OT:Strange e-mail from Topica.com (This is not a repeat message, this is a new one with a new item!)

[Miles Nordin]

On Mon, 10 Apr 2000, Gregg C Levine wrote:

> Has anyone received a complaint from some outfit calling itself Topica.com?

This is becoming a FAQ.  I sent a description of the problem to
6bone-owner.  I got no reply.  Hence the noise on the list itself.
``Don't blame me.''

Is anyone reading the owner address?  Someone should be.

This problem looks to me like it requires the attention of the list
administrator, and isn't getting it. 

I discussed this with Topica at length.  Basically, all they did was,
finally, agree with my analysis--a user named 'fla-mail@isfa.com' is
subscribed to the 6bone list.  That user needs to be unsubscribed.  Only
the owner of THIS list can do it.  If Topica's and my analysis is correct,
then what's required is no more than the most basic of list-administrator
tasks--unsubscribe an address that's bouncing mail.  If the situation is
more complicated than I suggested, then what's required is:

 1) a timely reply to mail sent to 6bone-owner@isi.edu.  else it is
    reasonable to assume that the list has no owner, and is anymore 
    completely machine-run.  This causes people like me to spam the list,
    and is therefore very bad.

 2) possibly a public explanation that the problem is being worked on.
    as is, it took me a lot of digging just to conclude that my
    earlier post actually went out to the list and wasn't lost.  This is
    confusing enough to warrant public noise.

The Topica questions from newbies are annoying, but they are also
reasonable.  The error messages Topica is sending are really confusing.
Also, it is inappropriate for this list to negligently inject off-topic
traffic into a Soccer special-interest list, which is what the incorrect
subscription is doing.

If the 6bone-owner has dissappeared, maybe someone knows how to get a new
``owner'' put in place?  If not, then I think this list should be moved
off ISI. There are a lot of people here who have the resources and
competence to host a list of this volume, and who would be able to do
simple housekeeping like this as needed.  We do not need the blessing of
an apparently vacant authority to accept an offer from some random
generous sysadmin and move onto his box en masse.

Can someone fix the Topica thing or not?  It is not a lot to ask.
w.t.f. is going on?

-- 
Miles Nordin / v:+1 720 841-8308 fax:+1 530 579-8680
555 Bryant Street PMB 182 / Palo Alto, CA 94301-1700 / US