From: arromdee@green.rahul.net 
  
 In article , 
 Robert McClenon   wrote: 
 >The charter in concept determines what is technically on-topic and 
 >what is technically off-topic.  However, it is not clear to me why it 
 >makes a difference as to what is technically on-topic and technically 
 >off-topic.  Is there anything in an unmoderated newsgroup that can be 
 >done about off-topic posts other than to ignore them, to flame them, 
 >or to advise the poster to try another group? 
  
 Someone who wants to reduce the flames might want to change the charter so 
 that people have no excuse to flame. 
  
 Of course, in an unmoderated group anyone can flame anyone he wants to 
 regardless of charter.  But in practice, some people will only flame under 
 cover of righteousness.  If you change the charter to take that cover away 
 from them, they may stop flaming. 
  
 >Trying to say that threads may not 
 >wander would defeat one of the purposes of the Usenet, which is to 
 >provide electronic communities.  Wandering threads permit participants 
 >to learn something about who the other members of the community are. 
  
 What about the situation where the charter already prohibits certain kinds 
 of 
 wandering, and people want to take that provision out? 
 -- 
        Ken Arromdee / arromdee_AT_rahul.net / http://www.rahul.net/arromdee 
  
 "They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the 
 Wright 
 brothers.  But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown." --Carl Sagan 
  
 --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05 
  * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)