Steve writes:

> If you're posting articles to a Usenet newsgroup, you don't, because you
>  can't. If you're posting to a mailing list, the question is meaningless-see
>  below.
>
>  It's important to keep the two "targets" clear, because they are quite
>  different.
>
>  "Post to the list from a verifiable address" poses zero risk; posting to a
>  mailing list is a non-public action (well, assuming that the list owner has
>  it set up with appropriate restrictions on who can browse the subscriber
>  list). This is in stark contrast to posting an article to a Usenet
newsgroup,
>  which is an extremely public action. Another good reason to use the mailing
>  list for mailing list traffic, and the newsgroups for newsgroup stuff.

Steve,

Either I'm extremely dense, or you're forgetting your own premises:

>  2)      Subscribing requires either a machine-verified source address or
>  owner approval....

>  Again, I just don't
>  see that as a big deal. The gateway would, I assume, still allow postings
to
>  the list to appear on the newsgroup,

As I read those two statements, I deduce that I must post to the list using a
legitimate, machine-verifiable address -- and after my posting appears on the
list, it will automatically be gated over onto the newsgroup, where the whole
world sees it ("it" being my legitimate, machine-verifiable address). That
ain't zero risk.

Again though, let me say that I dislike spam as much as anyone. That is the
whole reason that I post to this list from AOL rather than from our "official"
company address. AOL has reasonably good spam rejection filters in place --
and deleting unwanted material without reading the material is easier than
using any other e-mail reader I've seen.

But like it or not, the rules are now: if you post to a newsgroup -- or a list
that is cross-posted to a newsgroup -- you're going to get spam.

Wirt Atmar