Mailinglist privacy: MY NAME ALL OVER GOOGLE!
Bart Silverstrim
bsilver at chrononomicon.com
Fri May 6 05:18:32 PDT 2005
On May 6, 2005, at 7:06 AM, Anthony Atkielski wrote:
> Giorgos Keramidas writes:
>
>> This is a recurring theme. It's really *NOT* the fault of the
>> postmaster of FreeBSD.org that you posted to public mailing lists.
>
> It _is_ the fault of the mailing list manager that posts are being
> archived without the permission of mailing-list members. Members must
> be required to explicitly grant permission when they subscribe.
Yeah, cuz, we wouldn't want the archives to be referenced for people
who are looking for help on topics, after all.
>> The Handbook section about mailing lists[1] says:
>
> What the Handbook says is irrelevant, because nobody is required to
> read
> it in order to subscribe to a list.
Do they need to issue a specific list of "what to do" when using
FreeBSD or interacting with the community? And how many people would
actually follow it ANYWAY? Most don't even read the @#%# EULA on the
software they install on their home computer. Most users out there
still think they OWN their operating system (how many times have I
explained to them that they only license Windows, they don't own it?),
and you think that people will read disclaimers for joining a mailing
list? We're lucky when people read the directions on how to subscribe
or unsubscribe.
How about people use common sense before joining lists and posting to
them, and take some responsibility for the things they do? How about
reading up on how it works, or googling for information ahead of time?
The Handbook is referenced as what is supposed to pass for the
authoritative source of information for FreeBSD users. It is most
definitely NOT irrelevant. Just because you'd rather belch out
questions to a list instead of first looking for the answers on your
own is no excuse for dismissing it, especially since so many on the
list have told users to READ THE HANDBOOK, which ironically should show
up in the google searches hitting the archives if people bothered to do
so. Now they're complaining because they're showing up in the google
searches because of the archives...the same ones that keep saying to
look in the Handbook for information. Oh, the irony.
People won't read the rules and guidelines anyway. Yet the information
is out there. It's not hidden. It's certainly no secret that these
posts are archived out there, as are web pages and potentially anything
else you wave around for the Internet public to see. Better yet start
some arguments with the governments and businesses that are video
taping people with security cameras on street corners and inside
stores.
Users have all this information available to them, and it should be
common sense that if the archives are supposed to be searchable for
future reference that it makes sense your postings may potentially make
your words immortal...well, as immortal as the Internet will be.
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