Mortimer Schnerd, RN wrote:
Steve B wrote:
If I have a question that can be answered in more than one
newsgroup, should I:


It has been my experience that 99% of the off topic crap I used to
read in newsgroups comes from crossposted messages. You'll note I
said "used to read". That's because I filter crossposted stuff by
using NewsProxy along with my newsreader.

There usually is one group where your stuff is more on topic than any
other. Post it there and wait. If you don't get a useable answer
within a reasonable time, then I think you'd be within your rights to
then post it in another group. If anybody whines about it, just
mention you tried the other group first but you didn't get a reply.

I belong to a nursing newsgroup that has become all but useless
because of the crossposters. I seldom see a single message there
but when I do it's highly likely to be on topic. All the conspiracy
crackpots, pharmaceutical haters, anti-circumcision idiots, etc. all
end up in the kill file; never to see the light of day... at least on
my computer. I trap them by nuking the crossposters; they can't
resist sending their crap to several groups at once.
Don't be like them.

Yes, but the evil they are committing is being off-topic and excessive with
their corssposting. Saying that all crossposting is bad because ass-holes use
it to clutter groups is like saying all phones are bad because there are
telemarketers.