OT: Number of RCTN messages in 2006.

snipped-for-privacy@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (F.James Cripwell),in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with

Perhaps I have died and gone to hell or something. Jan 2007 ? Last time I looked I was alive in 2006.

Just shows that people are spending more time shopping for and working on more projects and spending less time on the computer. It certainly doesn't mean that they are all talked out.

"Mike & Joan O'Brien" ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with

You're in NS ! Have a great 2007.

Ignoring the 2007 figure :), one of the factors could be that several internet providers have dropped usenet so that to get to newgroups is more difficult. Sympatico dropped usenet/newsgroups so my alternates were few. Luckily one of the posters on another newsgroup is involved with a small system,and was able to provide me with an account. Otherwise I would have had to post through Google, and I hate that. My messages still originate in my sympatico e-mail, but go elsewhere to be posted.

MargW

F.James Cripwell said

Two thinks strike me about this analysis.

Thing 1: It's probably a mere coincidence that the number of messages began to drop when I started posting.

Thing 2: The O(ff)T posts may have outnumbered the O(n)T posts.

That's an excellent point. I used google while I was in the UK and absolutely hated it, it was so hard to tell whether the post had actually gone or not. No wonder you often see doubles from people using google.

There are a couple of paying places like news.individual.net (which used to be free) that charge a nominal price per year that are worth investigating.

Didn`t you know that he`s psychic???

Pat

True. AOL, which is the largest ISP, dropped Usenet and I know of several people who decided it was too much hassle to first download Netscape, then sign up with news.individual.net, then go through the extra step of downloading messages (which used to be done with the same click as downloading e-mail via AutoAOL).

And then there's the Life Gets In The Way issue -- I've had a couple people leave my e-groups because they have acquired responsibility for elderly parents that takes all their free time.

That's who I use now and through them, Netscape -- somehow. Thanks to The Karen, I managed to wade my way through all of the hoops required to get the whole thing set up. Once that was done, all I have to do is click on my Netscape Icon and then click on newsgroups and I am here. It's not really very much money but it was an absolutely B*TCH for MOI to set the whole thing up seeing as how I am NOT fond of setting stuff like this up on the 'puter :-)! CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

Marg: it took me a few moments to understand what Jim is doing. *By* January 2007, the total for the year was ---. He's not forcasting. By January 2007, the total for 2006 was 21,200.

You don't need Google to get posts. I agree that Usenet has been dropped and it's not easy to find newsgroups. But many are alive and well. I'm on a few others that leave RCTN in the dust (over 300/day). It's just that most people equate Internet with "free" and so aren't willing to get newsgroups (or are unaware its possible) for a small fee through the German feed: news.individual.net I think it's $14/year. Haven't had to renew my subscription, yet.

Google is awful. Same reason I hate Yahoo Groups and can't, for the life of me, understand how they became so popular except that, once again, they are free and easy to find. But in spite of the numbers of groups, many are languishing.

Dianne

MargW wrote:

Dianne Lewandowski ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with

I think we all knew that really...

I repeatedly hear people saying how much they like 'forums' which seem to be run by individuals, are posted by thread and are really, as far as I can see written chat rooms. I haven't seen one yet that was as good as usenet, there must be something to usenet that it has lasted all these years.

Amen and pass the ammunition.

Actually, private forums are sensible and similar to Usenet. What isn't easy to navigate are the Yahoo and Delphi type forums which either bombard you with email or are difficult to follow in thread form.

Dianne

Have you ever read one that was interesting and sensible though ? The ones I have looked at are stupid. Most of the posters were very young and to say that it was moderated, was a joke.

While local usenet groups can get rough, there are discussions by us older people, political or general that are interesting. It is easy to set it to killfile the idiots and I much prefer it.

There used to be a person here - but no longer - who answered every single post that came through, no matter what -- I am not kidding. Often with nothing more than "oh" or "OK".

Since they no longer post, that makes a HUGE difference in the numbers. It was also one of the reasons I left for a couple of years - it got to be so freaking annoying. You didn't want to killfile them because sometimes they posted stuff that was new or interesting to me, but then there were the thousands of posts a month that said nothing to anyone.

There was also another poster who just treated everyone else like complete crap - they assumed they were the only stitcher in the world who knew anything at all - even the basics, and made a point of pointing it out often. Luckily, they only post here sporadically now.

Hee-hee - no names - no packdrill! ;-))

Pat

They may only require a "small fee" but when I emailed several about the possiblity of sending a check/money order since we have no credit cards at the moment, I received either no answer at all, or negative answers saying that it was either credit card number or nothing. If it is that hard to get their attention BEFORE I send them money, how hard would it have been once they already had my money? I gave up and now use Google. I admit that it's not a huge pain in the neck, but takes enough longer that I no longer reply to many posts that I previously would have. Liz from Humbug

Seconded. I belong to two NE stitcher's groups. Never made the connection to anyone like I have the folks here.