Export News Taskforce Report -- November 1995 ====================================== Written by Miranda Gray (xx717) edited by Jessica Cohen (xx724). Introduction ------------ The Export News Taskforce has gone as far as it can without further Board action. This document presents a brief summary of the major points discussed by the taskforce over the last seven months. Part One outlines three major ways to export the ncf.* newsgroups. The main administrative pros and cons are also listed for each option. Part Two addresses some frequently raised concerns since the presentation at the October 1995 Board meeting. The exportation of Information Provider newsgroups and NONAG are revisited. Part Three concerns what needs to happen next. Motions for the Board meeting are presented here. Discussion of what results to expect for each motion are also outlined. This paper does not discuss the rationale for exporting newsgroups. The Board did not ask the Taskforce to to prepare a report justifying the export of ncf.* newsgroup. The Board asked the taskforce to determine the parameters of exporting the ncf.* newsgroups. Part One -------- 1/ Move everything to the ott.* hierarchy. Advantages: -- few bureaucratic details to be resolved -- there is no restriction on who carries the groups or their distribution -- the newsgroups would remain together in one hierarchy Disadvantages: -- there is no restriction on who carries the groups or their distribution -- these newsgroups are not in any way identifiable as ncf.* newsgroups -- treats all ncf.* newsgroups equally without any flexibility The Export News Taskforce does not recommend this option. It would be very disruptive to the existing Ottawa online community to create 650+ new newsgroups. Arbitrary bypassing the regular method of creating ott.* newsgroups is a bad precedent. 2/ Exporting the entire ncf.* hierarchy as ncf.* Advantages: -- little bureaucracy involved -- could be done fairly quickly Disadvantages: -- the NCF news hierarchy is not well organized -- after export, cleanup will be substantially more difficult e.g. NCF has lots of dead newsgroups which should probably not be exported -- treats all ncf.* groups equally without allowing for special cases The Export News Taskforce cannot fully endorse this method of exporting newsgroups. While it is simple and easy to do, the structure is too rigid. NCF would benefit from evaluating its news hierarchy in detail. 3/ Picking a limited set of ncf.* newsgroups to export (as ncf.* groups) Advantages: -- allows some newsgroups to be exported and others to be not exported -- allows for clean-up of ncf.* groups before exportation -- NCF could choose to retain some control over what is exported and where -- every IP could be allowed to choose where their group goes -- some groups could be moved to more appropriate hierarchies (ie ott) but there is still a distinct ncf.* hierarchy Disadvantages: -- more discussion would be required to establish which groups go where -- contacting every IP would take a great deal of time -- users may be unable to tell which groups are exported and which are not -- further discussion would be required The Export News Taskforce strongly recommends this method of exporting newsgroups. Part Two -------- 1/ Export of Information Provider newsgroups At the October Board meeting, there was some concern that IPs would be forcibly exported without their consent. This was never the intention of the Taskforce. However; questions still remain about the implementation details surrounding these newsgroups. The Taskforce recommends contacting all Information Providers by mail. All IPs should be given enough of a background to decide for themselves whether their newsgroup should be exported, moved to another hierarchy or continue as set up originally. No IP newsgroup would be exported without the IP's explicit permission. IPs who don't reply, or who reply that they do not wish to be exported, would remain on NCF's news server only. [IPs which do not reply at all should be considered possibly AWOL and should be contacted as part of the routine work of the Information Management Taskforce.] 2/ NONAG -- Or who should handle complaints The idea of an National Capital FreeNet -- Ottawa News Administration Group (NONAG) to maintain the exported newsgroups was not a hit at the October Board meeting. In a straw poll vote, the majority of Board members present were not in favour of the idea. Some directors wish to see the NCF Complaints committee handle all problems with exported newsgroups. There are two types of complaints or problems that have to be provided for in exporting newsgroups. One aspect is complaints about NCF users. This is naturally to be handled by the NCF Complaints committee. It is the strong recommendation of the Taskforce that NCF not attempt to handle complaints about users at other sites. The Committee should be encouraged to bounce complaints to the admin at other sites when appropriate in their judgment if they accidentally receive the complaint. It is the strong recommendation of the Taskforce that the Complaints committee not be involved in the day-to-day operation of the news software and administration. This committee may not have people with the necessary skill set to do the work involved. Exporting news requires modifications to the news server here on NCF and other machines on the Internet. The people involved in setting up and maintaining the exported newsgroups need to have the following skills: -- a high detail of familiarity with the local Usenet topology -- a good working relationship with the other local news admins -- familiarity with the set-up of newsfeeds and the limits of news feeds -- experience running a large news site -- familiar with Usenet complaints procedures and etiquette While volunteers do accomplish many tasks for this organization, it is possible NCF does not have the people with these skills within the volunteer database. NCF should be prepared to recruit these people from the local online community (e.g. for the list of local news administrators). 3/ Site Agreements If the Board opts to export newsgroups with restrictions, there is a need to develop a site agreement for all carriers. There will also be a need to develop a procedure for adding or revoking a news feed. The Board needs to consider how involved it wishes to be in the day-to-day running of exported newsgroups. The options range from requiring every decision to be brought before the Board to appointing a group (or individual) for decision making on the Board's behalf. The Taskforce has recommended pursuing a set-up where local news administrators participate in the decision-making. This does not eliminate the Board's authority. This group could then have to bring its decision to the Executive Committee, Executive Director or the full Board for ratification. More discussion on this matter will be necessary unless the Board decides to export the newsgroups without restrictions. Part Three ========== This Taskforce cannot proceed without further input from the board. The work is at a crossroads. Until a major direction is chosen, work cannot focus on the actual details of any option. The Taskforce needs a formal Board response on these three questions. Motions ------- 1. BIRT the NCF Board export *some* NCF newsgroups. 2. BIRT the NCF Board export *all* NCF newsgroups. 3. BIRT the NCF place restrictions on the export of its newsgroups If the Board is not in favour of exporting any ncf.* newsgroups, the Taskforce is finished and will be disbanding. If the Board is not in favour of exporting all ncf.* newsgroups, discussion will continue about which groups should be exported and which should not. The Taskforce will bring a report and motions to the December Board meeting. If the Board is in favour of exporting all ncf.* newsgroups and does not want any restrictions, the Taskforce will present the Board with an implementation plan and timetable for the work at the December meeting. If the Board is in favour of exporting (some or all) ncf.newsgroups and wants some restrictions placed on their exportation, the Taskforce will looking for input on the proposed site agreement before the December Board meeting. A proposed implementation plan and timetable could not be begun until the site agreement was in place. [Discussion about which groups to export would also be part of the December Board meeting.] -- Jessica Cohen, NCF Board of Directors (aa724@freenet.carleton.ca) "I won't listen!" Charles Halloway shut his eyes. Mr. Dark tilted his head and observed "Strange, you shut your eyes, not to listen. Clapping your hands over your ears would be better ... " -Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes