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*.answers moderation?
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Thomas Koenig
Nov 27, 2022, 10:46:56 PM11/27/22
to
Hi,
Is there anybody still active in *.answers (and specifically
news.answers) moderation? news-answe...@mit.edu used to
be the moderation contact address, but I've received no reply there.
Is there anybody still active in *.answers (and specifically
news.answers) moderation? news-answe...@mit.edu used to
be the moderation contact address, but I've received no reply there.
Paul W. Schleck
Dec 1, 2022, 1:39:10 PM12/1/22
to
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I don't think that there has been any active moderation of the *.answers
newsgroups in over a dozen years. I found my last reply, to
news.groups, on this subject and quoted it below.
My local news server at Panix has 90 days retention of the newsgroup,
and shows about 20 unique articles. Examination of the headers suggests
that they were all directly posted using self-approval from multiple
independent news servers other than MIT.
The *.answers newsgroups were not typical moderated newsgroups. The
entire supporting moderation software was a complex infrastructure of
article approval database, article validator, automated archiving of the
newsgroup to an FTP server (mirrored by two web sites at Ohio State and
faqs.org), and a periodic posting service for those submitters who could
not directly self-approve. This was sponsored by the Student
Information Processing Board (SIPB) at MIT, after being created by the
original moderator, Jonathan Kamens. This infrastructure is not likely
to still be active (you noted that you didn't get a reply). Even if it
was still available, MIT likely does not have an NNTP news server
anymore. My memory of the services were that they required a team of
moderators to maintain, and it was relatively labor-intensive to do so.
The original moderators are also not likely to return to active
participation after over a dozen years, IMHO.
Might want to back up a bit and consider what are your current needs.
Do you wish to create an *.answers-crossposted FAQ? My recommendation
is to just create one, confirm it complies with the submission
guidelines below, and self-approve it via a direct cross-post with its
home newsgroup(s). Do you wish to reactivate moderation of the
newsgroup with a new team, possibly including yourself? It is possible
to recruit new moderators, but the entire supporting infrastructure is
likely to be overkill at this late stage of Usenet. At best, a new team
would reactivate the periodic posting of the submission guidelines,
provide an approval and oversight authority from new moderator
submission and feedback addresses for the newsgroups, and not likely any
auto-posting, validating, or archiving services.
Good luck with your quest.
>Date: Fri Dec 3 16:52:06 2010
>From: pschleck
>Newsgroups: news.groups
>Subject: Re: Where are the *.answers groups up to?
>References: <4cf959b1$0$2540$da0f...@news.zen.co.uk>
>Status: RO
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Hash: SHA1
In <4cf959b1$0$2540$da0f...@news.zen.co.uk> "A B" <a...@a.uk> writes:
>Can anyone tell me exactly what's happening with the *.answers groups? I
>see there are a few recently modified postings there, so obviously new
>submissions can get through some of the time. But this was also the case
>last time I tried to submit the alt.astrology FAQs, and I couldn't get a
>reply at all. I'm just about to try again, but as I'm not too hopeful about
>the result, I thought I'd post this while I remembered.
The last known moderators of news.answers were David A. Lamb and Paul
King.
The most recent FAQ article to be crossposted to news.answers that I
submitted was in September and for news.announce.important.
The situation, frankly, appears to be one where submissions posted to
news for approval from a newsreader, or sent to news-a...@mit.edu
(the newsgroup submission address) go into a large backlogged queue of
submissions intermixed with SPAM and off-topic articles (including user
questions), where they wait indefinitely because the moderators are not
currently able to work on the queue.
Based on my recent experiences, the best way to get your article(s)
approved currently would seem be to follow the submission guidelines at:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/news-answers/guidelines/
submit the article(s) using your newsreader, or via E-mail to
news-a...@mit.edu, then drop a short note to
news-answe...@mit.edu (so that your messages are recorded in
their queues if there is a question later) CC'd to the personal E-mail
addresses of David and Paul. David or Paul may reply and tell you that
they are backlogged and not able to work on their large queue of
submissions. They may be able to provide tentative approval for your
article(s), or you can decide to proceed from their lack of objection.
These steps are what I did to get my latest FAQ submission approved.
I hesitate to post David's and Paul's personal E-mail addresses here,
where they might get misused or harvested for SPAM. If you can drop an
E-mail to my address below, I can send them to you privately.
- - --
Paul W. Schleck
psch...@novia.net
http://www.novia.net/~pschleck/
Finger psch...@novia.net for PGP Public Key
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=ooqM
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- --
Paul W. Schleck
psch...@panix.com
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Hash: SHA1
newsgroups in over a dozen years. I found my last reply, to
news.groups, on this subject and quoted it below.
