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Moderator Wanted for news.newusers.questions
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Jason Evans
Apr 22, 2022, 3:19:03 PM4/22/22
to
The former moderator of news.newusers.questions has reported to the Usenet
Big-8 Management Board that this newsgroup is currently dead and there are
no remaining moderators. This article is being posted to news.group to see
if anyone is interested in taking over moderation duties for this group.
The original charter for the group is below.
If you have any questions about moderation or how moderation works, please
reply to news.groups or email the board directly at bo...@big-8.org.
Best Regards,
Jason Evans Co-Chairperson,
Big-8 Management Board
---
NEWS.NEWUSERS.QUESTIONS (n.n.q) is for questions, answers and advice about
using Usenet news and other Internet newsgroups and services. Articles
which do not contribute to educating or informing new users about Usenet
are inappropriate for this newsgroup.
Some examples of inappropriate posts include:
Chain letters, including "Make Money Fast" articles Known hoaxes (like
the "Good Times Virus")
Announcements of non-relevant Web pages Announcements of non-relevant
services Personal introductions or requests for e-mail Irrelevant
questions or conversation Articles offering items for sale Commercial
advertisements Test articles
These posts may be rejected regardless of their topic:
Articles which aren't primarily text in a standard alphabet
(e.g. binaries, pictures, Rot13).
Articles cross-posted to several newsgroups (except proper FAQs)
Articles posted as separate copies to many newsgroups ("spam")
Excessively long articles (more than ~200 lines or ~10K bytes) Articles
containing significantly more quoted than new content Articles with no
subject Duplicate/rapidly reposted messages
The newsgroup will be moderated by a Moderation Board, consisting of a
Head Moderator and a pool of Backup Moderators. The moderation process
will be overseen by the Head Moderator, who may employ assistants from the
pool of Backup Moderators as the need arises.
Only members of the Moderation Board have the power to judge posts.
The current moderation procedures and policies will be described in an
Administrative Statement, which will be maintained by the Head Moderator,
with any changes subject to veto by the Board. The Statement will be
posted to the group whenever it changes, and at least once per month. It
will be available at all times at an address posted regularly in the
group.
All posts to the group may be processed through moderation software which
will take one of the following actions on each article:
1. Reject it outright if it meets certain criteria;
2. Forward it to a Board member if it meets certain other
criteria; or
3. Post it immediately.
The criteria being used by either the moderation software or human
moderators will be described in the Administrative Statement. They will
not refer to the source of the articles except that the Head Moderator may
place certain individuals or sites which repeatedly try to post off-topic
material on a "watch list," which will cause their articles to be
forwarded to a human moderator for review. The Head Moderator may also
declare certain off-topic discussion threads to be "closed," so that no
more articles in that thread will be accepted.
Rejected articles will, if possible, be returned to the sender along with
a letter of explanation. Rejected articles may be appealed to an address
specified in the Administrative Statement and in any letter of rejection.
If an article was rejected by a human moderator, the appeal will be judged
by a different moderator. In the event of abuse of the appeals process,
the Moderation Board will decide what action will be taken to deal with
the abuse.
An article will normally be subject to rejection only at the time it is
submitted. Canceling of articles after they have been posted
("retromoderation") will not be used for general content control.
Cancelations will be permitted only under the following special
circumstances:
1. When performed or requested by the original poster or by his/
her Internet Service Provider;
2. When performed by the Head Moderator, to cancel articles with
forged approvals; or
3. When performed by reputable third-party cancelers (as
determined by the Head Moderator), to cancel articles that are
widely considered to be undesirable in most of Usenet, e.g.
binaries and excessively multiposted articles ("spam").
In addition to rejecting inappropriate articles, the moderators may take
measures to discourage users from submitting such articles in the first
place, including:
1. Appending short "footers" to all posted articles, informing
newcomers of the purpose of the newsgroup and providing references
to more detailed information about the newsgroup, the Usenet
community, and the Internet in general; and
2. E-mailing "welcome" messages to all first-time posters,
containing similar information as in (1).
