[Am-info] Fred, Spam and The List.

[Marcus de Geus]

In reply to a message from Gene Gaines <gene.gaines@gainesgroup.com> dated
2002-09-27 15:31:15 -0400 (Fri):

Gene,

Thanks for your intervention in the "Fred, spammer or not?" controversy.
Although I am not one of "the complainers" as you put it, I must confess
that I found a large number of recent postings rather irritating, not
because they were by Fred, too high in number, or lacking in MS-related
content, but rather because their content was impossible to assess, or even
access, without additional effort on my part. Reading a list or its digest
becomes a chore if it involves having to surf the web to check out the
usefulness (or legitimacy, as some would have it) of every other bit of info
it contains.

So. I have a suggestion:

* Posting an URL to the list is allowed only if it is accompanied by at
least a (valid) synopsis of the underlying story. Posting bare URLs more
than a specified number of times will get you (temporarily) barred from the
list.

It's as simple as that. My bet is that the additional effort --common
courtesy-- required on the part of the poster will prove to be just the sort
of filter we need.

While I'm on the subject of common courtesy, I have a second suggestion:

* Posting a message to the list is allowed only if its contents have been
edited to remove excess quoted text.

Of course, this rule will never make it, if only for the fact that imposing
sanctions against transgressors will thin out the list to the point of
extinction. <g>

Regards,

Marcus de Geus
--
marcus@degeus.com
http://www.degeus.com