Sethworks Mooseum Annex Exhibit: A Sethworks Newsgroup?

This question comes up occasionally. The following recap of previous discussion is presented as a handy reference should it arise again. ...Jimbo9 ;)

Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 22:36:14 -0500
From: Jimbo9@aol.com
Subject: Re: Sethworks as a newsgroup (fwd) (+recap)
Message-ID: <951129223240_38844985@mail02.mail.aol.com>

I received the following e-mail from Lumiere du Mermaide.  My response follows along with a recap of October's discussions about a Seth-related newsgroup so this post may be kind of long.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
..Subj: Sethworks as a newsgroup (fwd)
..Date: 95-11-28 22:01:04 EST
..From: Lumiere du Mermaide
..To: jimbo9@aol.com

Hi!
Went to post this...
but then realized I had already unsubscribed...
Would you consider posting it please?
Thanks! Lumiere

---------- Forwarded message ----------

..Date: Tue, 28 Nov 1995 18:19:26 -0800 (PST)
..From: Lumiere du Mermaide 
..To: sethworks@mlist.access.digex.net
..Subject: Sethworks as a newsgroup

I also subscribe to Lightwork-l, Heal-l, and Techspirit-L (which do not have nearly the volume of Sethworks) plus a few professional lists...

My short stay here has been most interesting... and in case there is movement toward establishing a newsgroup... if someone dropped me an email... I'd appreciate it.

Thanks... and keep on dreaming!

Lumiere du Mermaide      %*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%
                         *  Ascension is awareness of the simultaneous *
			 %  coexistence of multidimensional realities  %
                         *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*

Hi Lumiere!

Yep.  We discussed it some in October.  The thread started off with a post from Lan Chang on 15 Oct which had the subject line "Could the Seth mailing-list be put in news group??"

That day, I responded with:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ah, yes.  Going to a newsgroup has been a previous item of discussion here.  I believe the group had some worry with this because not *all* newsgroups are carried on *all* news servers and some of us might be cut off.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Ken Parker, our list administrator, added:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
..if people want a Sethworks Newsgroup, someone else who is more knowledgeable about creating newsgroups would need to be involved.

  The only thing is I consider this list to be like an extended family.  The way newsgroups work, they tend to be more impersonal and they are more prone to Flame attacks.  On the other hand, they encourage selective reading, which some of the subscribers might prefer, and are not as vulnerable to the E-Mail delivery problems we have been having.  Another minus to the newsgroup idea is that the easiest group to create (alt.moose.works?<g>) is not carried on several locations (such as businesses and some school locations) and the non-ALT groups take AGES to get approved and created.

Just my thoughts! Again, if people want to pursue this, someone else needs to jump in on it!  Even if we DID get a newsgroup, there would be a place for a mailing list as people might feel safer posting their inner-most secrets to 106 (or so) people instead of the potential hundreds of thousands that might lurk on newsgroups at any time!

  Till later,

  Ken Parker
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Then, in a message on 16 Oct., Forrest Landry shared his opinion:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
(Jimbo)
> I believe the group had some worry with this because not *all*
>_newsgroups are carried on *all* news servers and some of us might
> be cut off.

I would definitely have this problem.  My access to newsgroups is intermittent at best.

(Ken)
> The only thing is I consider this list to be like an extended
> family. The way newsgroups work, they tend to be more impersonal
> and they are more prone to Flame attacks....

I feel the same way.  Its possible to get to know the poster a little, and it is like a family.  I do find that the quality of the mailing lists to be better than newsgroups.  So far this is the _best_ all around group I've found yet! :)

(Ken) > ... a place for a mailing list as people might feel safer
> posting their inner-most secrets to 106 (or so) people instead of
> the potential hundreds of thousands that might lurk on newsgroups
> at any time!

I for one would definitely feel more reluctant to post if this was a newsgroup.  My neck is already out there far enough without having to deal with pointless "flame attacks".  I do not regard myself as having many secrets [except what others tell me in confidence], but I am sensitive to who I tell what. Direct questions do get answered though....
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

On 24 Oct 1995, Donna Marks used the same subject line, but she was really just checking on our list server which had been having some problems. It still spurred a bit more discussion starting with Ken, who wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
On the "subject question", we discussed this earlier.  If anyone wants to "take a stab" at a Seth newsgroup (alt.moose.works?) that has the technical (and political!) know-how, let me know!  It won't completely replace the mailing list, for reasons discussed before (we still need a place where we can feel at least safer in discussing personal issues.  Also, mailing lists have more of a "feel" of control than news-groups; for example, newsgroups are more prone to "flame-attacks").  Maybe we need a bit more discussion on this! Any of you active News-surfers out there?
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Colin Pasfield responded on 26 Oct. with:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Here's my 2 CUs worth,

In the past I've subscribed to various mailing lists on a wide range of topics.  I've also partaken in the use of various news conferences.  For my purposes I've found that mailing lists have been the higher quality service - mostly for reasons Ken has outlined, "less flames", "more intamacy" etc.

It is these qualities that I appreciate in mailing lists. I wish to see Sethworks retain these qualities.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Philip Stephens also commented:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Anybody can create a new alt.* group, although it's probably good politics to discuss it in alt.config first, if only to make sure that we choose a name that fits into the current hierarchy.  But the actual creation of an alt.* group is a matter of posting a message to USENET with a special line in the header, as I understand it.  It's then up to individual sites to accept or reject the new group (normally they just accept it without question).
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

That's all I can find that was said about it since then, with the exception of this most recent comment by Andy Bauer on 26 November:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
P.S.
It was suggested to convert SethWorks to a newsgroup, which should make postings easier to thread and browse. In the name of pithiness I won't go into details, but I still *prefer* SethWorks to be a mailing list!
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

So there you have it, as it currently stands:  Not much interest; but anyone who knows how and really has the desire is welcome to start a Seth-related newsgroup.  I, myself spent about a month on the alt.religion.newage group before I came to roost here.  I quit reading the newsgroups and haven't been back since.  I guess that would pretty well indicate my own preference.

I'll close with this famous quote by an anonymoose author:
"Thanks for asking!  Hope this helps." <Grin>

James N. Thames :)

I check my mail at Jimbo9@aol.com
My home page is at http://users.aol.com/jimbo9/wwwhome.html

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