Xref: utzoo comp.mail.misc:5128 comp.mail.uucp:6209
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!ncar!news.miami.edu!mthvax!wb8foz
From: wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu (David Lesher)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc,comp.mail.uucp
Subject: Re: Getting People off BITNET mail lists
Keywords: bitnet off
Message-ID: <1991Mar30.004741.5208@mthvax.cs.miami.edu>
Date: 30 Mar 91 00:47:41 GMT
References: <23911@well.sf.ca.us>
Reply-To: wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu (David Lesher)
Distribution: na
Organization: NRK Clinic for habitual NetNews Abusers
Lines: 31

dhawk@well.sf.ca.us (David Hawkins) writes:

>We're having an occaisional problem with people who get accounts here,
>sign up for a lot of BITNET lists, and then leave (for one reason or
>another.)   I don't know a lot about BITNET and how it works, so these
>are fairly basic questions:

>1.  Is there a simple way to send a message to BITNET saying "Take
>this person off every list" ???
>2.  Is there a way to block people from signing up on BITNET lists?

This is an old problem of mine. 

First, you really dealing with LISTSERV@BITNIC for those automatic
mailing lists. Yes, in theory, what you do is write back to BITNIC to
get removed. But, alas, it does not seem to be that simple. You see, if
you log on one iotia differently than the time the subscriber did,
LISTSERV says: Hey, you're no subscriber, and won't let you unsubscribe.

While otherfolks CLAIM that BITNIC is run by humans, *I* think it's
escaped from the old Star Trek episode "For the World is Hollow, and I
have Touched the Sky" in that I never found any people to acknowledge
me.

My workaround won't help you much. I use filter [from elm] and
bitbucket the stuff I don't want. That won't cut your phone bills any.
-- 
A host is a host from coast to coast.....wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu 
& no one will talk to a host that's close............(305) 255-RTFM
Unless the host (that isn't close)......................pob 570-335
is busy, hung or dead....................................33257-0335