On Oct 31, 2005, go||um wrote:
> I thought you might find this interesting:
>
> -g
Yes a lot of it reminds me of me. I gone thru the feelings of some of what
has been written.
>
> On 29 Oct 2005, Hyt@aol.com (Hyt) wrote:
>> Youre right. Most posters who have been "warned" by him rarely make third
>> appearances...theyre too busy sharing via PGP after he gets through with
>> them.
>> He lures them into his secret corner, scares them with "bad security" horror
>> stories, and theyre never seen again. Happened in several groups over the
>> years. Security is one thing. Paranoia and selfishness is another.
>
> I had some advice to give Cypher so that he could *continue* posting.
> You may not be aware of what can be done to post safely, but
> Cypher can't afford such ignorance.
>
> It's been a week since Cypher posted, so it may be too late for my
> advice anyway.
>
> You have no idea why posters quit posting, so let me clue you in.
>
> I suppose this should actually start with why posters start posting.
> Let me list a few reasons:
>
> 1. They have something to share and they are generous people
> 2. They would like recognition or acceptance
> 3. They want to start a trend - they post and *hope* others post
> 4. They are testing their security - Are they truly anonymous and
> untraceable? (rather daring way to do it)
> 5. They have no clue about what the dangers are, and are just doing
> what they think they see others doing
> 6. They are posting and request (or demand) tit-for-tat. "I'll post
> if others will post equal amounts of the same material or a particular
> set of files" (similar to #3, but more explicit)
> 7. They may feel guilty about seeing others post when they haven't
> been posting
> 8. They may be responding in kind. Someone has posted something they
> like, and they reciprocate.
> 9. They may object to a web site's policies and make the web site's
> pictures available to the world, or they may wish to protest a
> government's laws or policies regarding the material posted.
>
> Quitting posting has even more possible reasons, some of which overlap
> or may coexist. The cessation of posting may be temporary or
> permanent. Some posters just need a break, or get disgusted, and then
> may resume. Others may feel these reasons so deeply that they will
> never post again.
>
> 1. They realize that they are both traceable and insecure
> 2. They run out of material and have no new sources
> 3. They are disappointed that they didn't receive the praise they
> were expecting
> 4. Others did not respond in kind. They suddenly feel alone and
> exposed.
> 5. They were posting up a storm, but found other interests and lost
> the "need" to post
> 6. They get arrested, investigated, or have a close call.
> 7. They become paranoid after some perceived exposure (accidentally
> posting their name, or they find a trojan on their computer, or their
> firewall reports hits from Washington, D.C.)
> 8. The trolls wear them out (being critical of the method of posting,
> material posted, or people with server problems that blame their lousy
> completion on the poster - among other common complaints)
> 9. They find friends that they know will be receptive, uncritical,
> and share their interests and decide to confine themselves to
> "friendly" exchange
> 10. They find a new source that requires time and bandwidth - like
> p2p, BBSs, or image boards
> 11. They lose their internet access and/or computer (by crash, for
> example)
> 12. They have financial or personal problems that cause them to
> abandon their "hobbies."
> 13. They have a crisis of conscience, religous conversion, or see
> something so horrible that affects them so deeply that they cannot
> continue to upload, or perhaps even download, the material.
> 14. Medical conditions arise that prevent them from continuing
> (cancer, drug addiction, stroke, death, etc.)
> 15. After posting for some time, they have an epiphany and think
> their time may be up. "Quit while you're ahead."
> 16. They change jobs or location, and are under more scrutiny.
> Perhaps a poster becomes President of the United States and can't
> afford to risk getting caught.
> 17. They achieved whatever they set out to do (became recognized, got
> the file they had been requesting, satisfied the need to share, etc.)
> and may simply return to lurking.
> 18. They become self-absorbed and selfish, and then exclaim "I've got
> tons of stuff, and it's all mine! You can't have it!" (Yes, this has
> happened - remember PrivateMM?)
> 19. They decide to enter the marketplace and sell what they have over
> the internet (like boyfan - different genre, perhaps but a possible
> motive in any field of collection)
> 20. They get hacked, or download a virus, and all is lost
> 21. Natural disaster, fire, or arrest (for crimes that have nothing
> to do with the material or at least with the internet)
> 22. They receive pressure from a significant other to spend less time
> (or no time) with their computer (even if the significant other is
> unaware of the nature of the hobby)
> 23. They lose interest in the topic (hard to imagine, but possible.
> They may need to have their testosterone levels checked.)
> 24. Someone they know and admire disappears, and they fear that they
> may be the next target
> 25. They are threatened, and take the threats seriously
> 26. They move to an area that doesn't have internet access, or
> doesn't have broadband internet access.
>
> One more thing. When a poster is "forced" to post a certain way, or
> certain material, and begins to feel that posting is only work that
> he/she is obligated to do rather than an enjoyable pasttime, then it
> is simply less appealing. Oh, they may "comply" with the demands of
> the mob for a while, but it soon dissolves into frustration and
> ultimately apathy. Winning the battle does not win the war, and
> fighting is irreconcilable with posting.
>
> Posting is, regardless of the rewards, hard work. It requires
> preparation and there is always some uncertainty: Did I put the right
> nick, right group, right file, right subject header? Moving the file,
> splitting it, putting the
> files into the posting program, selecting the options and then
> deciding to send is anxiety provoking, made worse by the fact that
> there are also security concerns: Did I remember to load the program
> right (and will it post via proxies), are my proxies working, is it a
> honey pot, have I compromised my anonymity with this or other posts,
> have I really covered my tracks well? On top of all that, there is
> some anxiety about how it will be received: Will they like it, will I
> be reported and lose my account?
>
> I've known a lot of posters, and many have confided in me or I have
> heard through others why they stopped posting. I didn't pull these
> "reasons" out of thin air. I have simply written down what I already
> knew from the chit-chat. There may be hundreds of reasons, and I only
> remember (or know of) a few, but if there is anything certain it is
> that there is no single individual responsible for all of the posters
> that have stopped posting over they years. I don't have a hoard of
> posters that I now have absolute control over, and if
> I've given any advice, it has always been how to post safely and avoid
> reasons #1, 6, 7, and 20.
>
> Here's a quote:
>
> "I USED TO POST.... I had things to share... I gave freely... I
> let
> people have what I had... I stopped posting in '97 or '98... I
> quit
> because people discouraged me.... I am now embarassed to admit
> that...
>
> Just like I am embarassed to read all of the hurtful, hateful
> messages
> directed to the people that are GIVING YOU SHIT FOR FREE!!!!
>
> Former poster, now a lurker."
>
> Pretend that you were once a major poster. Now think about why you
> aren't posting now. I'm not stopping you, am I?
>
> Neither is anyone else.
>
> It seems to me that there is a cycle of posting, both for individuals
> and groups. It is a life unto itself, and it comes to an end
> eventually. Carpe
> diem.
>
> Posting on-topic material is dangerous, difficult, strictly voluntary,
> and when it goes unappreciated (or seems that way), the poster has the
> right to reconsider.
>
> Uncertainty alone can cause many to hesitate about posting even when
> they are as anonymous as is currently possible. These people may wish
> to insulate themselves in several layers of protection. Others will
> simply continue to lurk.
>
> How many potential posters haven't posted after they have seen the way
> posters are treated?
>
> We will never know.
>
> Yardbird.
--
Puck NP-f27
Elf at Leisure
|
|