X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: f996b,5ecd9f8649df0892 X-Google-Attributes: gidf996b,public From: cfbd@southern.co.nz (Colin Douthwaite) Subject: Re: SPAMMINGS: ARGH! Date: 1997/07/19 Message-ID: <5qp1l4$a8r$1@mnementh.southern.co.nz> X-Deja-AN: 257758687 References: <5q5bel$jti$1@news.uni-c.dk> <33C64A5D.1C2A@wing.rug.nl> <5q5l4h$q6g$4@news.uni-c.dk> <33C98875.1D89@freent.toronto.on.ca> <5qd78s$70k$1@news.uni-c.dk> <5qj6fe$44q$1@mnementh.southern.co.nz> <5qnj83$cis$2@news.uni-c.dk> Organization: Southern InterNet Services Newsgroups: alt.ascii-art Lars Hansen > ("LarsHansen<"@.) wrote: >Colin Douthwaite wrote: >> >> Hmm...cancelling your own articles is one thing...cancelling anyone >> else's articles can cause you to have your account terminated by >> your access provider(s). >I believe not, as long as the articles I cancel can surely be defined as >spam. The official Usenet FAQ's even encourage people to cancel spam, so >I see no problem in that. That all depends on your Access Provider's decision if they get contacted privately by people objecting to your cancels. Usually Access Providers issue a warning to the user before their account is terminated. > Articles that can surely be defined as Spam includes "$$$Make > money fast$$$" and "Free Sex passwords". > > If YOU can find a way to defend those kind of articles, let me know. I don't defend them but I don't do Third Party Cancels either. >> > I can't speak for other people, but if people decide to leave this >> > NG unmoderated, okay, fine with me ... but I will be out of here >> > for sure! >> >> But...you've only just arrived here in alt.ascii-art which has been >> in successful existence since September 1993 ! > Yes, true. I can only speak for myself, of course. But I'm sure > that I'm not the only one bothered so much about the spam that I > would consider simply leaving. Also true...but when are you going to post some ascii pictures here instead of anti-spam messages ? Or did I miss your pictures ? *8-) There are plenty of newsgroups specifically for anti-spamming activities...try... news.admin.announce news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins news.admin.net-abuse.email news.admin.net-abuse.policy news.admin.net-abuse.sightings news.admin.net-abuse.usenet > I think it would be a shame that all you talented Ascii > graphicians would have to live with all that crap. The way I see > it, a NG where spam commercials can live and grow is just as bad > as a NG moderated too hard. So...you are here to save us rather than post ascii pictures ? *8-) If you are really committed to the Anti-spam cause then why not get involved in the appropriate newsgroups ? ( see list above ). > Think back on how much spam there was 2 weeks ago. Then think back > on 2 months ago. The number of spam posts have really increased. > Am I right? The big increase in Spam in _all_ newsgroups was/is due to a deliberate Moratorium by Anti-spammers for a number of days to demonstrate how much newsgroup spam they were actually killing. Someone already posted an article here on 13 July in this thread explaining the Moratorium. Did you miss that posting ? > But I'm not the person in charge here, if I (+ two more I know of) > are the only ones in favor of cancelling spam, I'll stop right away. > The decition of what to do with spam should be taken by the > majority, not by me. Nope...the decision to cancel is entirely yours and any consequences of your actions mst fall entirely on you. No one asked you to do cancellations here...one or two people have asked you to stop. No one is in-charge of alt.ascii-art...it is a free and unmoderated newsgroup where everyone can post whatever they wish...and...other users react accordingly. >> A Moderated newsgroup for ascii-art already exists in >> "rec.arts.ascii". Created in 1994 it has already been abandoned >> by two lots of Moderators. >> Result ? The newsgroup has become empty and derelict. That's >> _exactly_ what happens to a moderated newsgroup when moderators leave >> or do not do the job efficiently...moderation is no easy task, is >> unpaid, and thankless...no wonder moderators often walk away ! > Are you sure that the moderators leaving was the one and only > reason that the newsgroup is now empty? I'm sorry, but I really > don't understand that. You mean like, the graphicians became so > dependant of the moderators that they couldn't bear to see them leave? In a moderated newsgroup all articles are, in effect, emailed to the Moderator who then decides whether the articles get posted to the newsgroup or rejected. The moderator is not even obliged to inform posters that their articles have been rejected...some do, some don't. If the moderator leaves there is nobody to receive or post the articles anymore so the group becomes empty very quickly and dies. The group's users can do nothing about it. Once appointed Moderators have total control of the newsgroup and cannot be removed against their will. There is no mechanism for removing a moderator no matter how bad the performance. > I'm sure something happened .... hmm 'did not do the job > effeciently'? What do you mean? Efficient moderators ensure there is minimum delay in approving articles and posting all approved articles to the newsgroup. This needs a reliable Net Access Provider and the moderator's personal diligence in clearing articles submitted to the moderator on a daily basis. Sometimes a moderator's Access Site has problems and the articles are delayed or do not reach the moderator. A moderator's performance and efficiency cannot be predicted. What seems to have happened with rec.arts.ascii is that the first Moderator's enthusiasm ( Bob Allison ) burnt out so he handed the newsgroup over to Don Bertino who was unsuccessful in trying to maintain the group's activity and therefore gave up the job without finding a successor...thereby leaving the group to become empty and derelict. If someone wishes to try again to revive "rec.arts.ascii" (moderated) they can volunteer to be moderators but they will need to attract people to post their artwork there and they will need a reliable site and account to operate successfully. For historical interest: ( How many of the 453 YES voters remain ? ) ================== Excerpt from rec.arts.ascii vote =============== Subject: RESULT: rec.arts.ascii moderated passes 453:74 Date: 31 May 1994 15:54:46 -0400 RESULTS moderated group rec.arts.ascii passes 453:74 There were 453 YES votes and 74 NO votes, for a total of 527 valid votes. There were 2 abstains and 12 invalid ballots. [...snip...] o The existing groups alt.ascii-art and alt.binaries.pictures.ascii have served well as proving grounds and attest to the usefulness and popularity of this form of graphics and art. It is time for rec.arts.ascii to better serve Net users. [...snip...] The main purpose of the moderator is to handle the constant flow of frequently asked questions (despite the FAQ posted weekly). This need would be even greater with the estimated increase in traffic for rec.arts.ascii over the existing alt groups. The moderator would send a FAQ to posters of frequently asked questions, and also redirect the posters of inappropriate items to the proper groups. ==================================================================== In the meantime... . /:\ |:| |:| |:| *_ _ _ _ _ _ _ * |:| __ | `_' `-' `_' `-' `_' `-' `_'| ,_|:|_, / ) | | (Oo / _I_ | LONG LIVE alt.ascii-art | +\ \ || __| ^ | | ^ \ \||___| | | Free & Unmoderated | | \ /.:.\-\ | (*) |_ _ _ _ _ _ _ | \^/ | |.:. /-----\ | _<">_ | `_' `-' `_' `-' `_' `-' `_'| _(#)_ | |___| oOo | o+o \a/ \0 0/ \a/ (=) / || 0'\a-a/\/ \/\a-a/`0 |_____\ : / /_^_\ | | /_^_\ | | \ \:/ || || | | || || | | | | d|_|b_T____________________________T_d|_|b \ / | \___ / / / | \_____\ / / `-' / / -cfbd- ____________________________ / /___________ Bye,