New Guy wrote
Bill wrote

Does anyone have any theory as to who is
responsible for these anti-brand-name postings?

Some people are "giving type" people and like to share.

If that's true in this case, then should there be more postings
from the same author, on different topics perhaps?

Not necessarily, it may be the only area he is obsessed about.

A google groups search for posts by the author "
shows posts with these subjects:

- Save Money
- Not Rocket Science

In these newsgroups:

- uk.people.consumers
- misc.kids.consumers
- misc.kids.health
- misc.consumer
- misc.consumer.house
- misc.consumers
- misc.consumers.home
- misc.consumers.house
- alt.consumer
- alt.consumer.free-stuff
- alt.consumers
- alt.consumers.experiences
- aus.consumers
- alt.pharm.indust
- alt.pharmacy.health.informatics
- alt.make.money
- americast.usa-today.money
- americast.usa-today.news
- americast.ushead.money
- alt.alternative.health
- soc.senior.health+fitness
- soc.senior.issues
- net.medicine.public-health.general
- net.medicine.public-health.drugs
- net.medicine.research.general
- net.medicine.support.general

They're mostly pretty appropriate for the sort of posts he has been doing.

In not one of those cases, where the post spawned a conversational thread,
did "Dr. Smith" return to the thread to participate in the conversation.

His choice.

Here we see the same message posted 5 times to alt.health within the
span of a few minutes:

http://tinyurl.com/ybey4o9

That may be due to a different problem, it may have appeared
that the post didnt get out, so he reposted it a few times.

That does happen occassionally even with the sort of post you do approve of.

These posts have also been made by someone
using the handle "Ziggy" to these newsgroups:

- microsoft.public.biztalk.general
- microsoft.public.biztalk.jumpstart
- microsoft.public.biztalk.newuser
- microsoft.public.biztalk.server
- microsoft.public.biztalk.xsharp
- microsoft.public.bookshelf
- microsoft.public.br.applicationcenter
- microsoft.public.br.certificacoes
- microsoft.public.br.design.gallery
- alt.fan.states.new-york
- alt.fan.states.north-carolina
- alt.fan.states.north-dakota
- alt.fan.states.ohio
- alt.fan.states.oklahoma
- alt.fan.states.oregon
- alt.fan.states.pennslvania
- alt.fan.states.rhode-island
- alt.fan.states.south-carolina
- alt.fan.states.south-dakota
- alt.fan.states.tennessee
- alt.fan.states.texas
- alt.fan.states.utah
- alt.fan.states.vermont
- alt.fan.states.virginia
- alt.fan.states.washington
- alt.fan.states.west-virginia
- cmi.consumer
- free.uk.scotland.help-consumers
- can.consumers
- rec.photo.35mm
- rec.music.trumpet
- rec.music.makers.piano
- rec.games.chess
- comp.music.midi
- alt.tv.tech.hdtv
- alt.tv.tech
- alt.music.home-studio

And probably hundreds if not thousands of other newsgroups.

Hardly the end of civilisation as we know it.

If this doesn't constitute usenet spamming, then nothing does.

You dont know that that is the same individual as the original you howled about.

Some people are "more intelligent" than others and teach others what they know.

This is not teaching. This is spamming.

You dont get to rule on that any time soon.

For example these people might see others with financial
difficulties spending their money foolishly. And they are
simply pointing out ways to better manage money. And
thus rectify the financial difficulties in question.

Do you believe it is proper to post messages
like this to usenet, to hundreds or more groups?

It can be, depending on what sort of material is in the post.

If you believe that, then there is nothing that can't be justified when it
comes to mass usenet posting. Then nothing can really be classified
as abuse or spam when it comes to usenet according to that logic.

Yes, you get to like or lump the fact that not all have the same opinion you do.

Eventually even you might get enough of a clue to manage
to grasp that usenet is about as close to complete anarchy
as any of us are likely to ever get involved in personally.

Some of us quite like that and use news servers that filter real spam
and accept the fact that it certainly does attract some real loons as well.

Timothy McViegh who got executed for the Oklahoma atrocity did show up at one time.

I believe these posts are some sort of professionally orchestrated effort,

More fool you. Thats mindlessly silly. So few even know what usenet is, let
alone read it much even if they do know what it is, that no one would bother.

There are hordes more viable places to do that than usenet.

perhaps by a marketing company that's been contracted by a generic
product manufacturer, to promote generic products in the minds of consumers.

There's hordes more viable places to do that, like in the mass media.

We don't know exactly what sort of generic product class is being promoted,

You dont know that ANY generic product class is being 'promoted'

and that's probably intentional (it would give away too much information
if a specific product class was identified in these spams).

Utterly mindless silly conspiracy theory.

I would think that we're looking at the generic
pharmaceutical market as the target for these posts,

Very bloody unlikely given the content of the post you reposted in full.

given that expenditure for drugs is increasing, the population is aging
and drug purchases are growing, and drug manufacturers (brand
name and generic) are always spending money promoting their products.

And they have enough of a clue to do that where VASTLY more will see that than usenet.

I believe we are looking at the results of a marketing or PR firm
that's been hired to promote generic drugs as an alternative to
brand-name alternatives, and one area of their focus is to spam
usenet with these postings.

Thanks for that completely superfluous proof that you are just as
much of a mindless loon as the poster you originally howled about.