Re: thank you

Colin Douthwaite wrote:
> 
> Lianne <emi...@columbus.rr.com> wrote:
> >Colin,
> 
> >     I have come out of lurk mode to try to make a point.  One of the 
> > greatest things about the Internet is its great diversity.  That 
> > includes age.  The Internet has provided a great place to get 
> > information from, and many kids log on every day to get information 
> > for homework or to chat with their friends. Newsgroups are another 
> > one of the great things that comes with the Internet. They provide a 
> > chance to share things with other people across the world and to
> > get the opinions and ideas from them.  If you do not like listening 
> > to what the kids have to say, then maybe you should be the one to 
> >go, not the kids.
> 
> But you completely miss the major points of Net use and newsgroup
> usage:
> 
> 1) The Internet _is_ used by kids but they need to be supervised in
>    its use by parents/guardians and teachers/tutors. 

Just like everything else kids do.  The Internet isn't exceptional in
this regard.  If a parent can trust their kid with, (for example) cable
television, that's their prerogative.  And if they feel they are mature
enough for the Internet, they have that right as well.

> 2) There is a K12 hierarchy of newsgroups specifically for schools
>    to help children of school age to learn to use the Net under
>    teacher supervision and training.

So where do K-12 kids go after learning to use the Net?

> 3) With the exception of those K12 groups ALL Usenet newsgroups are
>    for ADULTS and _not_ children.

'Children' is a subjective term, unless you are an ageist.  (And the
Internet is no place for ageism.)
 
>    Most contain material, language and discussion unsuitable for
>    children and often incomprehensible to them so there is no way
>    that children can interact adequately in such discussions.

So they will interact adequately in discussions where the material,
language and discussion are suitable and/or comprehensible to them,
won't they?  Like our home alt.games.creatures. :)
 
>    You should see what some of the mischievous, uncontrolled and
>    unsupervised kids have done in and to many Usenet newsgroups...but
>    not in "alt.ascii-art" where we have been relatively fortunate.

What a kid can do on Usenet is nothing compared to what an adult with
the same amount of net.knowledge can do.  Perhaps you've heard of these
people.  Perhaps you haven't.  (Try alt.usenet.kooks, IIRC, for a
discussion of them, or perhaps news.admin.net-abuse.usenet...)
 
>    The real problem is that alt.ascii-art comes early in the list of
>    some 30,000 available newsgroups and kids see "funny pictures"
>    instead of endless slabs of words they cannot even understand.
>    So kids think " Oh goody goody...I can draw funny pictures...aha
>    this must be a "Kids newsgroup"
>    WRONG!  It is an adults newsgroup like all the rest which have
>    no pictures only text and discussions.

That is very strange.  I've never seen a kid talk like that after they
turn five years old.  My little sister couldn't even read or write at
that age, how could she wreak havoc on the Net, then, or have it wreak
havoc on her?

(She is older now... in high school.)  

[snip] 
> > If you do not like listening to what the kids have to say, then
> > maybe you should be the one to go, not the kids.
> 
> Bzzzt!  Wrong again.  This is NOT a newsgroup for kids...it never
> has been. The time to get into Usenet newsgroups is at University.

So?  University is not an age, it is a place.  I was a kid when I
started University and I still am now, (a measly one year later.)

> Many university students get a Net account whilst they are studying
> there.

So?  What if they get their Net account earlier?  Our university gave
free, *full* access to all students in elementary and high school.

[snip] 
> Also kids are welcome on most local BBSs ( Bulletin Boards ) where
> the Sysops ( Administrators ) who privately own the BBSs, strictly
> control what gets posted in them and anyone posting objectionable
> material or language get stopped from using the BBS. They are have
> strict controls because they know that many the BBS users are
> children. 

Not around here anyway!  When I was on BBSs, way before I got Internet,
every single BBS sysop I met was surprised I was online at my age.
 
> As far as me being the one to go elsewher. I will say this it once
> again... but shouting this time..." THIS IS AN ADULTS NEWSGROUP ".

There's that ageism again!  'Adult' is a frame of mind, not an age,
*especially* when you're in a place like the Internet where you can be
any age you tell people you are!  (Same thing for 'kid'.)
 
> I have been here in alt.ascii-art since it was created in September
> 1998 and I am not going away.

??? I'll assume that date is a typo.
 
> Nope...on the contrary, if kids come in to alt.ascii-art and do or
> say things I do not enjoy I will very likely to tell them about it
> and in no uncertain words.

But otherwise, you won't say anything.  In most cases, you won't even
*know* they are kids until they tell you.
 
> Please understand that Net users have no obligation whatever to
> educate newcomers to the Net or to the adult newsgroups. Any help
> and advice people may choose to give is entirely unpaid and voluntary.
> It's cost is what you pay for it...nothing!

It sounds like you are supporting the Endless September.  :;shudder;:
 
> There are many hundreds of FAQ ( Frequently Asked Questions)
> documents and advisory articles posted regularly every month in the
> "news.announce.newusers"  and the "news.answers" newsgroups and
> newcomers should spend some months studying them.

Been there, done that, I've helped *write* FAQs.
 
> Most of this discussion is actually off-topic for this newsgroup,
> "alt.ascii-art", and would probably be better in "misc.kids".

Nope, misc.kids isn't in the k12.* hierarchy, and you don't want us
there.

				--Muke!
				(Amazingly, 4000 posts to
				USENET in one year)
-- 
It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal the 
neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

http://mc11a.southern.edu/  ICQ:1936556  mailto:rea...@bigfoot.com
http://welcome.to/alt.binaries.games.creatures -Visit the abgc archive!

Related ASCII art in the Gallery

Explore these categories from our collection of 11,000+ artworks:

     /| __________
O|==|* >__________>
     \|

(    )
|\^^/|
(0::0)
 \\// 
 (oo) 
/ \/ \

(\  _  /)
( \( )/ )
(       )
 `>   <' 
 /     \ 
 `-._.-' 

(‘-‘)

   _
 _(_)_
(_)@(_)
  (_)\
     |
    \|/
  \\\|//jgs
^^^^^^^^^^^

    \\__  o
|\/    o\  o
>       < o
|/\   __/
    //

Make your own ASCII art

Turn images, text or 3D into ASCII, or draw your own – right in your browser.