Date:         Sat, 12 Oct 96 11:20:15 EDT
From: "T R. Young" <34LPF6T@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>
Organization: Central Michigan University
Subject:      Self-mortification on the Internet
To: ALL RECIPIENTS OF PSN <PSN@CSF.COLORADO.EDU>
I suppose I am one of the most frequent posters on PSN...and felt
considerable embarrassement when I found that such unreflexive
posting might be a problem for the network as a whole.

I can live with the 5-post/100 guidelines.  I don't want to but I
can do it.

The network is new; norms are yet to be worked out...progressives,
radicals, critics and other feisty groups are not likely to take
kindly to limits placed upon us by others...yet the Roper/Gimenez
team does have our best...collective...interests at heart and their
hearts are large indeed.

I have a suggestion/question which may be helpful...is it possible
to have the reminders of how many we post without the automatic
rejections...most of us, I do think, would be responsive to such
cues...most of the time.  On occasion, when we do have more than
5/100, we then could make a judgment about the urgency of the post.

....and given less than real urgency, simply wait a day or so to fit
ourselves to the quota/guidelines.

Whatever happens, we do owe Don and Martha a considerable debt for
their unpaid labor in helping us create a network...it has become
very important to my own work...and to a considerable degree has
replaced the university as the chief medium in which I learn and
gain from colleagues...so let's do try to work with the beast even
as we continue to fashion user-friendly norms for it...

Finally...I hadn't thought about the costs of PSN other than
presuming that U/Colorado supported PSN as a public service.  I
do think that out-of-pocket costs for PSN should be socialized
among those of us who can afford a share of the costs.  I would
gladly pay a share...say 1/100th of the cost...since there are
some 800 of us on PSN...we should be able to take some of the
financial burden from Don/Martha.

Note to Don: Would you let us know what your monthly costs amount
to???  ...and would you allow us to chip in now and again???

                                            In solidarity,
                                                            TR