Hey, have you driven on the Information Superhighway??

[Mazer]

Just a few things I've been curious about:

1) When did you first begin to use the Internet?
2) How did you learn to navigate it?
3) Did you learn about "netiquette"?
4) What did you like most about it?

I'm asking these things because as many of you are aware, I can't stand to see people who don't bother to put any thought into the posts they make. "u" vs "you" and all that jazz. Yeah, I've bitched about it before, but now I'm on a scientific mission. What causes people to act like retards when finger meets keyboard?

As for me,
1) I started using the 'net when I was about 11.
2) I learned mostly on my own. There are only so many things I knew how to do wrong so I got the hang of things shortly.
3) Not initially. Internet + Anonymity = Asshole; before too long I found myself at a Star Trek message board where I proceeded to point out how awesome Star Wars is, and the fact that Star Trek fans are retards. I grew out of it quickly.
4) I thought Java games were the shit. I also spent a ridiculous amount of time discovering worthless facts like the length of a Y-Wing, what "TIE" in TIE Figher stands for, and the name of that Ewok who befriended R2D2 in ROTJ ("Wicket"). Eventually Episode I came out and I deleted everything I had about Star Wars, then started learning about Blender.

I resisted things like not capitalizing and not using punctuation for a long time, but there was a period where I gave up on it. And I never used obscure characters in an MSN username.

Edit by Clayton: Just to add a little something, this is actually a serious thread, despite it being in offtopic. Please don't come in here just to spout your nonsensical shit, or your post will be deleted, and you will lose bits.
Edit by Delos: Clayton...freakman...whatever you call yourself these days. Your skill at BB is lacking!

[PaulButler]

1. The first time I remember using the internet was when I was 8, in a computer summer-camp. I think I had used it before then though. I began to use it at home around the same time as well.

2. Trial and error, mostly

3. I probably did some stupid things, but I was too young to remember. After a while I kinda got the hang of netiquette. These days I will lurk a lot at a community and observe the "customs" before jumping in and contributing.

4. I first started sharing code snippets on planet source code when I was 10 or 11, and I was thrilled by the fact that people actually made use of code that I had written. It was also cool that I could contribute despite my age, which I did not reveal but my bad spelling probably gave it away.

Although I did for the most part stick to proper punctuation as best I could, and I also have refrained from obscure MSN nickname characters, I have to admit to forwarding a few chain letters back in the day, but 7 years of bad luck were on the line so it wasn't like I could just break the chain .

[Clayton]

1) When did you first begin to use the Internet?
2) How did you learn to navigate it?
3) Did you learn about "netiquette"?
4) What did you like most about it?

1) I first began using the internet around the age of 6 or 7 give or take. This is way back in the day when dial-up was all the rage, yikes. I then stopped due to moving out to the country and having a shit computer, and having high speed come into play by now, we (my parents) just felt it wasn't necessary to have the internet at all. Then we moved back into town January before last, and I've been using the internet since.

2) Pretty much by myself. Trial and error proved useful. My first attempt at an "e-mail" was atrocious, but I learned in the end. My parents are now in this stage, though they have yet to learn the wonders of hotkeys.

3) I've never been a fan of placing numbers as letters, or stupid abbreviations. I had never learned what "lol" meant until early Grade 9, and was completely confused during my first forte into an internet game since the first flash games when I encountered "1337" speak. I've pretty much usually preferred proper punctuation and spelling over 'u' for you, and 'r' for our/are. I did have a small period though where I did use short forms, but quickly grew out of it, especially when I found out the communities I was part of did not support it.

4) What I like(d) most about the internet is that it is a huge resource of information. Sure it's clogged full to the gills of useless shit, but there is good stuff out there as well. I've also been able to keep track of old friends that I never would have talked to otherwise. I've also met some really cool people, and have gotten to meet them in person.

[Dan]

1) When did you first begin to use the Internet?
When i was about 7ish. I whould use the computer at my fathers work witch had it (enverment canada). This was befor many peoleop had home internet and they where still puting phones auctaly on the modem in some places. Odd this is also when i started to learn about programing.

2) How did you learn to navigate it?
Trial and error, tho the websites where nothing like they are today. Most where quite simple and used horable desing with crazy background colors and trying to push every html tag they could in it (witch was not alot back then). Also there was no google or firefox, so finding things was not as nice but there where sreach engions around. I still have a big book called somthing like the inertnet directery that tryed to list most of the revent sites. It was pirity big and a pain to use.

3) Did you learn about "netiquette"?
The main intractive things i used back there where IRC (mostly gaming irc rooms), e-mail and e-mail lists. It is hard to say what i learned exctaly becues i whould like to allways think that i blived you should treat peoleop in real life like you do online (you don't ushely go yelling n00b at stragers in real life, why do it online?).

4) What did you like most about it?
I liked being able to talk to poeleop with out basies that socity noramly puts on poeleop like race, relgiogn, looks, ect. On the internet, even one could be who they whonted to be and you could not jugge peoleop by how they looked but only on what they side. Oddly bad spelling did not seem to matter as much then as it dose now.

Also it got me started on programing, and making web sites. I started in qbasics and making lame html only sites. I also liked the online gaming and clan thing. Back then online gaming was not like it is now, and almost every one seemed very nice, even the peoleop you where playing agisted and on other teams. For most of the clans i was in i eventauly took over or at least took over there website and this is where i learned alot of admining skills.

