Hello Terry,

 TR> Why Fidonet?
 TR> With all the Media attention the Internet has garnered in the last few
 TR> years, and thousands of super slick Web Sites at your fingertips, what
 TR> earthly reason is there to join Fidonet?

 TR> It's FREE!

Everything ought to be free!

 TR> Fidonet is FREE to join and you can stick around forever at no cost!

There is always a cost.  That cost is our time.  To do with what
we will.  The most precious commodity we can ever have.  Once it
is gone, we can never get it back.

DD>Fidonet is not Internet Social Media. Each of those entire sites
DD>is managed by one entity. Fidonet is NOT an entity - it is a
DD>technical agreement by a bunch of individuals. We are all omnipotent
DD> - on our own systems only. You are free to implement a "no trolls"
DD>edict on YOUR system. You don't have that power on any others.

Anybody want to disagree?

 TR> Some Nets ...

I do not care about "some nets" or "other nets".  This is Fidonet.

[..]

 TR> NETMAIL!

Every sysop should make netmail available for everyone who uses
his/her system, not reserving such use solely for himself/herself.
A technical agreement by a "bunch of individuals" is meant to be
shared, not hogged by any one person or small group of people.

[..]

 TR> There are 2 kinds of Fidonet Netmail:
 TR> DIRECT - Mailer to Mailer call. Provides ultimate security where no one
can
 TR> intercept transmissions!
 TR> ROUTED - Alternative to Direct, where messages piggyback from one system
in
 TR> the Fidonet chain of command, (generally, node, Net, Region, Zone
 TR> Coordinator, etc.) to another.

All different flavors of netmail should be made accessible to everyone.

 TR> It's SECURE!

Only as secure as a sysop wants it to be is not good enough.
The standard has to be the highest for all, not just for some
or even for most.

[..]

 TR> It's MODERATED!

Fidonet is never moderated, as such a term would be a contradiction.

 TR> The conference areas on Fidonet have individuals who preside over them,
 TR> called Moderators, and their "job" is to oversee echo mail discussion and
 TR> topicality.

There are no "moderators" in Fidonet, since messages posted are
not prescreened by anybody.

 TR> If your interest is Windows 95, and you join this conference on Fidonet,
 TR> rest assured, the messages will be generally polite, helpful, on-topic and
 TR> spam-free.

"I believe in absolute freedom of expression. Everyone has a right
to offend and be offended." ~Taslima Nasrin

Messages in Fidonet are like a box of chocolates.  You never know
what you will find inside until you take a bite.

So why not be brave?  Take a chance on what you might find?  What
a boring life you would have if you never even bother to taste the
forbidden fruit ...

 TR> Spam, which often overtakes many of the Internet newgroups, is strictly
 TR> forbidden in Fidonet echos.

SPAM (the other white meat) is the most popular food in Minnesota.
And also makes for great taglines.

 TR> It's CONTENT!

Scrumptiously delicious!

Especially when made into a jambalaya!

 TR> You've heard the adage, "Quality versus Quantity," and few examples ring
 TR> more true than the content contained within the Fidonet Network.

That is true.  Roy Witt was king of the FLAME echoes.  We need
more of them to make this network alive again.  Unfortunately, he
has retired from the field (although there are several rumors he
may return).

 TR> Even newbie users are indoctrinated with the requisite "Netiquette"
 TR> techniques so that their initial forays into messaging on Fidonet are
 TR> positive ones.

"You should live hoping you are going to offend people, because then
you're doing something." ~Marti Noxon

 TR> And they stick around because of the high quality content of the message
 TR> areas. The knowledge base is formidable and readily available for those
who
 TR> ask.

Oh, how I wish Roy Witt was still around.  Just think what kind
of Fidonet this would be with Roy Witt in charge of the school that
teaches those newcomers.  You would never recognize the place ...

 TR> It's COMMUNITY!

A community of what?  That is the question.

 TR> Unlike the Internet, Fidonet is not a free-for-all where individuals
wander
 TR> around, unguided, in a vast expanse. It's a Global Community, comprised of
 TR> bigger and smaller subdivisions, where members join together and regularly
 TR> assist one another across the street and around the world.

Read "Breakpoint", by Jeff Stibel.  This is a work of non-fiction,
the author showing quite clearly why the web will implode.  So please,
do not blame me.  This is something that is doomed to failure.

Fidonet is a horse of an entirely different color.
Which is why I am here.
That's right.
It is my stated reason for being.
I am here to save Fidonet from itself.

The problem with Fidonet is that sysops forgot what Fidonet is and
what Fidonet was supposed to be.  You see, Fidonet was created by a
screwed up screwball.  With a wee bit of help from other screwed up
screwballs.  I mean, these screwed up screwballs were so screwed up
they only had one echo in mind for all of Fidonet.  With no rules
for any of those screwed up screwballs to abide by.  They did not
even bother to name the echo, so it quickly developed a name of its
own, known as FLAME.  This is the echo where Roy Witt and his kind
was born.

Today there is not a single FLAME echo to be found anywhere in
Fidonet. Not a single one.  Which explains why so many former
Fidonetters are now playing on YouTube.  Much easier to use a phone
to go live on camera and shout it to the world rather than bang on
a keyboard something that most folks would be too lazy to read ...

--Lee

-- 
Big Or Small We Lay Them All

--- MesNews/1.08.05.00-gb