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From: ole@csli.Stanford.EDU (Ole Jacobsen)
Newsgroups: news.admin,news.groups,comp.society.futures
Subject: In Moderation Network in the press
Message-ID: <9367@csli.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 10 Jun 89 21:38:47 GMT
Sender: ole@csli.Stanford.EDU (Ole Jacobsen)
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Organization: Center for the Study of Language and Information, Stanford U.
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The following article on Geoff Goodfellow's IN MODERATION NETWORK appeared the 
Business section of this morning's edition of the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE.  
Quoted without permission.


NEW SERVICE TO CULL COMPUTER MESSAGES
by John Schneidawind

   Geoffrey Goodfellow says that the mass of useless information circulating 
through the nation's public computer networks is almost as abhorrent as the 
Exxon oil washing up on Prince William Sound.

   He and his company, Anterior Technology of Menlo Park, want to do something 
about it.  This week, Goodfellow established the "In Moderation Network," a 
service that beginning next month will monitor the information networks used 
by Anterior clients, and winnow all the entries that the clients don't need.

   Goodfellow contends that useless, often repetitive information is slowing 
down such otherwise vital computer networks as Internet and Usenet, which are 
used to exchange scientific and technical information via computer.

   Network users commonly send computer messages seeking information available 
on particular subjects.  But other users often flood the network with inane or 
irrelevant responses.

   "When you ask a question and get 65 replies, your electronic mailbox tends 
to overflow," said Goodfellow.  "You spend a lot of time throwing things out.  
It would be analogous to The Chronicle publishing everything that came out 
from the news wire on the trouble in Beijing."

   Goodfellow's operation would be connected to the networks.  It would employ 
about a dozen carefully trained human "moderators" to screen out information 
that specific clients probably wouldn't care to see.  The clients would 
receive only information that they find useful when they tap into the 
networks."

   "Information sewage flows across the highways and byways each day," 
Goodfellow said.  "I'm just offering a cleaned-up, very high quality feed.  
Effectively, I'm selling taste."

   The taste won't come cheap.  Goodfellow plans to charge $720 per year for 
each office that uses his service.  For individuals, the price is $35 per 
month, plus $3 per hour for the time they spend receiving the network 
information on their computers.

   Goodfellow co-authored the book "Hackers Dictionary, A Guide to the World 
of Computer Wizards," and was the principal investigator for computer security 
at Menlo Park-based SRI International, a computer-industry think tank.  He 
thinks that plenty of business and individuals will be happy to pay those 
prices, based on all the complaining that he has heard from network users.

   "It's just a matter of listening to what people want," he said.