My local news server at Panix has 90 days retention of the newsgroup,
and shows about 20 unique articles. Examination of the headers suggests
that they were all directly posted using self-approval from multiple
independent news servers other than MIT.
The *.answers newsgroups were not typical moderated newsgroups. The
entire supporting moderation software was a complex infrastructure of
article approval database, article validator, automated archiving of the
newsgroup to an FTP server (mirrored by two web sites at Ohio State and
faqs.org), and a periodic posting service for those submitters who could
not directly self-approve. This was sponsored by the Student
Information Processing Board (SIPB) at MIT, after being created by the
original moderator, Jonathan Kamens. This infrastructure is not likely
to still be active (you noted that you didn't get a reply). Even if it
was still available, MIT likely does not have an NNTP news server
anymore. My memory of the services were that they required a team of
moderators to maintain, and it was relatively labor-intensive to do so.
The original moderators are also not likely to return to active
participation after over a dozen years, IMHO.
Might want to back up a bit and consider what are your current needs.
Do you wish to create an *.answers-crossposted FAQ? My recommendation
is to just create one, confirm it complies with the submission
guidelines below, and self-approve it via a direct cross-post with its
home newsgroup(s). Do you wish to reactivate moderation of the
newsgroup with a new team, possibly including yourself? It is possible
to recruit new moderators, but the entire supporting infrastructure is
likely to be overkill at this late stage of Usenet. At best, a new team
would reactivate the periodic posting of the submission guidelines,
provide an approval and oversight authority from new moderator
submission and feedback addresses for the newsgroups, and not likely any
auto-posting, validating, or archiving services.
Good luck with your quest.
>Date: Fri Dec 3 16:52:06 2010
>From: pschleck
>Newsgroups: news.groups
>Subject: Re: Where are the *.answers groups up to?
>References: <4cf959b1$0$2540$da0f...@news.zen.co.uk>
>Status: RO
- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
In <4cf959b1$0$2540$da0f...@news.zen.co.uk> "A B" <a...@a.uk> writes:
>Can anyone tell me exactly what's happening with the *.answers groups? I
>see there are a few recently modified postings there, so obviously new
>submissions can get through some of the time. But this was also the case
>last time I tried to submit the alt.astrology FAQs, and I couldn't get a
>reply at all. I'm just about to try again, but as I'm not too hopeful about
>the result, I thought I'd post this while I remembered.
The last known moderators of news.answers were David A. Lamb and Paul
King.
The most recent FAQ article to be crossposted to news.answers that I
submitted was in September and for news.announce.important.
The situation, frankly, appears to be one where submissions posted to
news for approval from a newsreader, or sent to news-a...@mit.edu
(the newsgroup submission address) go into a large backlogged queue of
submissions intermixed with SPAM and off-topic articles (including user
questions), where they wait indefinitely because the moderators are not
currently able to work on the queue.
Based on my recent experiences, the best way to get your article(s)
approved currently would seem be to follow the submission guidelines at:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/news-answers/guidelines/
submit the article(s) using your newsreader, or via E-mail to
news-a...@mit.edu, then drop a short note to
news-answe...@mit.edu (so that your messages are recorded in
their queues if there is a question later) CC'd to the personal E-mail
addresses of David and Paul. David or Paul may reply and tell you that
they are backlogged and not able to work on their large queue of
submissions. They may be able to provide tentative approval for your
article(s), or you can decide to proceed from their lack of objection.
These steps are what I did to get my latest FAQ submission approved.
I hesitate to post David's and Paul's personal E-mail addresses here,
where they might get misused or harvested for SPAM. If you can drop an
E-mail to my address below, I can send them to you privately.
- - --
Paul W. Schleck
psch...@novia.net
http://www.novia.net/~pschleck/
Finger psch...@novia.net for PGP Public Key
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ohLWbttBSY29O7InoYZDioI=
=ooqM
- -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
- --
Paul W. Schleck
psch...@panix.com
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Aaron M. Ucko
Dec 6, 2022, 7:23:22 AM12/6/22
to
Can confirm. IIRC, a major hardware failure several years ago turned
out to be the last straw. Sorry for any resulting inconvenience.
--
Aaron M. Ucko, KB1CJC (amu at alum.mit.edu, ucko at debian.org)
http://www.mit.edu/~amu/ | http://stuff.mit.edu/cgi/finger/?a...@monk.mit.edu
out to be the last straw. Sorry for any resulting inconvenience.
--
Aaron M. Ucko, KB1CJC (amu at alum.mit.edu, ucko at debian.org)
http://www.mit.edu/~amu/ | http://stuff.mit.edu/cgi/finger/?a...@monk.mit.edu
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