Xref: utzoo news.groups:2265 comp.sys.amiga:13235 Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!rutgers!ucla-cs!zen!ucbcad!pasteur!ucbvax!hoser.berkeley.edu!bryce From: bryce@hoser.berkeley.edu (Bryce Nesbitt) Newsgroups: news.groups,comp.sys.amiga Subject: Please vote on this proposal for changing comp.sys.amiga!!!!! Message-ID: <22579@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> Date: 14 Jan 88 18:27:24 GMT Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: bryce@hoser.berkeley.edu (Bryce Nesbitt) Followup-To: news.groups Organization: Terminal Velocity Development, Inc. Lines: 183 Thu Jan 14 10:18:25 PST 1988 I'm taking votes on a proposal for changing the comp.sys.amiga newsgroup. The topic has been hashed before, I won't do that again. I have a proposal: if you like it, VOTE YES. If you don't, VOTE NO. ------THE REASON FOR THE PROPOSAL------- comp.sys.amiga is consistently in the top 4 most voluminous newsgroups. It rates high on both the number of messages, and the number of raw bytes transferred. Too high in some opinions, including mine. Many people have complained that the volume is too high to read comfortably. Others enjoy the volume. No problem, this proposal accommodates both tastes. Read on. In the past the major problem has been finding a meaningful split. One danger is that splinter groups will merge into one "effective" group though cross-posting or miss-posting. Again, I think this problem is solved. For the people who have trouble finding time to sort though all of comp.sys.amiga's bulk, the split is only important if it enables them to unsubscribe to one or more of the new groups. I analyzed comp.sys.amiga volume for two months, and calculated that, at current rates, my proposal would result in a 65/35% split. ----THE PROPOSED NEW CONFIGURATION------ comp.sys.amiga This group will remain virtually untouched. The only class of articles that will be discouraged are those that match a subgroup of comp.sys.amiga. "This group is for general discussion about the Amiga computer. Technical discussion belongs in comp.sys.amiga.tech. Cross-posting of announcement-type material to a subgroup is allowed, provided that followups are specifically directed to the more appropriate group." comp.sys.amiga.tech A forum for technical discussions ONLY. If it does not directly relate to programming or hardware hacking on the Amiga computer it does not belong here. It you want to talk about HOW to get something done, put it here. If you talk about WHY something would be done, put it in comp.sys.amiga. How to write a virus: comp.sys.amiga.tech The effects/moral issues surrounding a virus: comp.sys.amiga "comp.sys.amiga.tech is for technical discussions about the Amiga. If it is not about how to get things done with the Amiga, it belongs in comp.sys.amiga. Cross-posting of announcement-type material to other groups is allowed, provided that followups are specifically directed to the more appropriate group." The lower volume of this technical group should attract more high quality technical participants. -------------HOW TO VOTE----------------- This proposal will sink or swim as is. If you want something else, you are free to make a comment. Votes are requested to have a subject line that reads something like this: vote YES for comp.sys.amiga split vote NO for comp.sys.amiga split comment on comp.sys.amiga split In the first two cases I'll just tabulate the vote. In the last case I'll actually read the body of the message to see what is going on. Voting will last 30 days from this date, or until votes stop trickling in, whichever is later. This message will be reposted in 10 days and again in 20 days. You are welcome to GIVE A REASON for your vote. My address are: ucbvax!hoser!bryce well!cogsci!hoser!bryce rutgers!ames!ucbvax!bryce bryce@hoser.berkeley.EDU 1712 Marin Ave. Berkeley, Ca 94707-2206 My system eats incoming mail on occasion. Sorry, I can't do anything about that. If you are unable to reach these address, you may post your vote in news.groups. DON'T post anything else about this in comp.sys.amiga. This discussion will continue in news.groups. --------ANSWERS TO OBJECTIONS---------- Q. "I want to read everything about the Amiga. Why change what is not broken?" A. It IS broken for some people. The volume is to high for some people to feel comfortable reading. Even using all the tricks such as the "n", "^N", "k", "K", "=", and "TAB" keys. Faced with a hundred or more unread messages, finding the information that buried in the haystack of comp.sys.amiga can be hard. Your eyes glaze over and your brain turns to mush as your press "n" over and over again. Worse yet are those messages have have such a poor subject line that they force you to either read the message or risk missing something. Add a slow 1200 baud modem to the picture and the problem gets worse. Splitting the groups allows one to immediately slice off a large percentage of uninteresting messages. Obviously, if you want to get every last bit of value out, you will have to read both groups. The total volume won't be much higher. You might end up reading both groups, but give greater attention of the more interesting one. You'll need to make the tradeoff between time searching for information, and the value of that information. Q. "The split won't help. The distinction is too muddy between the groups. Massive cross-posting will boost the net load ever higher." Facts: Messages contain a header that specifies what group(s) the message is intended for; the actual message is only sent once. Cross-posting a message does not take more raw net bandwidth than posting to a single group. There is a facility in the news software that checks to see if you have already read a particular message from another group. If this is enabled at your site then you won't even see the cross-postings. This split actually quite clear cut. Acrcane technical discussions are not everyone's interest. Thus they are a prefect segment of the discussion to separate out. -------------GUIDELINES------------ In any high volume group, making the content of your message clear from the subject line is very important. Be descriptive. If you are asking a question, say so. The less descriptive you are, the greater the chance most of the readers will simply hit 'n'. Mark your message clearly: FOR SALE: WANTED: QUESTION: PRIVATE MAIL FOR: In the case where you message is of regional interest, restrict the distribution. If you know that your target audience is in the usa, don't send the message to the entire world! Example restrictions: na ;North America usa ;USA ca ;California Please don't fiddle with the subject like of messages you are responding to. People want to be able follow discussion threads with the "^N" (CTRL-N) key. If you do fiddle, use parenthesis to make what you did clear: QUESTION: Do Llamas spit? (Was Re: Queen Mary's Grave) NOW VOTE! |\ /| . Ack! (NAK, SOH, EOT) {o O} . bryce@hoser.berkeley.EDU -or- ucbvax!hoser!bryce (or try "cogsci") (") U "Your theory is crazy... but not crazy enought to be true." -Niels Bohr