And there was much laughter

[andrewducker]

I first got onto the internet in 1991.  That's right, I remember when it was all text, as far as the eye could see.  I got into email, bulletin boards and usenet, where I learnt a great lesson.  When I first got access to newsgroups (via, I think, a command line app called tin) I could read, but posting access wasn't authorised.  It took me about two months to get posting access, during which I could only watch conversations going on.  This was _amazingly_ useful, because I had to pay attention, see all of the things that pissed people off, discover what the appropriate netiquette was and generall understand what the hell was going on.  Since that point I've generally come to the conclusion that people shouldn't be allowed to participate in a forum unless they sustain their interest over a few weeks of read-only access, and find what _other people_ have to say as interesting as what they have to say.

It is therefore with great pleasure that I steal this link from theferrett so that you can learn from one of the great public service broadcasts every produced by the US government: Posting and You.

(needs sound)

Comments

[broin.livejournal.com]

Mailed that to you, ~6 months ago. =)

*teehee*

I'm on meds on alternating days. This means that today, an Off Day, I am a dick. But I also get terribly manic and enthused about, say, running to Tescos for ice-cream.

Nice chatting to you this evening. :D

[andrewducker]

You too - enjoy the ice-cream :->

[broin.livejournal.com]

I started with telnet, MUSHes, and read-only newsgroups.

By the time I could post to newsgroups, I'd seen most things I wanted to say.

[andrewducker]

And yet somehow it's _still_ hard to shut you up.

:-P

[broin.livejournal.com]

yeah, but now I just do it for show, not debate. :D

[davidcook.livejournal.com]

Heee, very amusing.

I had a similar start to you - as an undergrad in 89-90, I only had read-only Usenet access with rn and xrn. When I got posting access as a staff member in 91, I was ready to be mostly clueful around newsgroups (and even foolish brave enough to create one ... soc.culture.usa is my fault doing :-) ).

[green-amber.livejournal.com]

*I* was on the Net in, um, 1986? nyeh diddy nyeh nyeh :-)

I had to use FTP to get my sodding email from the sodding VAX mainframe to my PC! Pre GUI!!!!!! Think of that!!!

[moniqueleigh]

Woot! We got online about the same time!! ;) There weren't any local connections (other than private BBS's) to me, & my parents weren't about to pay for the long distance charges for anything non-local.

When our college (well, nowadays they're calling themselves a Christian University. Whatever.) got 'net access, we all went a little nuts. Actually, at first, it was pretty much only given to comp-sci majors or comp lab workers (I was actually both at the time). We were given immediate posting access, but the vast majority of us were too overwhelmed by the newness & oo!shiny! of it to post for at least a month or so.

All that to say that I agree. I wish more people would sit back, be quiet, & just read for a bit before going post-happy.