The following topics are addressed:
2) What is "Excessive multi-posting" to newsgroups ?
3) What is "Excessive crossposting" to newsgroups ?
6) Could a single posting to a newsgroup ever be considered "Spam" ?
8) What does it mean when people say "trim your newsgroup line ?"
10) Is there anything else that is considered "inappropriate" in newsgroups ?
12) What if I decide I want to exercise my "right" to post anything to anyone I like ?
13) Can people do anything to stop having to read the same messages in more than one newsgroup ?
14) You said in question (11) that spam could partly/wholly close down an I.S.P. How ?
16) How does U.D.P. work and how could this close an I.S.P. ?
17) Is there any way to stop receiving email spam and/or not having to read it ?
Generally advertising emails, excessive multi-posting to newsgroups, excessive crossposting, velveeta, jello and inappropriate postings are all considered examples of spam.
2) WHAT IS "EXCESSIVE MULTI-POSTING" TO NEWSGROUPS ?
Multi posting is usually the situation of sending the same message to multiple newsgroups. Eg 9 newsgroups 9 identical individual posts. Each "newsgroup" line in each newsgroup only shows one newsgroup listed. This is often considered excessive because few posts would be "appropriate" (see 6 below) to so many different newsgroups. It also means the same message uses up many times more bandwidth than necessary.
3) WHAT IS 'EXCESSIVE CROSSPOSTING" TO NEWSGROUPS ?
Crossposting is the situation of the same
message
crossreferenced so that it appears in multiple newsgroups. Using the same
number as in our previous example the message still appears in 9 newsgroups
but the server only downloads one copy and copies it into the "other" newsgroups.
Each "newsgroup" line in each newsgroup shows all 9 newsgroups listed.
Again, it is highly unlikely a message would be
"appropriate" in so many different newsgroups.
Excessive crossposting of a number of posts. In other words repeated excessive crossposting. With the same post or with different posts.
A large combination of excessive multi-posting AND excessive crossposting.
6) COULD A SINGLE POSTING TO A NEWSGROUP EVER BE CONSIDERED "SPAM" ?
Yes. Eg, if you advertised your old computer for sale in an "inappropriate" newsgroup. For example if you wanted to sell one of your excess kittens then it might be okay to put a post in eg. alt.cats.owners. The post about selling your computer wouldn't be appropriate in that newsgroup. Comp.new.old probably would be a more appropriate one.
Some very technically clever people have managed to set up programs that cancel newsgroup postings that are widely crossposted. I.S.P.s usually work on these "cancels" which saves everyone a huge amount of time/money in forwarding and/or downloading hundreds of copies of identical advertising posts.
8) WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN PEOPLE SAY "TRIM YOUR NEWSGROUP LINE ?"
When one is making a new message to put in a newsgroup, and/or they are responding to a previous message, then there will be a line that lists the newsgroup(s) where the message will go to. If this list is longer than one newsgroup then any that aren't appropriate for the message should be (trimmed) deleted.
I.S.P.s and their subscribers usually pay directly, or indirectly, for what they download. If the newsgroup "volume"rises due to excessive crossposting, or multi-posting, of advertising then everyone has to pay higher costs.
It takes time to read newsgroup posts. If 50% of posts are "spam" then for every hour we spend reading newsgroups we have wasted half an hour. This means we have less time left to read things we really are interested in and/or to go "surfing".
10) IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT IS CONSIDERED "INAPPROPRIATE" IN NEWSGROUPS ?
Yes, it is generally considered "inappropriate" to post pictures and/or program files in a "normal" newsgroup. There are "binary" newsgroups for these sorts of things. One can however say in their post something like "refer to newsgroup abcdef.binaries to download my picture/file.
The reason binariies are usually inappropriate is mainly due to their size. Downloading huge (binary) posts costs everyone time, and some people money, (for download time and/or Mb downloaded.) In a non-binary newsgroup only a small percentage of readers would be interested, so the majority could possibly be annoyed.
Posting "spam", and/or posting binaries to non-binary newsgroups, can result in people being mail bombed.
Where someone sends Mb of (usually) email messages to an internet subscriber. This is usually what happens when people see you spam. The intention is to have eg. your I.S.P. cancel your account and/or overload the I.S.P. so that it ceases to operate.
12) WHAT IF I DECIDE I WANT TO EXERCISE MY "RIGHT" TO POST ANYTHING TO ANYONE I LIKE ?
You/your I.S.P. will probably be mailbombed.
ALL your I.S.P.s members could be denied their email, and possibly other, services. In an extreme case your I.S.P. could go out of business.
Your I.S.P. would probably cancel your account.
13) CAN PEOPLE DO ANYTHING TO STOP HAVING TO READ CROSSPOSTED MESSAGES MORE THAN ONCE ?
