Just BTW, my gripes to [log in to unmask] and to [log in to unmask]
didn't bounce.  Guess I beat the rush ;-).  Got this from netcom about
10 hours later.  (Lots deleted, as they sent the whole ad again.)
************
 
Thank you for your report. This user has been permanently removed
from the system for abuse of Usenet and mailing lists. We apologize
for any inconvenience that was caused.
 
Margaret
 
___________________________________________________________________________
NETCOM On-line Communication Services               Technical Support Staff
24-hour Support Line: 408-983-5970                       [log in to unmask]
 
*****************
Someone said he called and was told by a recording that they were "sold
out."  Since they say order by snailmail I have a hard time buying that,
unless they were almost sold out before the spam. Maybe a nasty, expensive
hoax?
 
I agree with Peter Weiss that changing some keywords in the header can
help, though won't block them completely.  We have Send= Editor and
[log in to unmask],(AUTOCAT) so subscribers can post directly to the
list but everything else goes through me.  Our traffic volume is 20+ a day
(we had a spate of 50+ for a while and I upped the limit to 65) but I
usually don't get more than five items for "approval" per day, most
legitimate, some commands missent, some "personal"s missent.  Doesn't take
too long to deal with them and the list continues largely as it has from
the start.  But I have caught several spams before they got to the list.
If you don't want to go to full moderation, it's a pretty good compromise.
 
Of course, making the change can be a wrench.  Almost like killing an old
friend.  But, then, some of us are probably too attached to our lists for
our own good (you know you're in trouble if you have the file with the
header changes done, put off sending it for hours, then "just do it" and
start crying).
 
Subscription by owner would help, but it isn't viable for largish lists
with heavy on/off traffic (20 - 40 per day, lots of 'em students working
on assignments).  Peter's suggestion of Confirm= Yes is good as it will
slow them down some.  But if your list is gatewayed to Usenet, it will do
little good, as the stuff from Usenet (or USElessNET as someone on this
list refers to it) will go right through, if the spam is sent that way.
 
Douglas
        Douglas Winship    Austin, Texas    [log in to unmask]
                    Secondary AUTOCAT Listowner
                              MEDLAB-L