On 3/16/2017 10:50 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 3/16/2017 11:38 AM, Muggles wrote:



At least most
newsgroup readers allow for undesirable type
postings/topics/spammers to
be blocked and filtered. You can even block cross-posted threads, too,
and delete all of that stuff before it ever shows up.


That's OK to a limited extent for existing people who are here.

It's not just OK - it works just fine.

Not really. It is supposed to be "home repair" not a lot of political
crap. Yes, I'm guilty of replying to some of it too, but it is no longer
a small aside, it has overwhelmed the main topic this group was founded
for. That is not fine.

There's nothing we can do about spam, OT, or even political posts. It
doesn't really change what other people do when we complain that they're
doing something we don't like. It might even make them do it more
because they get negative attention.

We CAN block the posts we don't want to see. I just block stuff as it
shows up if it's something I don't want to read, like threads with foul
language in the thread title, or usernames who are notorious spammers.
That cuts out a lot of gunk.

But it doesn't prevent the death of the newsgroup.


If I turn off my filters, the group is so plummeted with spam and
undesirable posts I would probably just mark everything "read", but with
the filters on I see the trees instead of the forest.

Why do people talk about 'death of a newsgroup' when we still have
hundreds of posts here where people are participating because they WANT
to, and that doesn't even count all the filtered out posts I block that
other people still read and respond to?


Many of the participants are cross posting from other groups. Let them
stay in those groups as they are designated for politics.

I block cross-posts - never see them. Thunderbird does a good job of
that. If you want to block cross-posts, I can tell you how I do it in
Tbird.

AHR is slowly dying

No it isn't. It may be changing, but it isn't dying.


The number or ON topic posts is dwindling. Take way the crap and there
are fewer topic related postings than ever, especially since a few
people invaded here. Many of the best contributors have gone away in the
past year.

I think many of them read and still post here, occasionally. People
change. Some come and go, and some stay a while. The group if fluid.
Block what you don't want to see, and you'll be more inspired to post
more about what you do want to see.


--
Maggie