time to moderate bionet.virology

[Patrick O'Neil]

On 14 May 1995, Patrick Sobalvarro wrote:

> about virology.  Unfortunately, the group has become nearly unreadable in the
> past couple of months, because of two kinds of people:
> (a) those who apparently have no idea what a library is, and whose reaction
>     to any idle curiosity they experience is to post a message on the net, to
>     be read by thousands of people; and
> (b) complete nutcases, with either a plan for exterminating some portion of
>     the human race, or the need to convince us all that such a plan is being
>     executed.
> 
> Doesn't it seem likely that it's time for someone to moderate the group?  Say,
> a virologist?

Well, as I addressed in a previous post, it is quite understandable that 
such as you describe above would come to pass with the slew of books 
about viruses (particularly Ebola), a silly movie, and a ridiculous-to-the- 
point-of-nauseating TV movie (Robin Cook's Virus) making a showing.  On 
top of this, viola! A real outbreak of essentially the virus or the day!  

People who never thought about viruses beyond the occassional mention of
HIV in the news have now been inundated, and being basically ignorant as
far as epidemiology, biology, virology, molecular biology, are concerned
they come with their preconceived notions, paranoias, and fears to a
newsgroup that specifically addresses viruses.  

I came into this group for professional reasons, and I do miss the rather 
sedate, thoughtful halcyon days before the publishing fury and the 
outbreak but I too realise that those days will return as soon as the 
outbreak dies down, as it is likely to do, and people forget and go back 
to whatever they were doing before.  In any case, I find it rather 
exciting in a way:  I knew that an outbreak of something nasty (Marburg, 
Ebola, Lassa, Hantaan, some new unknown) was inevitable.  It just 
suprized me that it occured so timed.  It isn't the first and it is far 
from the last.  Sit it out, go about your normal business, and skip 
paranoid postings.  If it doesn't fade away reasonably soon, THEN it 
might be time to consider a moderator or, perhaps, another newsgroup set 
up to handle such posters of which you complain (sci.bionet.virus perhaps?)

Patrick