Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!cca!ima!inmet!nrh
From: nrh@inmet.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: Re: Reducing net abuse. - (nf)
Message-ID: <334@inmet.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 18-Sep-83 08:42:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: inmet.334
Posted: Sun Sep 18 08:42:13 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 18-Sep-83 14:02:37 EDT
Lines: 33

#R:root44:-415900:inmet:6700007:000:1301
inmet!nrh    Sep 17 18:29:00 1983

I think a more usenet-like response to the problem of people submitting
inappropriate articles would be a mechanism whereby one could
unsubscribe to particular AUTHORS, just as one can now unsubscribe
to particular GROUPS.  

Don't like erewhon!root?  You never have to hear from him again (at
least by that name).

I can think of a couple of people I'd like to use this against, and 
doubtless a few misguided souls would use it against me.  

The main benefit would be that people could make the choice on a finer
level than they do now.  Think inmet!nrh is a jerk?  I'm now easy to 
ignore.  Does it get you upset when people send out articles ending
in stupid signature lines?  Eliminate them one by one.

Of course there'd be problems -- you'd see other users' replies to 
articles by rabbit!jj (even if you've shut off jj himself)  You'd
hear people begging for vials of Lady Arwen's sweat, even if 
you never heard from Arwen herself.  

Here's something we could never do with print media.  I suspect
it's worth a try, even if it's never widely used.

By the way, I'm quite aware that some people will accuse me of
advocating censorship.  I'm not.  I'm advocating the right of
individuals to choose in advance what they see.  NOT anybody else's
right to choose it for them.

					- Nat Howard