From: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 1997 03:19:15 +0800
To: Adam Back <aba@dcs.ex.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: distributed ratings & repudiable public signatures (was Re:encouraging digital pseudonyms)
In-Reply-To: <v03102805b04c51cb80d0@[207.167.93.63]>
Message-ID: <v03102804b04dc1c325e8@[207.167.93.63]>
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At 11:30 AM -0700 9/23/97, Adam Back wrote:
>Easier to use pseudonyms would be nice, yes.
>
>Another interesting "service" which really requires client support,
>which would improve reading efficiency would be mailing list software
>with distributed ratings.  A web based archive with cgi-bins to
>accumulate ratings on posts would be feasible for you people who don't
>have pay per second.
>
>Then you construct your own matrix of reliance on individual rating
>providors (other list readers), and you have probably a pretty good
>estimate of your own likely interest in a given post.

I'll argue STRONGLY for the first item, the one Igor Chudov says he has
already implemented (I plan to take a look). And I'll argue STRONGLY
AGAINST the second item, the ratings idea.

Why? Because I've seen at least several major efforts, and even some
functional versions, namely, on the Extropians list. They viewed this as a
major tool for increasing the quality of discussions. It wasn't.

(The "Firefly" system, if I recall correctly, does this for music. Similar
problems. Sparseness and all sorts of basic ontological problems with such
ratings.)

I am obviously not saying others might not pull it off this time, and
obviously they're welcome to try. But few of us want to spend time rating
the posts of others, or even clicking a button (where? our Eudora mailers?
sending messages back to the ratings service? arggh.) to rate the posts and
reputations of others.

My best filter is deciding who to filter into my trash folders. And
learning to delete posts in a few seconds of glancing.

Your mileage may vary, but I'm willing to bet this is not a truly important
project.

- --Tim May




The Feds have shown their hand: they want a ban on domestic cryptography
- ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
ComSec 3DES:   408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^1398269     | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."



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