l, not -l wrote:

>
> On 21-Jan-2008, Blinky the Shark > wrote:
>
>> > Perhaps the reason I haven't seen it (or don't recall seeing it) is, I
>> > simply read message from a better class of NNTP users over the years -
>> > those with constructive things to contribute. NO, wait, that can't
>> > be it
>> > - I just read the first post Google has for me. It was in a thread
>> > whose
>> > subject was Sky King and was a discussion of old TV shows - there was
>> > just
>> > as much off-topic discussion then as now; probably not as mean though.
>>
>> So I take it you're *offended* by this kind of horseplay?
>
> You are certainly free to take it anyway you like; however, you have
> missed the point if that is what you got from my post. My point was, I
> am not a newbie, I have been on usenet a long time, and I have
> participated my share of off-topic conversations, but I've not seen much
> "horseplay", as you call it - off-topic conversations, yes; spam, yes;
> obvious trolling, yes. If you think I was offended, perhaps you missed
> the tongue-in-cheek manner intended for the first sentence; "NO, wait,
> that can't be..." was intended to signal that what preceeded was not
> completely serious.

I've pretty much interpreted your responses here - especially the one
about something like "lower-class posters" - as whiny responses to having
fallen for the setup instead of simply having a laugh like the others and
moving on.

> In the year or so prior to 1996, I used usenet at work, for very
> specific work reasons, in technical newgroups where I never saw
> "horseplay" or spam, and seldom saw off-topic conversations - just
> people exchanging work-related information in a serious and sober
> manner. When I later (1996 onward) begain personal use, I mostly used
> the Pen&Pencils group and the food/drink/baking related groups; most of
> which have been relatively lacking in "horseplay"; certainly there has
> been grouchy/foul-mouthed respondents offered valuable info in their
> "quaint" manner, trolling idiots come-and-go, killfiles take care of the
> lunatics (MI5, etc), SPAM shows up but with somewhat tolerable frequency
> when managed with good filtering, vicious attacks on individuals has
> certainly increased, but "horseplay" - not so much (or, I didn't
> recognize it as such).

I hope you're not as stiff and humorless in real life as you are here.

--
Blinky
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org
Blinky: http://blinkynet.net