From: rws3n@astsun.astro.Virginia.EDU (Robert W. Spiker)
Subject: The startrek split: Analysis of .current's articles 
Reply-To: rws3n@astsun.astro.Virginia.EDU (Robert W. Spiker)
Organization: Department of Astronomy, Univ. of Virginia
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 00:53:03 GMT


Since I don't read r.a.s.current, I decided to check out for myself
what the traffic on the group is like and see if a split of the news
group is warranted.  So, I went through the articles on my spool and
sorted them by the subject of the post (usually but not always going
by the Subject: line, since although people tend to wander off subject
I had 750 articles to sort).

As I remember the charters, .current is supposed to be for discussion
of new episodes, comics, books, and movies, .tech is for technical
discussions (e.g. how does the transporter work), .fandom is for
various fan-related discussions, and .misc is for all other traffic
(episodes older than ~4 months, non-episode specific stuff, etc.). 

Of 747 articles spanning five days on the spool (0500 GMT 16 Jan. to
2100 GMT 21 Jan.), 84 were split-related traffic.  I removed these
from further analysis.

I divided the remaining 663 articles into five groups, corresponding
to the four unmoderated Star Trek groups and articles which didn't
belong in any Star Trek group.  (Keep in mind that this is my analysis
only.  Your mileage may vary.)

The full-blown article count appears below, but I give my findings
here.  Of 663 articles I lost track of 8, leaving a sample size of 655
articles.  227 of them (35%) by my judgement belonged in .current.
396 (60%) I thought were better placed in .misc, with the balance (5%)
distributed among the three remaining categories.

Of the threads which didn't belong in .current two of the largest ("I
like Kira" and "DeForest Kelley is dead"), accounting for 68 of the
articles, could understandably be in .current (rumors and fan clubs, I
guess, are popular), despite the fact that neither thread concerned
itself with a specific recent episode.  Moving these two threads from
.misc to .current changes the percentages to 50% (.misc) and 45%
(.current).  By far the most egregious example of a thread which
didn't belong in .current was about the worst episodes in Star Trek
(41 articles, or 6% of the non-split-related .current traffic).

From this I would conclude that NO split of .current is warranted.
Instead, what we need is have posters consider more carefully in which
newsgroup the article really belongs.  Incidentally, the traffic
averages to ~150 articles per day over the past five days, of which
only half (at best) belongs in .current.  A newsgroup with only 75
articles per day, INCLUDING all the split-related traffic, is not
unbearable.  The old rec.arts.startrek was averaging much more than
this, even during the summer.  As things stand I will vote against any
split of .current.

As a side note, the total number of reviews and responses to reviews
was only twenty articles out of 747.  Even if one triples that number
once first-run episodes of TNG begin again, it would account for less
than 10% of the articles in .current.

I invite readers of .current who dispute my categorization of these
articles to try it for themselves and post the results.


Robert W. Spiker            rws3n@Virginia.EDU
Department of Astronomy     P.O. Box 3818, University Station
University of Virginia      Charlottesville VA 22903 USA

   --------------------------------------------------------------

Articles which really belonged in .current (227/663):

General comments about "Past Prologue": 19
New episode promos/press releases: 14
Possible TOS movie: 11
Cloning on "A Man Alone": 11
Odo violates conservation of mass: 9
To what does "Babel" refer: 8
General comments about new books: 8
Molly is older than she should be: 8
What's wrong with Star Trek books: 7
Vidiot's program guide: 7
General comments on "A Man Alone": 7
Odo is not hollow: 6
Repeats of TNG on Sky-1 (UK network): 6
Sex discrimination on "Past Prologue": 6
Reviews of "A Man Alone": 6
Reviews of "Past Prologue": 5
Superpowers on Star Trek: 5
Convention info: 4
Cardassian spy network (Chain of Command and Past Prologue): 4
"Q-in-Law" (a book): 4
Lynch's review of "Past Prologue": 4
Possible TNG movie: 4
Cover of the new DS9 book: 4
The "ST: TNG Companion" (a new book): 4
Questions about "Emissary": 4
Actor on "Past Prologue": 3
Move DS9 traffic out of .current: 3
Reviews of "Emissary": 3
TNG on the BBC: 2
Error in DS9 premiere: 2
General comments on "Chain of Command": 2
Arnold Schwartzenneger (sp?) on TNG: 2
DS9 cast appearances: 2
Keiko as a schoolteacher: 2
General comments on "Emissary": 2
Star Trek card set for sale: 2
FAQ-related articles: 2
DS9 or DSN?: 2
DS9 crossovers: 2
TNG rebroadcasting edits: 1
DS9 comic: 1
Shabang's review: 1
Where is the review of Emissary: 1
I had net.problems: 1
Seeing Star Trek in London: 1
What was the stardate in "Chain of Command": 1
"Ship in the Bottle" comment: 1
Battle in "Emissary": 1
Comment about "Babel": 1
Pointer to alt.fan.q: 1
Looking for a net.person: 1
Empty post: 1
Move dilithium discussion to .tech: 1
First Contact (UK showing): 1
Random DS9 questions: 1
Gary Schroeder's dead: 1
Move canon discussion to .misc: 1
Ship on DS9: 1
Continuity errors: 1
Cardassians are strong: 1



