Moderation please

Agreed Rob

I don't think its possible on this sort of group. I run a few Yahoo Groups where it is possible and spam can be controlled. Personally I reckon a DIY Yahoo Group would be a good idea.

Not possible - this newsgroup is unmoderated. Why not try killfiling people/subjects you don't wish to see ? Having said that, I don't know if that's possible using Google - if it isn't, why not try using a proper newsreader ?

Yuk :-( You jest I hope !

Yeah,but...this is a bit of a community, not just a forum for discussing DIY. Sometimes it's nice to have OT discussions too. I certainly enjoy finding out what other people on here think about non- DIY subjects too.

...and the delete button is very easy to use! Jon.

I think you don't understand what sort of list you're posting to. This is usenet, not a web forum. One of the reasons it succeeds is because there's no moderation.

It's easy enough to ignore messages, even through google groups. Just don't read stuff which isn't of interest.

chluve

No.

It cannot be done effectively on Usenet.

Sponsors me and I'll set up a BBS system.

I'll even let drivel on it.

Everyone needs a good larf now and again..

Personally I loath web based fora... much rather have proper newsreader access.

I think you don't realise how usenet works (much as we'd all like less spam/religion/whatever).

-1

No, not at all really (not through lack of will, but more down to technical limitations).

Yes you can do this, but you are starting from the wrong place since you are using google to access usenet. Its great for searching old articles, but not so good for actively following a live group.

Try a proper newsreader and news server[1], you will find much of the spam is deleted before you ever see it. Any that is left can be removed from view with a single keystroke. You also get full control over how messages are displayed and threaded. It makes it much simpler to follow conversations, focus on what interests you and ignore what does not.

I disagree - part of the attraction of the group for me is that you get very fast feedback and can have multiway exchanges in the space of minutes.

If you have it all correctly threaded, and could simply hit "k" any time you saw a thread that did not interest you, you find it far more palatable.

To be fair, a tolerance of a certain amount of off topic ness makes the group more rewarding IME. You can come here and ask all sorts of questions and know you will get a common sense answer, even if not strictly DIY related. I often learn most when threads drift off topic into new areas.

This comes up from time to time... the answer always seems to come down to what we have is not perfect, but it is preferable to the alternatives.

i get digests coming in 215 a time into my inbox, then i can click them and get posts by topics in google groups in my browser..

didnt know theres a usenet way in, ive never used usenet, theres a news thingy in outlook express but ive never used it...

how?

It isn't possible. And this group is far better than some of the ones I watch. At least *most* of the posts are relevant.

Andy

This is an /unmoderated/ USENET Newsgroup. There is no charter let alone a moderator.

Yes, we have had a bit more spam of late. Because USENET is a somewhat archaic protocol we have to a large extent been left alone from the bleeding edge of bulk posts. Complaining to the offenders ISP is frankly "deck chairs on the titanic". So you just need a good enough news-reader to skip over the spam and the ding dong threads. And of course the resident troll. (Every online community has its pillock).

In message , dicegeorge writes

The short answer (and the long one) is No

Its an unmoderated group

nobody has the authority to decide what should be posted here, the only redress you have is to complain to the ISP of commercial posters

If you want to try and get the nikewanker's account pulled, go and do it yourself (see title of the newsgroup)

Find the name of your ISPs news server. (You can also get separate paid for ones but most real ISPs have them.) This should be on it's set up page. Then go >Tools>Accounts>News and enter your details. It is recommended that you "mung" your email address by putting an easily noticed spoiler in it. (See mine.) Outlook Exp will then ask if you want to get the available news groups - as the Usenet is so large this can take a while... Now chose the groups you want to join - Set the synchronization settings (I recommend you download 'headers only') After that it should be self evident.

You will find the Usenet is FAR better than forums!

Slatts

Yup, ok if you have no alternative, but far from ideal.

Usenet predates the web (in fact predates the Internet!) by several years.

OE, will work ok, although there are better free alternatives. Thunderbird

To set it up you just need to know the name of your ISPs news server - in you case you could try the one I mentioned before. Go to the Accounts... option on the tools menu, and click Add account. Fill in the bits asked for. Once you have that set you can have it get the list of groups (beware there are over 100 of thousand on usenet now) and subscribe to the ones you want.

If it turns out your ISP does not have a server there are some on the net you can access for a token fee like news.individual.net

(email me if you want more guidance on setup)

Or go to Mozilla and download thunderbird