Other than appending a footer or adding headers, the moderators will not
modify the content of a posted article
The Head Moderator will submit a report to the Moderation Board each
month, providing statistics on the functioning of the group, a summary of
the articles appealed, and a list of any changes to the Administrative
Statement or the moderation software. The Board may instruct the Head
Moderator to eliminate any automatic rejection or forwarding criterion
from the moderation software.
The Board may elect a new Head Moderator if the position becomes vacant;
the Head Moderator or the Board may appoint a Backup Moderator to fill in
for the Head Moderator during short periods of absence.
The Board also has the power to remove a Head Moderator. It may remove a
Head Moderator who has been in office for less than six weeks through a
simple majority vote of all members. A Moderator who has been in office
for more than six weeks may only be removed by a 2/3 majority vote of
those who have been on the Board for at least six weeks.
The Board controls its own membership. It may admit new members with a
simple majority vote, or remove members who have served for less than six
weeks with a simple majority vote. Members who have served longer than
six weeks may only be removed by a 2/3 vote of those who have been on the
Board for at least six weeks. The Board will make a good-faith effort to
maintain a membership of at least three persons.
The working charter for the group may be modified by a 2/3 vote of those
who have been members of the Moderation Board for at least six weeks. A
copy of the current charter will be available at a location given in the
Administrative Statement.
Big-8 Management Board that this newsgroup is currently dead and there are
no remaining moderators. This article is being posted to news.group to see
if anyone is interested in taking over moderation duties for this group.
The original charter for the group is below.
If you have any questions about moderation or how moderation works, please
reply to news.groups or email the board directly at bo...@big-8.org.
Best Regards,
Jason Evans Co-Chairperson,
Big-8 Management Board
---
NEWS.NEWUSERS.QUESTIONS (n.n.q) is for questions, answers and advice about
using Usenet news and other Internet newsgroups and services. Articles
which do not contribute to educating or informing new users about Usenet
are inappropriate for this newsgroup.
Some examples of inappropriate posts include:
Chain letters, including "Make Money Fast" articles Known hoaxes (like
the "Good Times Virus")
Announcements of non-relevant Web pages Announcements of non-relevant
services Personal introductions or requests for e-mail Irrelevant
questions or conversation Articles offering items for sale Commercial
advertisements Test articles
These posts may be rejected regardless of their topic:
Articles which aren't primarily text in a standard alphabet
(e.g. binaries, pictures, Rot13).
Articles cross-posted to several newsgroups (except proper FAQs)
Articles posted as separate copies to many newsgroups ("spam")
Excessively long articles (more than ~200 lines or ~10K bytes) Articles
containing significantly more quoted than new content Articles with no
subject Duplicate/rapidly reposted messages
The newsgroup will be moderated by a Moderation Board, consisting of a
Head Moderator and a pool of Backup Moderators. The moderation process
will be overseen by the Head Moderator, who may employ assistants from the
pool of Backup Moderators as the need arises.
Only members of the Moderation Board have the power to judge posts.
The current moderation procedures and policies will be described in an
Administrative Statement, which will be maintained by the Head Moderator,
with any changes subject to veto by the Board. The Statement will be
posted to the group whenever it changes, and at least once per month. It
will be available at all times at an address posted regularly in the
group.
All posts to the group may be processed through moderation software which
will take one of the following actions on each article:
1. Reject it outright if it meets certain criteria;
2. Forward it to a Board member if it meets certain other
criteria; or
3. Post it immediately.
The criteria being used by either the moderation software or human
moderators will be described in the Administrative Statement. They will
not refer to the source of the articles except that the Head Moderator may
place certain individuals or sites which repeatedly try to post off-topic
material on a "watch list," which will cause their articles to be
forwarded to a human moderator for review. The Head Moderator may also
declare certain off-topic discussion threads to be "closed," so that no
more articles in that thread will be accepted.
Rejected articles will, if possible, be returned to the sender along with
a letter of explanation. Rejected articles may be appealed to an address
specified in the Administrative Statement and in any letter of rejection.
If an article was rejected by a human moderator, the appeal will be judged
by a different moderator. In the event of abuse of the appeals process,
the Moderation Board will decide what action will be taken to deal with
the abuse.
An article will normally be subject to rejection only at the time it is
submitted. Canceling of articles after they have been posted
("retromoderation") will not be used for general content control.
