Doesn't the HP SmartFriend service sort of do this for its material? I
seem to recall filling out a web form of my interests, and get rather
regular emails telling me to visit "my" page for articles that it
determined met some of those criteria, complete with the URL. If I like
the topics, I click the link, login, and read. Am I on the right track
with this idea? Could it, or another mechanism much like it, do the
trick?

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lars Appel [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Thursday, May 21, 1998 1:44 AM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: [HP3000-L] HP Information Flow(?) (was: Instant
> Information FAQ)
>
> This makes me wonder if it would make sense if HP implemented a
> majordomo
> or listserv based "[log in to unmask]" mailing list where people could
> subscribe as needed and receive info that otherwise might ripple
> through
> all kinds of strange channels (or not ripple ;-)
>
> On a second thought, it might probably better to not have HP overall
> do it,
> as it would probably (a) take forever to be implemented and (b) throw
> huge
> amounts of Unix/NT spam at subscribers with no way to filter/select.
> Okay,
> looks like I have to admit some "ESC victim syndrome" here ;-)
>
> So a modified suggestion could be "[log in to unmask]" or alike,
> maybe with some additional lists for regional or native language
> postings,
> e.g. hp3k-announce-us, hp3k-announce-europe, hp3k-announce-de?
>
> An NNTP/Usenet newsgroup might be another possible implementation.
> Maye
> a combination of both would probide best benefit/choice for the users.
>
> Side note: It seems to me that many people use "webbified" means of
> info
> distribution these days, but the poll-it-yourself approach seems to
> spread
> like a plague... ("we have all this info on our web server(s), please
> come
> and visit regularly to keep up-to-date")
>
> Lars.
>
> PS: Only speaking for myself and probably eating not enough soap
> lately...