🚀 go-pugleaf

On Thu, 2018-03-15, Rob Morley wrote:
> On 15 Mar 2018 17:36:35 GMT
> Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se> wrote:
>
>> It's a paradox which puzzles me: invent a way for strangers to
>> communicate in groups, and the groups will eventually be taken over by
>> people whose personality disorders, in various ways, make them
>> /unable/ to communicate.
>
> The loonies are easy to ignore or filter away, but they probably
> discourage potential new users (who mostly arrive on Usenet from
> the various web-based front-ends) from sticking around.

It's not that easy, IMO.  The discussion tends to end up revolving
around them and their obsessions, so that the saner posters spend most
of their energy on it, too.  Or you can end up with an agressive
frequent poster who believes it's his job to dominate the group.

None of this applies to a.f.c ... but to most or all comp.* groups I
frequent.

> I wonder if a
> decent web portal could revive the medium - give it a twitter-ish
> format or whatever is the current social media craze, while allowing
> the user to manage filtering effectively (or perhaps allow an
> administrator to manage the filtering for them).

See above regarding Facebook discussion groups. I don't think it would
help.  

(The idea of an administrator there has a nasty effect that we at
least don't see on Usenet.  Postings may go missing; people insinuate
instead of stating things out loud, like you'd expect in in a police
state.  This may happen even when the admins have good intentions.)

> It's probably a lost cause, people have been trumpeting the death of
> Usenet for years although I think it will yet linger longer.
> Even if the global network withers we can still run private servers,
> like in the old BBS days.   :-)

/Jorgen

-- 
  // Jorgen Grahn <grahn@  Oo  o.   .     .
\X/     snipabacken.se>   O  o   .