Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!looking!brad
From: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Newsgroups: news.misc
Subject: Commercial use of usenet vs. commercial abuse of usenet - a list
Message-ID: <3012@looking.UUCP>
Date: 28 Mar 89 07:19:15 GMT
Organization: Looking Glass Software, Waterloo Ont.
Lines: 84

(This posting goes in a different direction from the recent, hopefully
finished debate on RHF.)

I had said that It is my opinion that principle of USENET is that commercial
*use* is ok, and that commercial *abuse* is what people refer to when they
talk of a non-commercial usenet.

As I have been involved in commercial use, I feel it is worth discussing
(calmly) what this issue revolves around.

To my mind, all principles of usenet come from this one: "If it benefits
the readers more than it costs to read and send around, it's worth having
on usenet.  To suggest that we worry about whether the author, moderator
UUNET or AT&T might be makign money from it is merely a dog-in-the-manger
attitude."

With this is mind, let me offer my opinion of what sort of things I think
are commercial uses of usenet that are good for usenet.  Naturally, my
own are included.  I would be a hypocrite not to include them.

The higher up a thing is on my list, the more tolerated it is in my
opinion.  Things in the top couple of groups can even be advertised
on usenet, I would say, so long as it doesn't get bulky or repetitive.

To top off my list, I include commercial stuff directly related to the
operation of usenet.  That includes the discussion, support and even
reasonable promotion of network related tools, such as:

	UUCP software, HBD and Unix networking tools
	TCP/IP packages
	Commercial or shareware news processing tools such as UFGATE,
		Vortex's uucp and other future tools.
	Modems and compression software, ARC
	Usenet feeds and communications services (such as Stargate, UUNET)

In the middle of my list I put stuff aimed directly at USENET people,
or deriving from the net, but not a part of it:

	Free charging net sites
	Books about usenet or designed for netters.  (Yes, jokebooks...)
	Promotions of related networks, like biz.* net.
	Distribution centers for net software or archives of net
	material, even fee-charging ones.
	Truly free usable samples of commercial information products
	given in exchange for promotion, submissions or good will
	Other nets and email services with usenet connections.

Next we have general stuff relating to usenet people as part of a
wider audience:

	Popular products with net users, such as SCO Xenix, various
	brands of workstations and computers, MKS tools and other
	related unix tools.
	Anything that relates directly to a popular usenet newsgroup.
	Posted shareware of use to net users.

Getting lower, we have:

	General product annoucements, usually from net companies.
	Help wanted ads (net companies)
	Job wanted ads

At the bottom of my list I have:

	Help wanted ads from non-net companies
	General classified ads for small volume merchandise.
	Queries for help in people's work

Here are some things that I would probably put in the abuse category:

	Hype-style, information-poor ads of any sort.
	Promotions repeated with annoying frequency.
	Classified ads (misc.forsale) posted for non-net people
	Announcements or ads for products for which net-people are
		not a special audience.
	Cripped shareware or unusable demo programs.


There is probably more to add to each category -- there is a tremendous
amount of commercial traffic on the net -- but I think this covers the
main areas.  Comments?  (I mean sane, rational ones that don't attack me
as a person)
-- 
Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd.  --  Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473