Re: Re: Re: MathGroup /: Descriptive headings
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg52050] Re: [mg52012] Re: [mg51971] Re: MathGroup /: Descriptive headings
- From: "tgarza01 at prodigy.net.mx" <tgarza01 at prodigy.net.mx>
- Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2004 03:13:52 -0500 (EST)
- Reply-to: tgarza01 at prodigy.net.mx
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
I warmly second this suggestion! Tomas Garza Mexico City Original Message: ----------------- From: Clifford Martin camartin at snet.net To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net Subject: [mg52050] [mg52012] Re: [mg51971] Re: MathGroup /: Descriptive headings Steve, I read the list every day and have for a few years. I post occasionly but find the list very useful and this group one of my most valuable resources in my business. I think you do a great job. The only suggestion that I have is, 'Is there some way to make your life easier'? Otherwise don't fix what isn't broken! Thanks for a great service. Cliff Martin --- "Steven M. Christensen" <steve at smc.vnet.net> wrote: > > See my comments within the message below. > > Steve Christensen > > > > > > In article <cmfd5u$7ta$1 at smc.vnet.net>, > > "Steven M. Christensen" <steve at smc.vnet.net> > wrote: > > > > > I want to take the opportunity to reply to > Paul's suggestion in > > > as much detail as possible. > > > > > > I am sorry I was not at the event at the Wolfram > Technology > > > Conference when this was discussed. > > > > > > First, here are the steps I take each day to > moderate this group. > > > Figuring out where in these steps to put in > categorization would need > > > to fit into this. > > > > > > 1. I get perhaps 2500-3000 emails a day, every > day. Of these, perhaps > > > 500 are not spam. Because the Mathgroup > addresses are easily found > > > by spammers, there is no way around getting > a lot of spam. > > > > Do you mean that the spammers are forging email > addresses of MathGroup > > participants and using these to post messages to > MathGroup > > (mathgroup at wolfram.com)? I can see how that would > make things more difficult > > to filter. > > > Yes, this happens all the time. Spam comes to > mathgroup via mailing > list messages, newsgroup posts, spammers who have > just found addresses > in the newsgroups and archives. > > > > > > If I understand you correctly, requiring > individuals to "register" with > > you, possibly listing multiple email addresses, > and bouncing email that > > is not from registered participants, with a > message telling them how to > > register, would not work. > > > No this would not work. I even get spam from > wolfram.com addresses > even though I know it did not come from there. I > sometimes get > spam from myself! > > > > > > Because I usually post from a news reader, my > messages have the > > following field: > > > > Newsgroups: comp.soft-sys.math.mathematica > > > > Could this be used as a filter (or do spammers > forge this as well)? > > > Spammers forge every element of posts. > > > > > > [As an aside, a solution to SPAM needs to be > found. To me, it should > > cost money, only of the order of a couple of > cents, to send any email > > message. You would need to purchase a valid > one-off "e-stamp", using > > some form of encryption technology, from some site > (I'm suprised that > > the automatic billing sites have not already done > this). Then only valid > > e-stamps would be routed though the network. There > are, of course, many > > issues with this proposal ...] > > > > > Further, because MathGroup users often, > unfortunately, > > > send html email or other attachments, maybe > 10-20 of their mails get > > > filtered by my, fairly sophisticated but not > perfect, spam filters into > > > my spam folder. > > > > To me, one of the major limitations of MathGroup > is that we cannot > > attach Notebooks (without including them in the > body of the message). > > > > Attaching notebooks causes numerous problems. > > 1. Notebooks as attachments are very often rejected > by spam filters > either at ISP's, moderation level, or end users. > > 2. Can a windows user really trust that a notebook > attachment is not > a virus or worm? If I were using a Windows > machine and saw an > attachment, I would not open it. > > 3. Many notebooks are very long and some mail > systems will not be able > to handle them. Rules about attached notebooks > would have > to be devised. Not a simple matter given that I > get so many > posts that can't follow even simpler rules. > > It is far simpler to have someone put their notebook > on a server somewhere > where it can be downloaded and then include a link > within the post. > > > > > > > 2. Of the 500 good emails that get past my spam > filters, I then have to > > > filter out those mails that are for > Mathgroup. Then, I have to > > > go through the spam folder to find any > MathGroup posts that might be > > > there. So,there are usually about 70 emails > relevant to MathGroup. > > > Some, maybe 10 do not follow the rules - > flames, licensing questions, > > > discussions of other systems, really trivial > items, totally > > > non-Mathematica > > > related. In the end, there are 30-60 emails > to read in more detail. > > > > Actually, if the Subject line included question > categories as is being > > proposed, couldn't you use this as the primary > filter (or again, do > > spammers forge this as well)? > > > Again, spammers will grab email addresses, Subject > lines, even > content sometimes. Most of that comes to me where I > filter it. > But I have had some reports that people get email > from mathgroup > and I did not send. > > > > > > > 3. Once I decide that the posts are OK, I run > them through a number of > > > UNIX scripts and do some more editing to > take out unneeded mail headers > > > etc. > > > > > > 4. Then the mails are run through scripts that > send them to the > > > newsgroup and the mailing list. One of the > scripts adds the > > > numbers to the Subject line of the mail > that goes to > > > the mailing list. Note that the [ ] are > really needed. > > > > As I read MathGroup in a newsreader or sometimes > via Google at > > > > > http://groups.google.com/groups?q=comp.soft-sys.math.mathematica > > > > I do not see the numbers or the []. Google seems > to handle threading > > better than my newsreader. > > > > > > The [mg ... ] numbers only go out to the mailing > list to help with > filtering. They will not be seen in the newsgroup > or on google. > === message truncated === -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ .