ATTN: all newbies

do not ever reply to the trolls or else you will be kilfiled, kilfile them, dont reply to the trolls, mmkay

pstokely wrote:

Who are you to tell me or anyone else what to do? I will reply to whomever I feel like replying to, regardless of your impotent threats to "kilfile" me. Do you honestly think that anyone gives a shit about your killfile? Who the hell would even want to talk to an arrogant asshole like you anyway? I would feel honored to make your useless killfile. You probably wouldn't be able to understand me anyway, as I often use two syllable words. Are you from the UK? They tried to limit our freedom of speech back in the 1700's, and we kicked their asses out of the country!

Do the rest of you in this NG cowtow to this assholes wishes?

Starvin' Marvin, the ethinopian.

On Mon, 26 Jul 1999 23:44:06 -0400, starvin' marvin wrote:

No. He's about 2 steps from being a troll. Just killfile him... most of the regulars already have. Myself included.

----- Lone Wolf I'm rooting for the crocodile.

"Well, isn't that cute. BUT IT'S WRONG!!!" - 2 Stupid Dogs

[snip]

No. The rest of us barely notice the people who post mainly forgettable one-liners as if they think they're in a chat room. If you look back on past messages from here in DejaNews, you'll see quite a few people whose postings are often *so* pointless that they don't usually even draw flames, let alone normal replies. (Imagine that -- a species *below* trolls.)

You stumbled onto one of them. Don't be alarmed. Just wipe the goo off your shoe and proceed.

Mark Tangard wrote:

Mark, ya gotta face it- this newsgroup has transformed. Yes there are tons of OT posts and yes lots of people post one liners, etc. I don't think it's going to go back to the old format of serving as an actual message board, because people are people and they like to talk. Remember the moderated newsgroup you created? It didn't work, namely because there were too many rules, what you can and can't talk about, etc. How many people actually posted? Not much, and that's why it went gently into the good night.

Although I agree that many of the posts here are worthless (one liners such as "Me too!"; flames; way, way too many OT posts, troll posts etc) and bullshit there's not much you can do. You can't keep telling people "Back in the day we did things different and this was a real newsgroup in which we only posted intelligent, well-versed posts that dealt with South Park" because things change. For the worse or better- it doesn't matter; the fact remains that a newsgroup in which people are allowed to say whatever they want and how they want will not stay the same and have all its posters be well behaved. It's up to them to be civil and to follow the rules of Netiquette- that is, if they even know of the rules in the first place.. Just my .02 *shrug*

-Toni

It's not my intention to reverse what's happened to Usenet. Only the most insane control freak would even try. (And it's not just this newsgroup, in case you haven't noticed.) All I did was answer the guy's question. And I still don't see anything in my answer that's worth retracting. The truth is: The more bullshit posts people make or answer, the less worthwhile the group becomes, because the Bullshit Post Percentage (BPP) continuously increases.

Re-read my message, and show me where, within it, I attempted to divert the evolutionary course. Don't ever misread my cynicism as activism. I only ever look at a very few threads and a very few people here. And I'm content to do that *without* announcing my exclusions daily, like several plonk-happy idiots here seem to enjoy. Talk about wasting yer breath.

I would never try to refocus a public newsgroup. The inherent anarchy level is too great since anyone can speak, and anyone speaking deliberately to disrupt is assured of creating tons of *additional* needless traffic. But I do notice that YOU now spend an awful lot of time playing den mother, recently harping away for *days* on a public thread with someone who either insulted you or disrespected John-John or both, I forget now. How do you reconcile that behavior with your (correct, I believe) judgment that no one individual can do much to change things here? You seem far more motivated to redirect the flow than I am.

Either you care, or you don't. It's very inconsistent if you acknowledge that resistance is futile but you still try to resist.

Mark Tangard wrote:

I didn't mean to insinuate that you were trying to change anything around here to the way things used to be. I just commented that your complaints about how the newsgroup isn't what it used to be is pretty much falling on deaf ears.

First of all, I don't remember "harping away for days" with someone who insulted me or disrespected JFK Jr. Yes I did mention some things about the latter, as in showing some respect for the dead, etc but I did not "harp" away for days.

I'm not trying to redirect any flow. It's just that sometimes I think people should be reminded that, just because this is Usenet doesn't mean general public decency, civility, and respect flies out the window. And what's wrong about that?

-Toni

Toni wrote in message ...

people

public

that?

In a Bloody NUTSHELL Toni...

Exactly !!!!!!!

Covenant. A Man Standing And Applauding...

Mark Tangard wrote:

As one of the "plonk-happy idiots" you're referring to, let me just say thanks for the narrow-minded assessment.

An unannounced plonk is like behavior modification without punishment. It's ineffectual. If you don't smack the dog's nose with a rolled up newspaper, how's he supposed to know he did wrong? If you don't tell a poster he's being killfiled, and why, he'll never know.

As opposed to acknowledging that cigarettes are bad for you, yet continuing to smoke? Sigh. If only things were as black and white as you seem to think they are.

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dumb children with no parental supervision, and access to a hammer.

If you ever have kids, kill yourself the day they're born and give your dog back to the anti-cruelty society immediatly.

Someone (evidently someone *I've* killfiled), wrote (quoted by Pupkin81):

If you really think "punishment" is the goal here, or is even possible, then IMO you're not seeing clearly. The goal of plonking is to make the offending person invisible to you, not to tell him he's an asshole.

The majority of the plonkables already *know* their posts are obnoxious, abrasive, or worthless. Saying so publicly in any way (including plonking) just confirms their success -- while wasting yet another public post in an attempt to tell everyone you're cooler than they are. It's just another control-freakism, *disguised* as well-intentioned behavior mod.

(The giveaway is that so many public plonkers justify it by claiming it "warns" the plonked one that he's "crossed the line" -- as if this means diddlysquat to the person being plonked, and as if anyone here has the legitimate power to draw the "line." It's utterly self-absorbed behavior. Do YOU, whoever you are are, feel sobered, unnerved, or warned by knowing that *I* have evidently killfiled you? Of course not. I wouldn't either. I don't change my posting habits just to maximize my audience.)

If public plonk posts really worked, the vast majority of this newsgroup would be *extremely* on-topic by now, because loudmouth plonkers (many of whom post mainly metacomments and plonks rather than anything on-topic) have been flooding it with their harrumphing since about mid-1998. Think about it. Or don't.

I'm glad you put IMO in there.

Actually, it's both. I've asked on various newsgroups whether plonk announcements were acceptable, or even encouraged, and the results were an overwhelming "Yes".

This is a generalization. Many, but not the majority. well, maybe in a.t.s it's a majority, but not in more civil newsgroups that deal with, um, more mature subject matter. Like it or not, the SouthPark ng attracts the dregs of Usenet.

No, it actually doesn't. You're obviously missing the point.

-- while wasting yet another public post in an

Somehow you've read "coolness" into this? I can't see how.

You like to throw the phrase "control freak" around, although you don't seem to know what it means. Do I have control? Absolutely. I control who's posts I read and who's I don't. Do I enjoy this control? You're damned right I do. Does this make me a "control freak"? Not a chance.

You simply don't get it. EVERYONE here has the legitimate power to draw the line. Otherwise newsreaders wouldn't have killfile capabilities.

So now I'm "self absorbed" because I killfile people and let them know about it? You're really reaching now.

What's this?? A public announcement??? Surely you can't be this hypocritical. I'll assume it was a mistake on your part.

You haven't given this much thought either. If there weren't so many people on both the plonker and plonkee sides, this mess would have sorted itself out already. But thanks to folks like you, who cannot let a public plonking go without a diatribe, these threads just fester. Hey, if you can't be a part of the solution, then be a part of the problem, right? All I know is that as of this moment, there are a number of people whos insults are not being read by me. I'm much better off in here than I was a month ago, and I'm thinking if I add you to the killfile, my spirits might brighten further. OOPS! Was that a publicly announced plonking? That would make me no better than, say, you.

Another baseless generalization.

Nice final dig. No, I've done plenty of thinking, and plenty of asking around, but I don't suppose that your being in the minority here would mean anything to you. After all, what would a "self-absorbed control freak" like me know anyway?

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dumb children with no parental supervision, and access to a hammer.

Dave wrote in message ...

NOW it does dave..Now... Only since the movie release... (Not to saw that everyone who has come aboard since the movie is an arse... they are not... but we've certainly got a nice little glut of *those*.)

But Dave.. It's *obvious* you're *cool*.. Nearly as obvious as *ME* !!! Heh heh heh.. ; ')

Covenant. A Man Who Is Just TOO Cool........

It seems that so many of the more abrasive people showed up right after the movie was released. Where the hell were they three months ago? Who were they harrassing before? Hell, I remember a long time ago when Yanoka and stokely were about the only blemishes on the newsgroup, and they were harmless enough, but now their work would simply get lost amidst what we got going on right now.

Oh no, there are a number of new folks who are pleasant to communicate with. But c'mon. How many times do you have to tell people about the inappropriateness of binaries? How many fresh-out-of-the-box newbies do we have to educate? It's not like it's most of their fault anyway, I mean, if you never heard of Windows before and I put a WinNT workstation in front of you, could I possibly insult you for not being able to use it? I guess, but would it mean anything? No. It can't.

My, we *are* the cool ones, aren't we? BTW, I just took a look at the Pledge page on your web site, and I noticed the absence of Ratboy. Did you think I was joking? Be a good chap.

Sigh.  I wish some of the other names on that list would return.  Now
we're talking cool.
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Seinfeld FAQ http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/7217/faq.html
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*NOTE*  I am not responsible for equipment damage due to reeeealy
dumb children with no parental supervision, and access to a hammer.

Dave wrote:

I suppose the best thing we can do at this point is wait it out. In a couple of months, after the movie hype has dissolved and we're once again stuck watching reruns, I'm willing to bet that a great deal of these rude, obnoxious assholes will get bored and move on, perhaps to harrass people in another newsgroup. I'm hoping though, that at the same time the cool new people will remain.

-Toni

Potentially, 760 per hour (the rate at which newbie households are joining the Internet -- in the USA alone).

We might refine that number if we had an estimate of the number who join *and* then give more than a moment's thought to learning basic Netiquette.

And monkeys might fly out of my ass too.

Mark Tangard wrote in message ...

Heeheehee..............

BAD Mark.....

Covenant. A Man With Far Too Much Time On His Hands

In article , [email] says...

As I am a newbie, I figured that I'd join in on this discussion. I pretty much have to agree with everything that was said up above. Seriously, before anyone posts to a newsgroup, he/she should take some time and READ the group first and learn what is allowed and what isn't. I've been reading this newsgroup since September or October, and I've just recently started posting. And hopefully, none of my posts have been bad. :)

[posted and emailed]

Daniel Gilison wrote:

It's a safe bet that, as a newbie, if you have the humility to *wonder* aloud whether you're posting appropriately, you almost certainly are.

One characteristic common to most "problem newbies" is that they're anything but humble. They tend to start with a me-versus-them attitude, determined to be either NOTICED or SERVICED, but only rarely intending to be USEFUL. ;)

Those craving attention (Notice me!) will post anything, just to be heard. Those craving favors (Service me!) often think of the Net as an "order desk" that everyone else works behind ("send me pictures!"), but when that illusion fails they often just abandon the Net because it feels like "work." Neither type usually questions whether his/her behavior is appropriate; that's just not in their nature -- probably both here and in real life.

It doesn't sound like you have either type of neurosis, Daniel. So, welcome. And clone yourself, OK?

Mark Tangard wrote in message ...

welcome.

I'll second that!

Just give the clones different names, and make sure they don't chomp, ee, chump, chomp....

Covenant. A Man With Far Too Much Time On His Hands

pachooee chomp.

Or however that's spelled.
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Seinfeld FAQ http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/7217/faq.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
*NOTE*  I am not responsible for equipment damage due to reeeealy
dumb children with no parental supervision, and access to a hammer.

In article , [email] says...

Ba-chomp, ba-chomp, ba-chewy-chomp?

Hey, slacker, get back to work on your disseration, or I'm forwarding this message to your parents under the heading: "Look what Jr.'s doing at Stanford...".

[email]> : Distribution:

Covenant ([email]) wrote: :

:

:
:
:

:

: Me bad?

[email]> Distribution:

ee,

:

: Oh, yeah? I haven't even started any wet lab work yet, and my parents do call once a week to see how things are going. Anyway, they pretty much know what I'm doing here - not going to medical school. :)

Daniel Seth Gilison wrote:

Tsk tsk tsk......as the "poster child" for newbies, you should also remember not to respond to trolls :-)

-Toni

[email]> Distribution:

:

pretty much

anyone

first and

since

hopefully,

:

: I'm the poster child for cool newbies? Yes! :)

: I never did read any FAQ for a newsgroup. I've just been reading the newsgroups long enough to know what to do, and what not to do.

: <passes them back, I'm on a diet) :)

And for most people with an IQ over 90, that's enough. FAQs for specific newsgroups don't always give detailed posting guidelines. That kind of stuff is more usually contained in the all-of-Usenet FAQs.

Actually most people probably do learn the way Daniel has; it just seems otherwise sometimes because of a loud selfish few. Most people read for a while without posting, because that IS ordinary human behavior anyway:

Think: If you enter a room where a big discussion is already going on, if you're like most people, you LISTEN for a while before you jump in. Normal people will do the same thing when they start reading newsgroups. Only the most clueless/selfish people will barge into a discussion "cold," interrupt it, ask the crowd to recap what they've been saying, insult the others just for being there, and generally fart on the hors d'oeuvres. That's not normal behavior -- it's what misfits do to get the attention they're starved for.

Daniel Gilison wrote:

You are definitely one of the Cool New People in this newsgroup. :) You haven't ever posted anything bad, like a lot of the newbies around here have. If only all of them could just follow your example, this newsgroup would be in a much better condition.

And, if there's any newbies out there reading this, that haven't posted yet, just make sure you do what Daniel did. Read the newsgroup and get a feel for it. Check out the FAQ at http://www.angelfire.com/oh/joesfaqforsp/ After you know what to do and what's just not appropriate to do, jump on in. You also might wanna check out some FAQ's on basic netiquette (I don't really know any addys....). That's basically what I did when I was a newbie to ats, and I think it will definitely be beneficial. :)

<passes some cookies to Daniel>

Dave wrote in message ...

Dave, I'm shocked!!

But consider it done.... (Once I update!!!!)

Eventually.....

Cheers! Joe

Have you 'anti-troll' people heard of SLOTH?

In article , Toni writes

Uh well, I haven't. What is it?

-Toni

Drew Thomas wrote:

Two cents worth two thousand cents.

In article , Toni writes

With the exception of about 6 of us, yeah they do.

In article , [email] (Pupkin 81) writes:

Coincidentally, the number of people who haven't killfiled you.

Which reminds me...

*PLONK*

That's five.

Jeremy B "Oh, to be young again. And also a robot." -- Prof. Hubert Farnsworth WWBBD?

agrees w/ starvin martin 100% on this issue

Up yours!

In article , pstokely writes