Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!mit-eddie!apollo!keil
From: keil@apollo.HP.COM (Mark Keil)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Re: Automatic posting v 2
Message-ID: <490b58d0.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM>
Date: 7 Mar 90 04:46:00 GMT
References: <2879@ursa.UUCP> <18094@rpp386.cactus.org> <18096@rpp386.cactus.org> <151@heaven.woodside.ca.us>
Sender: root@apollo.HP.COM
Reply-To: keil@apollo.HP.COM (Mark Keil)
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Apollo Division - Chelmsford, MA
Lines: 37

In article <151@heaven.woodside.ca.us> glenn@heaven.UUCP (Glenn Reid) writes:

> P.S.  Do any of you long-time netters out there have any statistics from
> other newsgroups as to whether or not this technique works?  It can't be
> the first time it's been tried.

I don't have statistics, but I do have observations from comp.graphics weekly posting.

After a delay of several months, comp.graphics now has some articles that start
with the comment that a person has read the monthly posting, and that their
question wasn't answered, or not answered as completely as they would like.
Then they launch into their question. Usually they are right that their question
wasn't answered. And sometimes they ask questions that do seem to have been answered
in the weekly posting.

And, there are the one shot question askers, that don't even (appear to) know
that there is a weekly posting that will answer their question. My suspicion is that
they come up with a question, ask themselves what newsgroup could answer it, and then
post the question to that group. Maybe without even reading up on the group to get the tenor
of the discussions.  I think we've even seen some of those here.

There are a lot of different access patterns to newsgroups. The gamut runs from the
regulars to the one shot lookers & askers. The only way to control The one shot askers,
is to go to moderation, or a digest form. A LOT of work for someone...

Unfortunately, everybody doesn't have access to ftp, and many aren't patient enough
to use uucp reachable archives. Otherwise we could refer newcommers to these.

It has occured to me that another option would be to keep track of who posts,
and auto-mail a frequently asked question file to newcomers, and those who havn't
posted in the last N months. They could also be sent a file of the last n months
postings, or told how to get them (assuming that someone sets up an archiver & server).

-Mark

 Mark Keil               Apollo Computer,  Chelmsford MA 01824
 +1 508-256-6600 x2495   keil@apollo.com  /  {decvax,mit-erl,yale}!apollo!keil