Why don't more skiers use RSN?

My ISP is a HUGE local ISP and oddly they say that I'm almost the only
user of their newsreader service (which they buy from Slurp.net).
I find it very odd that Usenet is used so little by the public.
Offhand it seems like one of the best info resources of the modern era.
Are people really THAT community-phobic or something?

I mean, out of the thousands of Englishspeaking XC buffs we get, what,
a couple dozen crazy regulars who post to RSN. And here we get such
great
answers to questions, good coaching tips, timely race info,
GREAT mpegs of races that no one else in the US will get to see.

So why is RSN used so little?

I remember how excited I got in about, what, 1993 when Usenet took off.
I thought it would be a worldchanging info resource. No more could the
big
stupid media keep out the smart little guy, I thought. Instead, it's
been only
us few weirdos who use this simple, very powerful tool.

And in terms of the Web in general, I've heard that the best place to
hide
a good project is on the Net.

Yet...yet...I saw a newstory yesterday that says 30% of Americans are
daily
users of the Net and part of the "computer elite" or some such term.

--

Jeff Potter
****
*Out Your Backdoor * http://www.outyourbackdoor.com
publisher of outdoor/indoor do-it-yourself culture...
...offering "small world" views on bikes, bows, books, movies...
...rare books on ski, bike, boat culture, plus a Gulf Coast thriller
about smalltown smuggling ... more radical novels coming up!
...original downloadable music ... and articles galore!
plus national "Off the Beaten Path" travel forums! HOLY SMOKES!

Hi Jeff,
I watch 3 ng regularly (sed, rsn, cae); Many more ng cover subjects I'm
interested in but I don't bother with the ng because of all the noise: flame
wars, mostly.

My guess is that of US computer users, less than 1% even know that usenet
exists. Of those that know of usenet, many are reppeled by the ng noise. I
get the impression that many of the people who post on rsn have been using
computers before the big boom of the WWW. I'll bet some here (not me) were
on usenet before GUI OSs.

Personally, I like the low volume of rsn - I can read all of the posts
without spending too much of my day. I've posted questions to hi volume ng
(like alt.home.repair) and have gotten useful responses, but I don't just
read everything because there's just too much. I wouldn't get anything else
done (not that I do anything anyway...)

Bob
who never top-posts anywhere but rsn ;-


"Jeff Potter" wrote in message
.. .
My ISP is a HUGE local ISP and oddly they say that I'm almost the only
user of their newsreader service (which they buy from Slurp.net).
I find it very odd that Usenet is used so little by the public.
Offhand it seems like one of the best info resources of the modern era.
Are people really THAT community-phobic or something?

I mean, out of the thousands of Englishspeaking XC buffs we get, what,
a couple dozen crazy regulars who post to RSN. And here we get such
great
answers to questions, good coaching tips, timely race info,
GREAT mpegs of races that no one else in the US will get to see.

So why is RSN used so little?

I remember how excited I got in about, what, 1993 when Usenet took off.
I thought it would be a worldchanging info resource. No more could the
big
stupid media keep out the smart little guy, I thought. Instead, it's
been only
us few weirdos who use this simple, very powerful tool.

And in terms of the Web in general, I've heard that the best place to
hide
a good project is on the Net.

Yet...yet...I saw a newstory yesterday that says 30% of Americans are
daily
users of the Net and part of the "computer elite" or some such term.

--

Jeff Potter
****
*Out Your Backdoor * http://www.outyourbackdoor.com
publisher of outdoor/indoor do-it-yourself culture...
...offering "small world" views on bikes, bows, books, movies...
...rare books on ski, bike, boat culture, plus a Gulf Coast thriller
about smalltown smuggling ... more radical novels coming up!
...original downloadable music ... and articles galore!
plus national "Off the Beaten Path" travel forums! HOLY SMOKES!

I agree that most web users don't even know about Usenet groups. I go back
to the BBS days and used their forums for the same great question/answer
sessions that the good groups have. Then the BBS's went away and I didn't
know about Usenet (or my ISP didn't have it??). Then I found newsgroups
again and can fulfil my info addiction.
gr
"Jeff Potter" wrote in message
.. .
My ISP is a HUGE local ISP and oddly they say that I'm almost the only
user of their newsreader service (which they buy from Slurp.net).
I find it very odd that Usenet is used so little by the public.
Offhand it seems like one of the best info resources of the modern era.
Are people really THAT community-phobic or something?

