Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!yale!hsdndev!cmcl2!adm!smoke!gwyn
From: gwyn@smoke.brl.mil (Doug Gwyn)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: IGNORE THAT HELP WANTED SIGN! - How do we know what is appropriate?
Message-ID: <16270@smoke.brl.mil>
Date: 27 May 91 01:48:31 GMT
References: <248.283DFE17@weyr.FIDONET.ORG>
Organization: U.S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory, APG, MD.
Lines: 27

In article <248.283DFE17@weyr.FIDONET.ORG> rensberry@p4.f22.n140.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Clark Rensberry) writes:
>How does one find out about what's appropriate and not?

If you're using Usenet news facilities, there should have been a "new users"
article displayed that explained such things.  In any case the relevant
points are:
	(1) Each newsgroup has its relevant subject area.  For a technical
	newsgroup, such as comp.lang.c, commercial use lies outside the
	scope of the newsgroup.
	(2) While it is POSSIBLE to post any old garbage to any unmoderated
	newsgroup, continued utility of the newsgroup for its assigned
	purpose depends on the voluntary cooperation of its posters, who must
	exert some self-discipline or the news service will collapse.  Many
	of the most valuable contributors to the C and UNIX newsgroups, for
	example, long ago decided that they couldn't stomach any more of the
	net abuse and withdrew from active participation.
	(3) Many newsgroups are gatewayed with DoD Internet mailing lists;
	for example, comp.lang.c started out as the INFO-C mailing list.
	Since the Internet is taxpayer funded, its rules prohibit
	commercial exploitation.
	(4) There are all sorts of channels for "for sale" and "job offer"
	transactions, including some newsgroups not relayed via Internet,
	but also including want ads in computer rags such as Computer Shopper.
	It costs net sites a considerable amount to propagate your articles,
	and if they are for personal gain it is most unfair to expect others
	to bear the financial burden.  Many sites have had to curtail the use
	of net news because they couldn't justify the benefit versus the cost.