Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!iuvax!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!uxe.cso.uiuc.edu!hirchert
From: hirchert@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: An alternate method of splitting hi
Message-ID: <46100063@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: 25 Jan 88 21:52:00 GMT
References: <22603@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Lines: 37
Nf-ID: #R:ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU:22603:uxe.cso.uiuc.edu:46100063:000:1829
Nf-From: uxe.cso.uiuc.edu!hirchert    Jan 25 15:52:00 1988


>> The idea is to not view newsgroups as "barriers" between discussions, but
>> as "keywords" to indicate topics of interest. The general idea is to think
>> of what groups you're interested in a posting being read by, then post to
>> the most specific newsgroup that will reach part of that group.
>> 
>> 	comp.sys.mac	- no postings, just a root for the keywords
>> 	".hardware      - postings that somehow discuss hardware
>> 	".software      - ditto software
>> 	".misc          - nothing else applices
>>	".macII			- Mac II specific
>>	".macse			- Mac SE specific
>>	...
>
>I believe this technique would be VERY well received by net users.  If the
>cost to implement and run this type of organization is reasonable, then 
>by all means DO IT.  We would all be eternally grateful. This seems a
>good way to solve this recurring problem once and for all.
>It would be especially nice if there was some consistency of keywords,
>where appropriate, across root newsgroups.

Please, NO!!!!  Any organization scheme that encourages cross-posting is
going to be very poorly received by at least one segment of the net user
community -- those that use notes rather than news to read net news.  Notes
stores and displays a news article separately for each news group to which it
is posted.  If I subscribe to all of the Mac groups in order to keep up with
the whole area, I will be forced to deal with each cross-posted article several
times.

I don't object to breaking comp.sys.mac into smaller groups, even though I
intend to continue to at least review everything, but please don't choose a
division that will encourage cross-posting, as that will make the problem
worse, not better.

>Rob Prentice {pyramid, ucbvax, uunet, rutgers!hao, colo!boulder}!nbires!rob

Kurt W. Hirchert		National Center for Supercomputing Applications