Re: New group??

[nathan@cco.caltech.edu (Nathan Mates)]

In article <4ujtr3$j4o@nnrp1.news.primenet.com>,
John Bowling <johnlb@primenet.com> wrote:
>Interesting point, considering that the reality of having a driver's
>neither gives anyone any kind of guarantee that the driver knows anything
>about driving or that they are willing to go along with any rules.  

   I don't know how it is in your state, but California requires a
written and driving test to get a license. At a minimum, you can be
sure that they didn't kill (or paid off) the instructor, and got at
least 35/40 multiple choice questions right. [The odds of pulling that
stunt by guessing is in the ballpark of 10^-18, something considered
pretty darn impossible to.]

   What it does guarantee is that they are _supposed_ to know the
rules, and can therefore be found at fault when they
misbehave. Basically, licensing is an implicit contract saying "I know
what the rules of the road are, and am liable if I break them." Little
stuff like what a red light is and what side of the road to drive on.
Even if people do muck up, they are responsible for their actions, and
can't try and claim ignorance about the laws.

   An "Internet Driver's License" could concievably cover stuff like
huge .sigs, inappropriate posts (off topic stuff and the %*%@$@
illegal 'Make Money Fast by putting your name on a scan and sending it
to the world' posts), etc. If they've got a license and misbehave) people
will be free to flame them for breaking the guidelines which they are
responsible for knowing about.

   Other ideas from this internet old-timer (with the net doubling every
8-12 months, anyone here more than 2 years is an old timer) are:
1) Preventing people from posting in a newsgroup until they read the
FAQ, 2) Preventing people from posting their first week to 6 months
on a group until they get a proper sense of what the heck is on topic,
3) Internet 'clue patrols' that punish (prevent from posting?) people
who break the guidelines for groups, etc.

   The internet was formed by people with a clue who (generally)
behaved.  Now, even if the precentage of clueless folks is the same,
they're joining the net in record droves, making them more and more
prevalent.

Nathan Mates
-- 
<*> Nathan Mates http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~nathan/      <*>
# And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the
# Kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in 
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