Cancelations will be permitted only under the following special
circumstances:
1. When performed or requested by the original poster or by his/
her Internet Service Provider;
2. When performed by the Head Moderator, to cancel articles with
forged approvals; or
3. When performed by reputable third-party cancelers (as
determined by the Head Moderator), to cancel articles that are
widely considered to be undesirable in most of Usenet, e.g.
binaries and excessively multiposted articles ("spam").
In addition to rejecting inappropriate articles, the moderators may take
measures to discourage users from submitting such articles in the first
place, including:
1. Appending short "footers" to all posted articles, informing
newcomers of the purpose of the newsgroup and providing references
to more detailed information about the newsgroup, the Usenet
community, and the Internet in general; and
2. E-mailing "welcome" messages to all first-time posters,
containing similar information as in (1).
Other than appending a footer or adding headers, the moderators will not
modify the content of a posted article
The Head Moderator will submit a report to the Moderation Board each
month, providing statistics on the functioning of the group, a summary of
the articles appealed, and a list of any changes to the Administrative
Statement or the moderation software. The Board may instruct the Head
Moderator to eliminate any automatic rejection or forwarding criterion
from the moderation software.
The Board may elect a new Head Moderator if the position becomes vacant;
the Head Moderator or the Board may appoint a Backup Moderator to fill in
for the Head Moderator during short periods of absence.
The Board also has the power to remove a Head Moderator. It may remove a
Head Moderator who has been in office for less than six weeks through a
simple majority vote of all members. A Moderator who has been in office
for more than six weeks may only be removed by a 2/3 majority vote of
those who have been on the Board for at least six weeks.
The Board controls its own membership. It may admit new members with a
simple majority vote, or remove members who have served for less than six
weeks with a simple majority vote. Members who have served longer than
six weeks may only be removed by a 2/3 vote of those who have been on the
Board for at least six weeks. The Board will make a good-faith effort to
maintain a membership of at least three persons.
The working charter for the group may be modified by a 2/3 vote of those
who have been members of the Moderation Board for at least six weeks. A
copy of the current charter will be available at a location given in the
Administrative Statement.
😉 Good Guy 😉
Apr 22, 2022, 5:48:04 PM4/22/22
to
On 22/04/2022 20:19, Jason Evans wrote:
The former moderator of news.newusers.questions has reported to the Usenet Big-8 Management Board that this newsgroup is currently dead and there are no remaining moderators.
Well then it is time to make the newsgroup completely open and
free for all. There is absolutely no need for moderators on these
newsgroups. Users can take care of their own news clients and
create filters if they object to something they don't like. It is
as simple as that. Rocket science this is!!
What do moderators do anyway. They are idiots and they don't have any consistency in their way of moderating. When their boy-friends reports something, they simply act on it and delete the posts without actually looking at the post before deleting it. This applies to server administrators as well but that's beside the point. No wonder the newsgroups are becoming dead at an exponential rate.
You have also stopped running your own server because you are
tired of all the non-sense imposed by your big-8 masters!.
Arrest
Dictator Putin
We Stand
With Ukraine
Stop Putin
Ukraine Under Attack
--
Similar to Windows 11 Home edition, Windows 11 Pro edition now requires internet connectivity during the initial device setup (OOBE) only. If you choose to setup device for personal use, MSA will be required for setup as well. You can expect Microsoft Account to be required in subsequent WIP flights.
Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning
Steve Bonine
Apr 22, 2022, 6:34:51 PM4/22/22
to
Jason Evans wrote:
> The former moderator of news.newusers.questions has reported to the Usenet
> Big-8 Management Board that this newsgroup is currently dead and there are
> no remaining moderators. This article is being posted to news.group to see
> if anyone is interested in taking over moderation duties for this group.
The most recent article in news.newusers.questions is more than three
> The former moderator of news.newusers.questions has reported to the Usenet
> Big-8 Management Board that this newsgroup is currently dead and there are
> no remaining moderators. This article is being posted to news.group to see
> if anyone is interested in taking over moderation duties for this group.
years old. It would be useful to know whether that is because the
moderation path has been broken for three years or because there are no
new users with questions.
