Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!mailrus!ncar!ames!elroy!gryphon!oleg
From: oleg@gryphon.CTS.COM (Oleg Kiselev)
Newsgroups: news.admin
Subject: Re: Commercial Newsfeeds (Was: something else)
Message-ID: <6307@gryphon.CTS.COM>
Date: 6 Sep 88 18:55:31 GMT
References: <5700@ecsvax.uncecs.edu> <6253@gryphon.CTS.COM> <3358@c3pe.UUCP>
Reply-To: oleg@gryphon.CTS.COM (Oleg Kiselev)
Organization: HASA
Lines: 27

In article <3358@c3pe.UUCP> aliza@c3pe.UUCP (Aliza R. Panitz (AlmostLady)) writes:
>The demographic load profile of Usenet and news changes considerably when
>a signifigant portion is generated by people whose primary use of the 
>machines is for news and mail.

It appears that the ages of PORTAL users run well below the average of the
NET (whatever that may be).  A "Hijacker@PORTAL" alleges that he was one of
the original PORTAL users and he is 14.  If the same kind of clientelle are
the majority at other "rent-the-NET" sites, we have a problem of the formerly
adult professional and academia forum turning into a giant "neighbourhood BBS".

While I feel that providing wide access to the NET is a very important
undertaking, there should be some restrictions on who gets to post.  Could
the administrators of "rent-the-NET" sites somehow restrict postings of their
new users to "local" only and allow them a wider NET access if they prove to
be capable of meeting the NET standards -- whatever those may be.




-- 
	    "No regrets, no apologies" -- Ronald Reagan

Oleg Kiselev		ARPA: lcc.oleg@seas.ucla.edu, oleg@gryphon.cts.com
(213)337-5230		UUCP:...!{trwrb|ucla-cs}!lcc!oleg	

DISCLAIMER:  I speak for myself only.