I mean, out of the thousands of Englishspeaking XC buffs we get, what,
a couple dozen crazy regulars who post to RSN. And here we get such
great
answers to questions, good coaching tips, timely race info,
GREAT mpegs of races that no one else in the US will get to see.

So why is RSN used so little?

I remember how excited I got in about, what, 1993 when Usenet took off.
I thought it would be a worldchanging info resource. No more could the
big
stupid media keep out the smart little guy, I thought. Instead, it's
been only
us few weirdos who use this simple, very powerful tool.

And in terms of the Web in general, I've heard that the best place to
hide
a good project is on the Net.

Yet...yet...I saw a newstory yesterday that says 30% of Americans are
daily
users of the Net and part of the "computer elite" or some such term.

--

Jeff Potter
****
*Out Your Backdoor * http://www.outyourbackdoor.com
publisher of outdoor/indoor do-it-yourself culture...
...offering "small world" views on bikes, bows, books, movies...
...rare books on ski, bike, boat culture, plus a Gulf Coast thriller
about smalltown smuggling ... more radical novels coming up!
...original downloadable music ... and articles galore!
plus national "Off the Beaten Path" travel forums! HOLY SMOKES!

Are there any Yahoo groups related to XC skiing?

Never looked myself, but there are lots out there for other subjects.

jw
milwaukee
(been watching the Fairbanks web cam ... -15F !)

There are 47 Yahoo groups related to x-c skiing. The only one I have
participated in is xcchicago. It's pretty helpful for N.Illinois, S.
Wisconsin, and S. Michigan. Good place to find out where there is
snow and who is grooming. (I live in New Hampshire now.:-)

Leland

(J999w) wrote in message ...
Are there any Yahoo groups related to XC skiing?

Never looked myself, but there are lots out there for other subjects.

jw
milwaukee
(been watching the Fairbanks web cam ... -15F !)

Yahoo groups related to x-c skiing. The only one I have
participated in is xcchicago. It's pretty helpful for N.Illinois, S.
Wisconsin, and S. Michigan.

Interesting. I'll check that out, but will be posting local condx here first !

We need a FAQ !

jw
milwaukee

On Fri, 28 Nov 2003, Bob wrote:

My guess is that of US computer users, less than 1% even know that usenet
exists. Of those that know of usenet, many are reppeled by the ng noise. I
get the impression that many of the people who post on rsn have been using
computers before the big boom of the WWW. I'll bet some here (not me) were
on usenet before GUI OSs.

Some of us were reading and posting to listservs not only before GUI OSs,
but before usenet. I got into the habit of reading my skiing posts as a
member of the the e-mail list (when mitch was running it out of cornell),
and never have liked using usenet. IF you get me started, I'll bore you
with stories about having to know the best bounce sites to send e-mails to
particular places - and how to compose the "address" to get them there.

-Ken

************************************************** *********
Kenneth Salzberg
Hamline University
School of Law (651) 523-2354
1536 Hewitt Ave.
Sisu Skier - 50K Club St. Paul, MN 55104
************************************************** ****************

On 27 Nov 2003, J999w wrote:

Are there any Yahoo groups related to XC skiing?

Never looked myself, but there are lots out there for other subjects.

There's one called Nordicskiing (imagine that!)

"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nordicskiing/"

There's even less activity on it than RSN !

--

David Dermott , Wolfville Ridge, Nova Scotia, Canada
email:
WWW pages: http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/dermott/

Maybe because you could fit nearly all of the serious,
English-speaking, computer-saavy, nordic skiers in the world into a
small auditorium? Or maybe the gatorade aisle at Safeway?

bt

"sknyski" wrote in message
...
Maybe because you could fit nearly all of the serious,
English-speaking, computer-saavy, nordic skiers in the world into a
small auditorium? Or maybe the gatorade aisle at Safeway?

bt
NOW..... that's funny!!! you mean that all xc skiers aren't techno
philes???

gr