Subject:
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The crux of the matter (IMHO)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Mon, 23 Nov 1998 03:35:10 GMT
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Reply-To:
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ROBDYE@WRITEMEspamless.COM
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Viewed:
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2024 times
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Wow. Wotta thread! I think there has been more traffic on LUGNET on
this issue of carrying RTL than on anything since it started. It's nice
to see 70 new messages, and NONE of them appear to be flames...
When's the last time you recall that happening on RTL?
Todd, I think the fact that you have spent so much time thinking about
this, and participating in the debate on same, shows that your heart is
in the right place. Just the fact that it occurs to you to wonder what
negative effect this might have/be having on the net LEGO community is
to be commended.
But I think you have misread something...
It is a mistake to cast all this as "LUGNET good/RTL bad," because I
don't thionk that is what is really happening. I will risk presuming to
speak for others here...(so bombs away, folks, but via email,
please)...and say that I think the argument is really more cast as
"USENET annoying/LUGNET (since not part of USENET) refreshing."
My impression is that RTL was among the gentlest of USENET groups, even
when the m*droid was in poisoning the waters. The free-for-all nature of
USENET lends itself to the lowest common denominator
("I-have-a-computer-with-a-modem and-I-will-say-what-I-want"), and makes
for some fairly ugly exchanges. This is by no means something unique to
RTL.
I suspect that there are a large number of groups who, were one of their
members to erect a semi-gated community where people had to abide by
fairly loose (but still defined) rules of behavior, would abandon USENET
in DROVES.
Just as is happening to RTL, as it seems to be rapidly losing anyone who
is interested in civility.
This is not your fault, and I will risk making a glaringly false
prediction on the future of USENET: As more and more users become
sophisticated, and able to set up something such as you have, there will
be more and more newsgroups which will set up shop off of USENET, behing
the semi-gated communites. The price of admission will be
low...civilized behaviour, on topic, and with real names. USENET will
become the "bad part of town," where newbies will show up and get taken,
and eventually disbanded because its time will have passed. This may
take many years, but unless some way to improve USENET behaviour is
found, I suspect it is inevitable.
Enough soulsearching, Todd. Ego te absolvo (not that I think theer's
anything that really had to be absolved...8)
Rob
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