Welcome to the usenet2 mailing list! If you ever want to remove yourself from this mailing list, you can send mail to "majordomo@usenet.com" with the following command in the body of your email message: unsubscribe usenet2 Cameron Laird Here's the general information for the list you've subscribed to, in case you don't already have it: Welcome to the Usenet2 mailing list! Please read to the end of this information before posting to the list. The fact that you have joined this list makes it likely you would have done this anyway. :-) The purpose of the list is to explore the possibility of creating a new Usenet. Many longtime users feel that the signal to noise ratio has gone down significantly in recent years, and is likely to get worse with the vast influx of new users over the next several. Usenet2 is for anyone tired of FAQs, flame wars, irrelevant posts, spam, and high volume with low signal. This is not an exercise in mental masturbation; as soon as a viable plan has been drawn up for implementation, I will do my best to see it carried out. Neither do I want to move too hastily; this is not a half-hearted effort or a publicity ploy. The domain usenet.com exists primarily for this endeavor. Please do not post about the existence of this list in a public forum. Do invite anyone you feel would be valuable to the discussion, but only those of whom you have personal knowledge. Most of the people on this list are quite busy, as am I; do not be shy about participating only occasionally. Any effort you can put forward is appreciated. An initial list of questions to be addressed on the list are: 1) Is this worthwhile at all? Would this effort be better placed at something riding along with current news transport mechanisms, such as extra header lines to distinguish "Usenet2 members", or is a whole new structure needed? 2) What mechanisms should be used to invite and approve new "members", for lack of a better word? How can this be kept simple and selective, maintaining quality of users but having as little administrative overhead as possible? 3) Are there parallel efforts going on? Can they be merged with this one, or are the goals incompatible? 4) Various technical questions regarding news transport, forgery, changes to software. 5) Various political questions regarding who can run servers, how feeds would be handled, etc. 6) All the questions that weigh on the current Usenet: mechanisms for group creation, moderation, etc. This effort provides an opportunity to do more than separate the wheat from the chaff; we can conceivably implement major improvements on the venerable Usenet traditions. I certainly feel that the RFD/CFV mechanism for group naming in the Big Eight has been something of a failure. There is much to be discussed. I look forward to your contribution. The list will remain unmoderated unless I am forced to change this; subscription will remain open unless it is abused. Please send all administrative request to majordomo@usenet.com: to subscribe, a message body of subscribe usenet2 to unsubscribe, a message body of unsubscribe usenet2 to receive this file again, a message body of info usenet2 Best regards, -- Paul Phillips EMAIL: paulp@usenet.com WWW: http://www.primus.com/staff/paulp/ "There is no Cabal" The USENET Cabal: "Controlling your destiny since 1972"