree with OEM that it's
# important that everybody keeps in contact with all parts of rec.guns
# culture.

I don't want the keywords to split r.g; exactly the opposite, in fact.
All the keywords are is a handy, quick way of dealing with the various
broad thread topics. Although I work at a University, I cover 100+ PCs and
a few hundred users, and all of their software and hardware problems, by
myself, so there are weeks when I do good to get to r.g and save the
files I want to disk for perusal, usually after the articles have expired...
(As a matter of fact, March-August of last year was very much like that;
I wish we'd had keywords back then...)
I agree with Jim on the matter of splitting; as he said, it's an "all hang
together, or we shall all hang separately" thing. If we start cutting
off parts of r.g, we're very likely to see the group dissociate. That's
the beauty of my plan; it "compartmentalizes" rec.guns, making threading
easier to deal with, while it keeps all of the threads in a common
area.
(I'm selling too hard again, ain't I? I've developed that habit from
dealing with a rather computer-illiterate Dean; I've had to resort to
doing as much selling as possible in every memo I send to him to keep
computer funding up...Oh, the joys of a budget crisis :-(

Thanks for the input; constructive criticism is just as valuable as
positive reinforcement, and just as necessary, IMHO.

				James

James P. Callison       Microcomputer Coordinator        OU Law Library 
Callison@aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu   /\    Callison@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu
	constellation!biglaw!callison@mailhost.ecn.uoknor.edu
DISCLAIMER: I'm not an engineer, but I play one at work...
	"God didn't make men and women equal. Colonel Colt did."
			--Maggie Zombro, "Reasonable Doubts"