Free Expression and the Internet

It has been said that the ONLY way to tell the truth is anonymously or
posthumously. I think it's true.

If you're tired of website forums that censor, delete , ban for selfish reasons,
which is most ALL of them,you might want to try the USENET. The usenet is one of
the few places left on the www where it's extremely difficult to censor or
prohibit allowing a poster his or her say. One of the founding principles of the internet
was the free exchange of information. Unfortunately, many people think just because they
have a successful webpage that they can dictate what is put out into cyberspace. They do
this because their primary interest is in making money and/or beating their own chests,
not in telling the truth or free expression of ideas.

A good place to start is a site called newzbot , you can google it, it's a good intro
to newsgroups in which discussions take place over thousands upon thousands of newsgroups.
But this is just one of many sites on the usenet. The usenet is NOT a webpage, but represents
the interests of the www in total without beholding to any group of individuals or any business.

For one example you have soc.culture.filipino, which is frequently filled with flame posts
but occasionally keeps good info on the Philippines. rec.travel.asia covers travel topic
throughout asia. Whatever your interests you will find a newsgroup on the usenet to satisfy
them. There is a slight learning curve to using the usenet, but really quite easy and you're
up and running in no time. You do not even need a newsreader but it's much better if you have
a newsreader client program and there are many free ones available for download.
To access a newsgroup directly from your browser (windows) you can type in the address
bar as one example: news://soc.culture.filipino

You can also post anonymously to the usenet using one of the remailer networks and specialized
software that makes it impossible, even for governments (if you know how to do it) to trace and
identify you. Whatever posting is buried deep in your brain that you are wanting to get out,
you can do it without fear of some two-bit self-appointed netcop from stopping you.

 

Perhaps longtymer, we should just go back to ARCANET. This is the first computer based information sharing system. Of course, I don't think many people would use it since you would have to type approx 200 characters just for the word "Hi" to show up on someone else's screen. To post anything meaningful, you better have a fairly good grasp or HTML as well as TCPIP protocols.

The bottom line in life, as well as the internet is that their is no such thing as a free lunch. You want to post on someone else's website, follow their rules or get out. Everything is owned by someone, even if it is yourself, and I would bet any amount of money that if you owned a website and someone came on it and started posting things you thought were either untrue or something you disagreed with, you would shut them down. One way or the other.

Usenet is a fabulous system, albeit slow and cumbersome to find information...not much browsing there...a detailed search is required to find anything specific. However, basically, USENET is used by academia mostly, to publish papers and create discussion that doesn't have to be immediately responded to. It is more of a BBS (Bulletin Board Service) than a forum

 

Sometimes moderation sucks and is a bit biased. However the alternative these days is places filled with spam and trash that just overwhelms and pisses off real members who take off to go somewhere else. So many trashed yahoo groups, and various other once decent forums out their that lacked moderation now filled with ad spam, sex spam, trash talk, hate talk, and just crap we really don't want to deal with. All the old members are long gone, where you think they go? They want reasonable moderation and rules, we crave such things.

 

Personally, I feel if it I am too ashamed to put my name on it, I should be ashamed to even think about posting it. Call it a form of self moderation. Without moderation and moderators, most forums quickly become something few of us would want to read anyway.

Larry

 

Try Reddit, its really free compared to many forums and such and the speed and amount of information/discussions is depending what subreddits you subscribe to.

Reddit, the front page of the Internet

 

Anyone have even the slightest idea, what the problem is here? I thought this was a family orientated Forum about Dumaguete, our Adoptive home and home to our Local loved ones, What is going on here?

 

Usenet is NOTHING like you describe.

The usenet is nothing like "ARCANET" and what you're describing above and you're wrong because it is relatively easy to use. You don't have to know html or even TCP/IP. I suspect you're just trying to flame me because you don't like what I posted. Either that or you don't know much about the usenet. Maybe it's the later since the usenet is not slow like you claim, not used primarily by academia (it used to be 20 yrs ago), nor is it difficult to search, in fact it's quite easy.

