=?Utf-8?B?Sm9obkx1dGU=?= wrote
in :

it seems to me that the *bigger* problem is poor planning. If I
were to initiate a fine forum like this (and it truly is fine)
then I'd make sure that I could actually ENFORCE the Rules of
Conduct that people have been asked to respect! Otherwise, why
bother with any rules at all?

You really have no clue about Usenet, then.

Microsoft created the newsgroups. That means they created the
charter for the newsgroups. Repeated violation of the terms of a
newsgroup's charter can be grounds for losing your account with an
ISP, or the news provider.

This is not enforced as much as it once was, partly because many
ISPs ignore Usenet (neglecting their news server, or outsourcing it,
or providing none at all), and no longer employ people who
understand the rules of Usenet (people like yourself, for instance).

One aspect of the dropping of news servers by ISPs is that many
individuals now go to third-party news providers, either paid or
free, and that makes them *more* subject to discipline, since their
account is not with an ISP for general purposes including Usenet,
but it is with a Usenet provider for the sold purpose of using the
newsgroups. Thus, abuse of the terms of a newsgroup can easily be
punished by these 3rd-party news providers banning your account.

In this case, I think you have a point that people attacked Steve
for behavior he hasn't exhibited in this particular thread. That's
wrong, but hardly inexplicable. Steve has made his bed and he has to
lie in it. That means he's going to get treated unfairly in some
cases, but given that he has no respect for the groups he trolls for
work in, I shed no tears for him.

On the other hand, I wish there was more encouragement of his "good"
posts (like the one in this thread), since that might serve to nudge
him into behaving properly, such that he posted more helpful
responses and fewer solicitations. So, yes, it's unfortunate that
this happened, but it was initiated by someone who has been in my
killfile for a long time (and will remain there for the foreseeable
future), so that should tell you something right there.

--
David W. Fenton http://www.dfenton.com/
usenet at dfenton dot com http://www.dfenton.com/DFA/