Re: [foxboro] Speaking about broken things (Not)

At 08:17 AM 3/29/07 +1000, Adam.Pemberton@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

 >
 >Duc
 >   While we're on the topic of this list and how it operates, I have a
 >query. One of the many reasons why this list is so good is that there is
 >no spam. Why is that?
 >
 >   As with most people, I have many interests and would love to find
 >lists of similar high quality for other topics. Unfortunately,
 >inevitably when you find mail or news groups with potential, they're
 >full of abuse and advertising.
 >
 >Whatever it is, well done.
 >
 >Regards
 >
 >Adam
 >

Adam,

Thanks!

It's pretty simple, really. This list is a closed list -- only 
subscribers can post. That requirement alone stops 99% of spams.

Now, a determined spammer with time on his hand can submit a subscribe 
request, confirm the subscription, and once becoming a subscriber, he's 
theoretically free to spam the list until someone (moi!) stops him.

But there is a secondary preventive measure just for that scenario: all 
new subscribers have a flag set to require having their postings 
approved. If the new user uses a legitimate company-issued e-mail 
address (pretty easy to determine), I unset the flag and the user can 
fully participate, all seamlessly. If the user uses a freely available 
e-mail address (yahoo, hotmail, gmail, etc.) then I make a quick 
attempt at vetting the user. Most reply with a company-issued address, 
and sometimes a reason why they prefer to use a different e-mail for 
subscribing, and all is well. The ones who don't reply to my vetting 
request after a reasonable time (a week or so) are flagged to not 
receive further list traffic. So they're technically still on the list, 
but they can neither post nor receive.

As for why this list is so "good," you know the reason for that. It's 
all the contributors on the list who collectively make this list what is it.

It's all of the customers and interested parties who are willing to 
share their problems with and their triumphs over this beast that is 
our control systems. We all learn from the collective wisdom.

It's all the Invensys folks who are willing to share their expertise 
and knowledge with us (Alex, take a bow!). It's also the Invensys folks 
who are willing to be on the receiving end of the customers' ire in 
heated moments, and remain professional about it. (I know I dish out my 
share over the years.)

And above all, the list is great because we all stay on-topic, pretty 
much, without much policing on my part or anybody else. That is pretty 
remarkable for a forum of over 800 users spanning almost every time 
zone across the globe.

I am proud to be able to help in this endeavor.

Duc

 
 
_______________________________________________________________________
This mailing list is neither sponsored nor endorsed by Invensys Process
Systems (formerly The Foxboro Company). Use the info you obtain here at
your own risks. Read http://www.thecassandraproject.org/disclaimer.html
 
foxboro mailing list:             http://www.freelists.org/list/foxboro
to subscribe:         mailto:foxboro-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=join
to unsubscribe:      mailto:foxboro-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=leave

Other related posts: