jeff wrote in :

Geoff Schultz wrote:
Jeff wrote in :

Geoff Schultz wrote:
...
Regarding the commercial postings: It always amazes me how there
are members of this group and others who think there are some
official rules which dictate what can be posted here. I've
certainly never see any such thing, and I used to run an ISP.
There may be suggestions, but no rules.
Of course there are rules. They where set forth when the group was
created:

rec.boats.cruising Cruising in boats.

CHARTER

The proposed unmoderated newsgroup rec.boats.cruising will be open
to discussions on all topics related to cruising in boats such as:
- cruising equipment
- cruising reports
- destinations: Including where to moor/anchor, restaurants
to
visit, sights to see and where/how to provision
- discussion of long-distance passagemaking and related
issues - discussion on navigation
- requests for crews and for boats to crew on
- upcoming events, cruises, etc
- etc.

The proposed unmoderated newsgroup rec.boats.cruising will not be
open to for-sale postings. Appropriate advertisements should be
directed to rec.boats.marketplace.

It is hoped that a FAQ will be developed.

This is the Internet...

If there were rules, you wouldn't see copyrighted manuals and
software posted to news groups. I agree that I don't want to see
these news groups filled up with commercial posting.

There are some that feel that if a rule isn't enforced, it doesn't
really exist. I'm sure the Berny Madoff felt that way.

When was the last time that anyone posted these "rules" to this news
group? And when was this posted and to where?

Its been a few years. But the issue of commercial posts is discussed
several time a year, with very few people indeed saying they think it
would be good if everyone who has a product or boat to sell posted
here.

It's my guess that this
was before anyone could create any group that they want and there was
going to be some form of control over groups. Clearly that went out
of the window many, many years ago. These are nice suggestions, not
rules.

No, they are the rules. Your only point is that they are
unenforcible.


And there are also rules against posting using fake
addresses/psuedonyms, etc. Clearly no one follows them in here.

Is this a confession? Actually, most of the posters have used only
one handle, and many have identified themselves. The fact that
several choose not to does not mean we have all left the pale of
civilized behavior. Actually, I'm inclined to believe the story that
Neil died and Wilbur is his "legacy" because until a few years ago
Neil did not engage much in sock puppets.

You can't select to follow
some rules and not others.

Isn't that exactly what you are suggesting? That everyone should
simply pick the rules they want to follow? Or are you suggesting that
we make a point of breaking all rules? ASA is an example of that
path.

Guess what, this is the Internet! RBC isn't far ahead of ASA. There are
no hard and fast rules. There are only suggestions. Tell me how you, or
anyone will keep commercial postings away. If you look at the count of
posters here, you'll see a steady decline over the years. News groups
are well out of the main stream and headed down hill. Within a few years
it will just be a memory which is hung onto by a few diehards.

Personally I would much rather ban Neal/Wilbur/et-al and all of his sock
puppets than the occasional commercial posting. Wilbur and his sock-
puppets have done more to discourage posting to these newsgroups than any
commercial posting. There's reasons why they don't post to forums.
They'd be shut down/banned/whatever within days. These unmoderated,
subscription-free posts are their only source of bile-based puke that
they have.

-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org