Re: [Plug] PLUG Meeting Subject-Suggestion!!

[jason and jill <jgreshes@netaxs.com>]

> 
> As for making the list closed, I personally don't care.  I do have a
> dial-up connection, but fetchmail downloaded all those disgruntled
> postmaster messages in the background; I saw nothing.  Does anybody
> actually know any non-subscribers who have posted to the list?  How
> would they feel if you made the list a closed list?
> 

I have to say, as someone that runs quite a few lists, I'm really
surprised to find out that PLUG isn't a closed list.  Open posting lists
haven't been standard in years.  Closed lists prevent the type of
postmaster attack we had here--which again I haven't seen happen to a
list in years, since closing the list became standard.  Closed lists are
also generally protected against spams, since spammers usually don't go
to the trouble of spamming a list before they post.

I'd greatly oppose the idea of a newsgroup--posting anything to usenet
is the quickest way to guarantee several months of spam.  My email
account had been relatively free of spam for months until I made the
mistake of posting a question to a printer newsgroup.  I've been hitting
the D key much more often since then.  

As for having the list open so that people on the general net can post
to the list, I can think of only two reasons someone would do so.  The
first would be to post an announcement and the other would be to ask a
question.  For the latter, posting as an outsider doesn't do much good
as most people answering their question, or following up on answers,
would by habit post the answer to the LIST, which the person of course
would not be subscribed to! :)  So a lot of good that does. 

When I've had a question for a list, I've always subbed to that list,
posted my question, and unsubbed when the question had been answered.
It seems to me to be a bit of an imposition to be interested in a
particular list only to a single question answered, and to also ask that
replies be sent only through private mail b/c subbing to the list
wouldn't have been too inconvenient.  After all, if someone is using the
group as a free utility, they can at least do it in a way that is
convenient for the group rather than themselves.

As for announcements, there aren't that many announcements of interest
to PLUG users that PLUG users don't already forward here, and going the
extra step of inviting those announcements would mostly encourage
commercial annoucements.

Now if someone wanted to serve as a gatekeeper who would accept
submitted announcements and forward to the list the pertinent ones, that
would take care of that.

On most lists I've been on, there has been discussion of forming a
usenet group.  Usually the idea is shot down but someone goes and sets
up a group anyway, and that group then gets 5-10 posts a week, most of
which are newbies asking "Does anyone use this newsgroup?"

Jason


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