Articles which really belonged in .misc (396):

I like Kira: 43
Worst episodes of Star Trek: 41
DeForest Kelley is dead rumor: 25
DS9 music: 24
Duras sisters' cleavage: 14
There are no Vulcans on TNG or DS9: 13
General Odo articles: 12
Does Paramount read Usenet: 8
O'Brien's rank: 8
Odo's nose: 8
Bashir is a dork: 7
DS9's opening sequence is goofy: 7
Is Odo the guy from Benson: 7
Comments about DS9 runabouts: 6
Are Trills symbiotes: 6
Most overrated episode: 6
Doctor's names, and comparing the doctors: 6
How do you spell Bajoran: 6
Star Trek sucks: 5
DS9 sucks/6th season TNG sucks: 5
What is Dax's job: 5
Syndication of TV shows: 5
DS9's comet is goofy: 5
What's canon: 5
Top 10/20 list: 4
Bars in science fiction: Space Rangers vs. DS9: 4
Picard's accent: 4
What was the best episode: 4
Bajoran earrings: 4
Orientation of ships in space: 4
Riker as captain: 4
What's Quark's nephew's name: 4
Hot babes on Star Trek: 3
Ensign Ro: 3
Worf's spine: 3
Family relationships: 3
Money in Star Trek: 3
How to make a Borg movie: 3
Ten-Forward is too small: 3
How do Trills reproduce: 3
Aliens on Star Trek: 3
Transporting Trills: 3
Star Trek 6 on HBO: 3
Star Trek 6 video for $29.95: 3
DeForest Kelley's birthday: 3
What is the race of those blue guys: 2
Bajor = Tibet: 2
The wormhole on DS9: 2
Noncomms vs. officers: 2
bisexuals on Star Trek: 2
DS9 and Fox network: 2
TNG hypercard stack: 2
TOS computer voice: 2
Yesterday's Enterprise: 2
What is the DS9 satellite feed: 2
Battles on TNG: 2
The problem with Star Trek ('s view of the future): 2
DS9 drinking game: 2
TNG music sucks: 2
Dax's makeup: 2
DS9 commercials: 2
TNG video club membership: 1
DS9's bar: 1
What is DS9 air time: 1
DS9-- is it a model or computer generated: 1
"Every Good Boy Deserves Favor" (play with TNG cast): 1
Where is Starfleet Academy: 1
Picard's family: 1
Ode to Spot: 1
When are UK broadcasts of TNG: 1
Avery Brooks has hair: 1
Lilith Sternan on TNG: 1
I want DS9 gifs: 1
Brent Spiner's new album: 1
Who is the computer voice on DS9: 1
DS9 based on Star Trek or ST: TNG?: 1
Teaching Star Trek: 1


Articles which really belonged in .tech (4):

Banking ships in space (i.e. when they turn): 2
What is dilithium: 2


Articles which really belonged in .fandom (6):

Leonard Nimoy on the Simpsons: 4
George Takei at a con: 1
Patrick Stewart gets a Grammy: 1


Articles which didn't belong in the Star Trek groups (22):

"Space Rangers" sucks: 16
Babylon 5: 3
Where did the necktie come from: 2
Spelling flame: 1


Articles I can't account for (where did they go?):

8