Jason Evans
Apr 23, 2022, 2:16:30 AM4/23/22
to
On Fri, 22 Apr 2022 17:34:47 -0500, Steve Bonine wrote:
> The most recent article in news.newusers.questions is more than three
> years old. It would be useful to know whether that is because the
> moderation path has been broken for three years or because there are no
> new users with questions.
It's because the former moderators retired and even if they wanted to
> The most recent article in news.newusers.questions is more than three
> years old. It would be useful to know whether that is because the
> moderation path has been broken for three years or because there are no
> new users with questions.
moderate it again, they no longer have access to moderation software.
😉 Good Guy 😉
Apr 23, 2022, 12:38:38 PM4/23/22
to
On 22/04/2022 23:34, Steve Bonine
wrote:
The most recent article in news.newusers.questions is more than three years old. It would be useful to know whether that is because the moderation path has been broken for three years or because there are no new users with questions.
I posted a test message and it didn't appear at all; That's your
stupid moderation policy. No wonder newsgroups are dying!!!!!!!
Please note I never expected my posts to appear because I might
have exposed their hypocrisies in these newsgroups so they have
all kill-filed me.
Any ideas when is the funeral for these dead newsgroups?
Spiros Bousbouras
Apr 30, 2022, 11:15:34 AM4/30/22
to
moderators no longer have access to moderation software and I find it
puzzling. Why can't they reinstall or redownload or whatever the software
they were using in the past ? Any new moderator would also need to use
moderation software so why is it that a new moderator can somehow gain access
to such software but the old moderators are unable to do so ?
Jason Evans
May 1, 2022, 4:13:29 AM5/1/22
to
On Sat, 30 Apr 2022 15:15:32 -0000 (UTC), Spiros Bousbouras wrote:
> I have seen before in "moderator wanted" threads the phrase that the
> previous moderators no longer have access to moderation software and I
> find it puzzling. Why can't they reinstall or redownload or whatever the
> software they were using in the past ? Any new moderator would also need
> to use moderation software so why is it that a new moderator can somehow
> gain access to such software but the old moderators are unable to do so
> ?
Two reasons.
> I have seen before in "moderator wanted" threads the phrase that the
> previous moderators no longer have access to moderation software and I
> find it puzzling. Why can't they reinstall or redownload or whatever the
> software they were using in the past ? Any new moderator would also need
> to use moderation software so why is it that a new moderator can somehow
> gain access to such software but the old moderators are unable to do so
> ?
The first simplest reason is that previously, you could pay for hosted
moderation service and a lot of people used that. That service is no
longer available, but the software[1] is still available.
The second reason is because the software is clunky and rather difficult
to setup but fairly easy to use once it is running. It assumes that you
have some rather advanced Unix/Linux experience circa year 2000 to set up.
Unix/Linux users today would still find it challenging without a fair
amount of research.
We need new moderation software that is both easy to setup and use and
doesn't require advanced technical knowledge to get going.
[1]
STUMP:
https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/stump/
WebSTUMP (webgui frontend):
https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/webstump/
Steve Bonine
May 1, 2022, 10:06:45 AM5/1/22
to
Jason Evans wrote:
> We need new moderation software that is both easy to setup and use and
> doesn't require advanced technical knowledge to get going.
Dream on. You cannot find people who are willing to invest the time to
> We need new moderation software that is both easy to setup and use and
> doesn't require advanced technical knowledge to get going.
install existing software; who in their right mind would take on the
project of creating new and improved software when there is no audience
to use it?
If you - the Board - really want to contribute something to Usenet, set
up a moderation platform and make it available to anyone who is willing
to take on the moderation of a dead newsgroup. The same platform can be
used to moderate many newsgroups, and the incremental effort of adding a
new group to the mix is tiny compared to the effort of creating the
platform from scratch.
The reality is that the method of moderation isn't the issue. In this
specific case [news.newusers.questions] you're assuming that there are
new users who would post questions to a newsgroup. That's a little like
the classic "If you are having problems with email, send an email to
...". I have this mental image of the moderator of the newsgroup each
day checking the queue and saying "Nope. No new users today."
