JJ ) writes:
Oren Blackman wrote:

Hi Bill - Ebay postings are in fact IN the charter for this newsgroup. If
you don't like them, you should learn how to use your newsreader filters
so you won't be 'offended'. But flaming people is actually a VIOLATION
of the group - so really, you are the one who is sort of 'out of synch'

Email if you have questions,

Could you post a pointer to the charter?

Actually, the charter won't say anything about Ebay.

Boatanchors was created back in late 1995 or 96, which I thought predated
Ebay.

There is an archive of newsgroup creation messages at
ftp://ftp.uu.net/archive/usenet/control
(at least for those newsgroups created after the archive was started)
and one can see the creation message for boatanchors he
ftp://ftp.uu.net/archive/usenet/cont....boatanchors.Z

It seems later than I remember it being created.

I remember the discussion. There was concern that if ads were allowed,
the newsgroup wouldn't be carried by some sites, a reflection of the
non-business roots of the internet. But unfortunately, some whined
that buying and selling was integral to the hobby of old equipment,
so ads were decided to be on-topic.

Note, however, the line about
The newsgroup, rec.radio.amateur.boatanchors, is primarily for
discussions of topics related to classic amateur radio gear.

And note that when it goes into detail about what's on and off-topic,
mention of ads is pretty far down the list.

In other words, ads do seem to be allowed, but it sure wasn't
the intent when this newsgroup was created that ads be a significant
amount of the traffic.

Note that we often see off-topic stuff discussed and forsale here.
A TS-830 is hardly a boatanchor, not in size/weight, age, or makeup.

ONce it was decided that ads do fit in here, sadly then we get
completely off topic posts, because people don't care when they
sell things, so if they see ads it's okay to sell recent equipment,
computers, audio stuff, and even guns.

I don't differentiate between forsale ads and Ebay ads in discussion
newsgroups. To fuss about it seems to ignore the very fact that ads
don't belong in discussion newsgroups.

What clearly does seem to violate the intent of the charter is someone
posting multiple posts the same day, treating this as a buy and sell newsgroup
rather than a discussion newsgroup where incidental buying and selling is
permitted. There is a big difference between someone who is here and
discussing this neat old equipment, and happens to offer some old piece
of equipment, and someone who comes here merely to sell their stuff.


Michael VE2BVW