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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!sun!chuq
From: chuq@sun.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.news,net.news.group
Subject: Re: Which newsgroups are "useless", and what is a soapbox.
Message-ID: <3758@sun.uucp>
Date: Sun, 25-May-86 12:04:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: sun.3758
Posted: Sun May 25 12:04:10 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 26-May-86 06:49:33 EDT
References: <2082@hao.UUCP> <13913@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <259@dmcnh.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Fictional Reality, uLtd
Lines: 26
Xref: watmath net.news:4914 net.news.group:5716

> Some people just miss the point entirely. If we do away with "soapbox"
> groups, whatever they are, all (most of?)  the traffic currently channeled 
> into these "useless" groups will end up in other ("usefull") groups.

This is factually untrue. In the two cases where this has happened
(specifically net.flame and net.bizzare) in neither case did the other
'good' groups take the traffic of the dissolved group.  Flames continue
to exist, but in about the same proportions as they did before -- they
simply aren't cross posted to net.flame and the stuff specific to net.flame
went away.  With net.bizarre, there have been a couple of attempts to 'take
over' net.rumor (big loss...) but the total uselessness and high volume that
the dead group was known for didn't carry forward.

This is an argument that was used to keep from zapping net.flame for years.
When net.flame finally did go away, if was proven wrong. The fact is that
MOST of the volume associated with that group goes away. It doesn't
transport itself into another group.


-- 
:From the lofty realms of Castle Plaid:          Chuq Von Rospach 
chuq%plaid@sun.COM	FidoNet: 125/84		 CompuServe: 73317,635
{decwrl,decvax,hplabs,ihnp4,pyramid,seismo,ucbvax}!sun!plaid!chuq

The first rule of magic is simple. Don't waste your time waving your hands
and hoping when a rock or a club will do -- McCloctnik the Lucid