In the more general case, the chance of a newsgroup that has been dead
for years reviving is tiny, even with the best of hardware/software
support. The users are long gone and have found other means of
discussing the topic of interest. Why would they return to Usenet?
😉 Good Guy 😉
May 1, 2022, 3:05:18 PM5/1/22
to
On 01/05/2022 09:13, Jason Evans wrote:
We need new moderation software that is both easy to setup and use and doesn't require advanced technical knowledge to get going.
No we don't need any crap like that. What is needed is a complete new model for newsgroups where there is no moderation at all. Free Speech should be the order of the day as long as the speech has some connection with what is discussed in the newsgroup. There should not be any censorship and people should be allowed to display their knowledge on the topic discussed.
The big-8 board needs to change dramatically and the junta currently running it replaced and some new talents brought in.
meff
May 2, 2022, 5:08:17 AM5/2/22
to
understand if there's actually an audience for it. I see Usenet as
pretty empty these days. Is there really a need to moderate newsgroups
through software (e.g. organizations that would need it?) As it is
most groups only have a few posts a day.
😉 Good Guy 😉
May 3, 2022, 11:45:51 AM5/3/22
to
On 02/05/2022 10:08, meff wrote:
As it is most groups only have a few posts a day.
You haven't seen anything on " news.lists.filters ". I am getting hundreds of crap messages from a French news server. Somebody has misconfigured their server and all rejected posts are directed to filters newsgroup. That is the sort of things Jason Evans should be dealing with. Not worry about moderation. He should contact the server admins so that they can deal with the problem.
I am not even mentioning anything about neo-nazi server operation
by a chap from banana republic and Mussolini chap who is blocking
everything he can't handle!!. They have broken the newsgroups or
contributed to deterioration of these newsgroups.
Arrest
Dictator Putin
We Stand
With Ukraine
Stop Putin
Ukraine Under Attack
--
Similar to Windows 11 Home edition, Windows 11 Pro edition now requires internet connectivity during the initial device setup (OOBE) only. If you choose to setup device for personal use, MSA will be required for setup as well. You can expect Microsoft Account to be required in subsequent WIP flights.
Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning
Paul W. Schleck
May 19, 2022, 9:14:02 AM5/19/22
to
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
In <t4m45i$3rf$1...@dont-email.me> Steve Bonine <s...@pobox.com> writes:
>Jason Evans wrote:
>> We need new moderation software that is both easy to setup and use and
>> doesn't require advanced technical knowledge to get going.
>Dream on. You cannot find people who are willing to invest the time to
>install existing software; who in their right mind would take on the
>project of creating new and improved software when there is no audience
>to use it?
>If you - the Board - really want to contribute something to Usenet, set
>up a moderation platform and make it available to anyone who is willing
>to take on the moderation of a dead newsgroup. The same platform can be
>used to moderate many newsgroups, and the incremental effort of adding a
>new group to the mix is tiny compared to the effort of creating the
>platform from scratch.
and $5. Services that support micropayments like these are easily
available. The money raised would not be significant, but it would
serve at least two purposes:
1. It would be an "I am alive" beacon for the moderation team of a
newsgroup. If the payments stop, the administrators of the moderation
site can inquire about the status of the newsgroup, suspend moderation
services, possibly refer the matter to a Moderator Vacancy Investigation
(MVI) if there is no answer, or even a reply indicating that the
newsgroup is permanently abandoned by the previous team.
2. Steve and I appear to have at least two hobbies where the
practitioners can be almost pathologically cheap (and lazy). No one is
going to willingly part with money, however small, if they are not
serious. It is almost inevitable human nature that just being given
something for free will not be respected or appreciated. Not being able
to afford even a nominal sum like this suggests that prospective
moderators are either insufficiently motivated, or completely destitute,
and would not be good candidates to moderate a newsgroup.
Consider for example, the (almost) free Fuggerei housing in Augsburg,
Germany. There is a nominal rent of less than 1 Euro per year, and
residents are expected to make small contributions of time and labor to
support the community.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/after-almost-500-years-german-utopia-is-still-going-strong-180973787/
Residents also have to be Catholic, but an "orthodoxy" requirement of
being supportive of Usenet in general would suffice here.
- --
Paul W. Schleck
psch...@panix.com
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