But knowing TCP/IP helps you in many ways, and can keep others from interfering in you internet activities, blocking you. If you're in a Country where the government engages in political suppression at the point of a gun, knowing tcp/ip and html is critical if you want to express you opinions without retribution.

All websites use the same public funded backbones to access the net. Unless they are engaged in something illegal or in excessive spamming they do this without censorship or interference. Not so with each little website. Spamming is wrong as are other things such as child porn and cracking and should be stopped. But I am not talking about that in my original post. I am speaking of people who think they own the internet, accept valuable input from forum members and then abuse them. Abuse them by flaming them and then deleting their posts, banning them when they defend themselves. Moderators who delete accounts because they are afraid some advertiser will take offense. It's not a question of wanting a free lunch. This site is already getting a free lunch to a large extent simply by using the same internet facilities that we all share. That is another founding principle of the internet that is frequently forgotten-the FREE exchange of information.

This is why I simply gave people here an alternative that they might not know about or wrongly assume that it's too difficult to use, which it's not. An alternative where they cannot be banned, cannot be censored and can even deny little dictators the pleasure of retaliating against them by learning their email address, details of their private lives, etc. The information that is posted on the usenet is picked up by Google and is searchable by google unless you designate not to be, so it hits the entire internet. The nice thing about the internet is that it impossible to block or withold the truth.

Now Larry let me ask you. Do you have any ownership or special privileges on this site? Such as ability to delete posts, ban members, etc. If so, what are your personal rules,if you have any, about doing such things? Do you have more than one id here?

 

No, I have nothing to do with the administration of this website. So, as a unpaid, non sponsoring member of this website, as with all members of the same status, I am bound by the TOS or rules or those in Admin/Mod/Owner positions. Whether I like them or not has nothing to do with it. I am using a website owned by another person without paying for the service/privilege. My personal opinion is this. Using a website not owned by me is like entering a home not owned by me. Respect my host, don't insult the host or their family or other guests, don't damage their credibility, enjoy their hospitality and return the favor by interacting with their other guests in a kind and respectful manner.

You sir, have come to this website, insulted the other guests, disrespected the owners/admins/mods, claimed privileges you do not have and generally acted in a rude and disrespectful manner to all that you have encountered here. If this is your normal modus, why are you even here? Do you get a kick out of being the obnoxious kids on the block? I try to be kind and respectful to all that I meet, but it is for me, and I suspect others here, becoming increasing difficult to do that when it comes to you and your blather.

So, following my own rules of being respectful to all the guests in my host home or leave, I shall now depart from this thread with my apologies to my host for any boundaries I may have crossed while a guest in his home.

 

Sorry we are going to have to agree to disagree. "owning" a website does not give you the right to arbitrarily ban people, delete their posts, flame them for no reason, etc. It's not their "living room", it's the public internet.

As for the rest of your remarks they are so exaggerated as to be delusional. Sorry if you got your tootsies burned but you asked for it when you talk about things you obviously know nothing about.

 

Since when has the internet been "the Public Internet"? It hasn't been that in many years mainly after it went from a place for geeks to taking in everyone else in the world including a lot of trash.

Your argument as "Public Internet" is just the same as I should be able to walk into your house whenever I want and do whatever I want, and then YOU accomodate me. Why? Because the world doesn't belong to you and you do not own the earth or the land. It belongs to everyone who has lived on it, living on it, or will live on it.

However the truth is when YOU own something YOU have a right to decide how it is ran, who's allowed in or not, what happens inside, and so forth. Same thing for any website. Its no different then having your own house and your wanting your house to be ran how you want it.

Now yes the internet offers the ability of free exchange of information and ideas. But that doesn't mean just anywhere. You find a place suitable for that and take it their, if their isn't then you create one. If others agree or want what your offering they will go, if not then they won't.

Lastly I'll mention I've been on the internet longer then most while some longer then me sure. But what I say rings true for the old net cowboys just as it still does today. There have been moderators around as long as their has been an internet and some of the biggest old school geeks who helped create the internet were some of the toughest moderators as they didn't want trash filling it up.

Lets wrap this topic up. Nuff said cheers