Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!bbn!bbn.com!mesard
From: mesard@bbn.com (Wayne Mesard)
Newsgroups: news.newusers.questions
Subject: Re: what is "IMHO"?
Message-ID: <43769@bbn.COM>
Date: 3 Aug 89 19:46:43 GMT
References: <4412@tekcrl.LABS.TEK.COM> <694@becker.UUCP> <367@wet.UUCP>
Sender: news@bbn.COM
Reply-To: mesard@BBN.COM (Wayne Mesard)
Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge MA
Lines: 27

In article <367@wet.UUCP> epsilon@wet.UUCP (Eric P. Scott) writes:
>In article <694@becker.UUCP> bdb@becker.UUCP (Bruce Becker) writes:
>>	BTW (guess what that means), "Distribution: usa"
>>	in the mail header isn't necessarily a good idea.
>>	Try "Distribution: world" since this news group
>>	will go everywhere...
>
>Please use the SMALLEST distribution available that reaches your
>target audience.  Items of interest only to US readers (or autos
>for sale in New Jersey, etc.) should not go to world!

Of course.  But the point that Eric was making (I think) is one that our
non-US net.neighbors are forever trying to get through our thick skulls:

            USA  does not equal  USENET

The "world" distribution is right for the vast majority of articles.
"For sale" posts, aricles about local-radio-show-X, etc. should receive
your regional distribution prefix.

The "usa" distribution (which excludes Canadian sites) is almost never
appropriate. 

-- 
unsigned *Wayne_Mesard();       "We need your business, we're going out of
Mesard@BBN.COM                   business, we'll give you the business."
BBN, Cambridge, MA                             -Tom Waits, "Step Right Up"