Re: [OT] Bickering

["PatrickLidstone" <patrickl@xxxxxxx>]

> I tried to support the creation of uk.tech.home-automation but made
the
> mistake of replying via a web based news reader. I dont know if I
clicked
> the wrong link or if it was the fault of the web interface, but my
reply
> went to the wrong newsgroup which was for announcements only. I
alomost
> instantly got jumped on

I can understand your frustration Keith, but I can also sympathise
with the usenet police. Usenet's simultaneous strength and weakness
is its global reach. The usenet infrastructure was never devised with
the internet penetration we see today in mind - it is just good
fortune that it happens to scale - and there is a risk that if
everybody does their own thing that anarchy will prevail. The
hierarchy of newsgroups is the only thing that provides any structure
to a medium which is available to every single net user on the
planet. You were unlucky to get caught in the cross-fire.
The usenet police perspective is predominantly one of self
preservation - they perceive (rightly, IMO) usenet as an ivaluable
pooled resource. But it only has value for as long as the signal
rises above the noise. Your unfortunate mistake add to the noise and
I suspect the reply you got was a semi-automated response - I'd guess
it wasn't intended to be taken personally by you (unless you had
really been a spammer), and it can also be read simply an unambiguous
statement of fact.
Along the same lines, if a group charter explicitly forbids "for
sale" posts (I don't know if this is the case with the group you
cited) then regardless of how well intentioned the original poster
was, they _should_ know better. In usenet lore it is the
responsibility of the poster to be suitably educated.
Mailing lists tend to be less brutal in policing for several reasons -
first, the audience is considerably smaller; second the audience has
to actively seek out membership, and in doing so accepts a daily
deluge of e-mails, and third because of the access mechanics -
offenders can be readily silenced by the list owner, which also
implies a hierarchy (dictatorship?) - whereas unmoderated newsgroups
have to rely on (well established) etiquette to keep the signal to
noise ratio sensible, and as the result is a pretty unforgiving
environment.
So, that's usenet for you - weird and wonderful, but definitely only
for the thick skinned equipped with a kill file :-)
I do hope you feel it's worth while continuing to contribute to
usenet though - you are in a better position than most to shift the
ratio in the signal favour ;-)

Patrick