Yes, get a newsreader with "Crosspost management". Duplicates can then be "marked read" or not downloaded at all.
14) YOU SAID IN QUESTION (11) THAT SPAM COULD PARTLY/WHOLLY CLOSE DOWN AN I.S.P. HOW ?
Spam tends to annoy a number of people on the internet. Particularly if messages are posted in inappropriate newsgroups and/or people have to pay for downloads from their I.S.P. These people can then send thousands of emails to the poster and/or very large binary files. The intention is to overload an I.S.P.s email facilities. This usually results in the I.S.P. having to close down it's incoming and outgoing email and/or having the spammer lose his account.
Most people who do this aren't too bothered whether one, or both happen. As long as the spammer is put out of business, even if only for a temporary period.
An I.S.P. that allows "spamming" without cancelling a user's account can receive the U.D.P. treatment.
Usenet Death Penalty.
16) HOW DOES U.D.P. WORK AND HOW COULD THIS CLOSE AN I.S.P. ?
There are people who trace where just about every spam, email and usenet, originates from. If an I.S.P. is recorded as the originating site for multiple "spams" then they can become known as a "spam haven". Particularly if they don't close a spammer's account and their name appears again !
The internet works on the basis of co-operation. Emails, newsgroup posts, files etc. are forwarded from one server to another. If an I.S.P. is considered a "Rogue I.S.P." (i.e. it hosts spammers) then other links in the internet chain can refuse to send anything to/from that I.S.P.
Suppose you wanted to send an email to your parents at say parents@ozemail.com.au If Ozemail had U.D.P.d your I.S.P. then your email from your I.S.P. would be stopped by them from getting through. You could also find it difficult, or impossible to receive emails from them.
Would you stay with an I.S.P. that had it's email regularly down due to email bombing and/or if you couldn't send mail to certain sites because access had been denied ? I thought not. What if all your I.S.P.s members went elsewhere ?
17) IS THERE ANY WAY TO STOP RECEIVING EMAIL SPAM AND/OR NOT HAVING TO READ IT ?
Yes :
(A) When you post in newsgroups, and/or "register" something on a web page, use an altered email address. Then anything the automatic programs that "harvest" email addresses send will not reach you. Some people have an "extra" spam email address in case a "fake" one isn't "accepted". Emails to this address can then be deleted on receipt, or transferred to an eg. "junk" folder.
If you do decide to put a fake return address in your newsgroup posts then be sure to tell people. It may we obvious to you that an address like me@myispNO_SPAM.com.au is a fake address BUT many people hit their reply button without looking at the return address. Or, are so new to the internet that they can see nothing wrong.
A commonly accepted method of advising people is to put something like "delete NO_SPAM from my return address" under your signature when posting. This can be done "automatically" and is an example of what is termed having a "sig(nature) file".
(B) Most spam isn't addressed to you. With a good emailer you can "filter" your incoming email so that you can delete/transfer all such email automatically. My email "filter" in Agent for example is ;
not To: me@myisp.com.au
(C) Some programs such as POP3 Scan Mailbox allow you to delete email from your email server before you download anything. Unless you get a lot of spam, and/or large spam messages, and/or pay for what you download, the time involved in working out what to download, and what to delete, on the server may not be worth the effort.
Once this effort has been put in however this program can be set to *automatically* delete much (all ?) of your spam from your server.
18) SOME PEOPLE SUGGEST THAT ONE SHOULD CONTACT THE SPAMMER AND/OR THEIR I.S.P. SHOULD I ? IS SO THEN HOW COULD I DO THAT ? COULDN'T THEY USE A "FAKE" RETURN ADDRESS ?
Yes, they can, and often do. However not all of them do that. Some want you to be able to contact them so that you can purchase their products and/or services.
Where they do give a fake address one can, if one knows what they are doing, get a reasonable idea of where an email or news post originates. If you want to find out how then visit sites such as Get that spammer! or visit Timo's site. If it all looks too complicated then try SpamCop!
Even if you are sure of the originating site then it would often be a waste of time contacting the sender. They would almost certainly known that their advertising would annoy you and will probably ignore any request to stop. For this reason many people contact the spammer's I.S.P. Spamming is not allowed with many internet providers and once found out a spammer can lose his account.
Well, there are numerous worthwhile links etc. referenced in the URLs mentioned in question 18. However you might like to subscribe to any/all of the newsgroups ;
Network Abuse Clearinghouse. Or get Spam Hater.
This article is provided as is without any express or implied warranties. While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this article, the author assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
Copyright (c) 2000 by John Fitzsimons, all rights reserved. This FAQ may be posted to any USENET newsgroup, on-line service, or BBS as long as it is posted in its entirety (without change) and includes this copyright statement.
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