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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!ucbvax!decvax!bellcore!vortex!lauren
From: lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: Re: net.culture.uk (and net.peace)
Message-ID: <795@vortex.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 9-Sep-85 14:22:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: vortex.795
Posted: Mon Sep  9 14:22:42 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Sep-85 06:19:36 EDT
References: <221@kepler.UUCP>
Organization: Vortex Technology, Los Angeles
Lines: 42

I didn't say that "special interest groups" are contrary to the best
interests of the net.  Please don't misquote me.

Remember that this argument started when someone suggested, in essence,
that Usenet was an ideal free conduit for peace activists to discuss
and plan their activities.  There was an implicit suggestion that
such persons be given access to the net, and that other groups be
given similar access.  The attitude expressed sort of sounded like
Usenet was some big "free communications" network that anyone and
everyone could (and should) just dial up and use to send whatever
messages they like "for free."  That's what I was primarily objecting
to in the original message.

On the general topic of newsgroup creation, it is important to realize
(and we've been over this ground before) that new newsgroups tend
to create new traffic.  And for every new newsgroup, we get more,
"gee, if Joe can create THAT group for THAT topic, why can't *I* create
THIS group for THIS topic?"  Even when sending those materials to 
thousands of computers doesn't make sense, we still end up with people
attempting to use the network as if it was really all free.  It's not!
And once a group is created, there's always some set of people that
will get upset when you try to delete it later.  In many cases, people
try recreate the groups and we get the create/remove wars we've
seen in the past.  This sort of anarchy is just beginning.

One of the real problems is that simply blasting a message out to the
whole network is a lot easier from the individual's standpoint than
setting up and running a mailing list.  It also allows the individual
to avoid the responsibilites of setting up direct links with their
correspondents, or for getting permission from intermediate hops
before sending out materials.  You just blast it off and it goes
EVERYWHERE and you don't have to think about it.  Never mind the
thousands of dollars it costs to send that message around, or the fact
that 1% (or maybe far less) of the people on the net care about that
message, or the amount of communications time involved in sending it.

Maybe we could afford such attitudes when we were a tiny little network.
But we're BIG now and we just can't afford to keep operating that way--
trying to bury our heads in the sand pretending that these problems 
don't exist.

--Lauren--