There where great times to be had, esptaly in moding games. At least for the games i played the moding comunity was realy frenedly and there where alot of fun disctuion lists about how to mod tribes servers, make maps and lots of fun stuff.

Quote:

I'm asking these things because as many of you are aware, I can't stand to see people who don't bother to put any thought into the posts they make. "u" vs "you" and all that jazz. Yeah, I've bitched about it before, but now I'm on a scientific mission. What causes people to act like retards when finger meets keyboard?

I think i might be the statical aynomanly in your study, since i do use "u" some times and other short forums, esptaly when text messaging.

[BenLi]

1) When did you first begin to use the Internet?
2) How did you learn to navigate it?
3) Did you learn about "netiquette"?
4) What did you like most about it?

1) Easy answer. I started using the internet when I came to North America, in 1998 I believe?

2) Mostly by myself.

3) For a good portion of my experience with the internet, I merely used it as a resource rather than contribute or communication, ie. on forums or MSN. I saw more or less how people conducted themselves on the net and followed likewise. I have, like many others, stayed away from internet lingo...

4) Its an instant and infinite (sorry Mr. White, infinite is not a number...) wealth of information.

[CodeMonkey2000]

1) When did you first begin to use the Internet?
When I was like 7 or 8. Back in India, where we had really shitty computers. We were the only people on the street with a computer, let alone internet.

2) How did you learn to navigate it?
I was just playing around with it, seeing all the fancy things I can do, and all the useless information I could gather

3)How did you learn about "netiquette"?
You know what? I don't remember :S Definitely not by MSN, I always thought it was a waste of time.

4) What did you like most about it?
Pr0n of course!

[octopi]

1) 1997
2) I was just messing around, I think there was some shitty search engine but I can't remember the name of.
3)I never really needed to, I tried not to flame people, and I always try to spell correctly.

4) I remember I had this magazine that taught how to make html pages, that was probably my favourite part, I also liked it because there was stuff to do to keep me busy, however nowadays there isn't much to do on here, I just come check compsci, moola, my email then I'm gone. I only program at work now, never for myself/fun.

[Bobrobyn]

1) When did you first begin to use the Internet?

I honestly can't remember. The first time I used a computer, I was in grade 4, so around 9 years old. I remember hearing about the big old scarey internet sometime before the end of grade 6, but I didn't know anything about it. All I knew was that you could communicate with people around the world via "chat rooms" through text, and that you could damage your computer with big bad viruses. I got my first computer either in grade 6, or grade 7. A while after that, my dad got the internet. The first website, other then the homepage, that I went to, was www.ytv.ca . I had seen it on tv so many times, I had to try going to it. So I guess I was around 13 when I first started using the internet.

2) How did you learn to navigate it?

I honestly can't remember. A lot of it was a combination of trial and error, and "hearing" about things such as "email" or "chat rooms" that I wanted to try. I didn't have my first email address until grade 8! I just used whatever search engines I knew of and tried to find the things I wanted to try. I didn't spend a lot of time on it until after I figured everything out.

3) Did you learn about "netiquette"?

Fortunately, yes, I did. The chat room site I found had a list of rules, and just general guidelines. It's also where I first learned what "lol" AND ALL CAPS meant. However, I did learn bad habits, which I had to get rid of later. "How r u ppl doin 2day?" as a sad example.

4) What did you like most about it?

It was new? I really don't know. I thought it was cool that you could talk to people from other countries, for free. Other than that, I had to use it for school. I didn't know about programming, and I never really thought of making websites back then. I just kind of used the internet like everyone else. Actually, because it took me so long to get a computer and to get the internet, I was behind the other kids -- at least, I was behind a lot of them. Of course now it's a different story. I have people in university offering to pay me to do their computer-class assignments

"Computers are useful. Computers are good." -- From a speech I made in grade 4, about computers. I really knew nothing about them, but somehow filled 2-5 mins. with babble. I suppose I would have done a similiar speech about the internet if I was introduced to it at that time.

[Geminias]

Quote:

I'm asking these things because as many of you are aware, I can't stand to see people who don't bother to put any thought into the posts they make. "u" vs "you" and all that jazz. Yeah, I've bitched about it before, but now I'm on a scientific mission. What causes people to act like retards when finger meets keyboard?

Are you sure you're not just a monomaniacal creep with an oversized alpha gene?

Maybe ur just a complainer for the sake of complaining.

In the first sentence I used the contraction "you're" and in the second sentence I used the non-standard contraction "ur". If you found one of these sentences harder to understand than the other than your a minority when it comes to such things.

Language was invented to convey meanings, if a symbol such as ur satisfies this purpose, which I proved it does (for the majority) than it is a valid textual representation of an idea.

Why "ur" over "you're"? Suffice it to say, "ur" is quicker. Just be sure not to use either form in a formal writing as contractions are outlawed in such a scenario as a matter of etiquette.

As far as the misuse of capitals and periods go, however... I'd say it's ill advised, as this dramatically reduces clarity.

[md]

Mazer @ 2007-06-06, 5:38 pm wrote:

Just a few things I've been curious about:

1) When did you first begin to use the Internet?
2) How did you learn to navigate it?
3) Did you learn about "netiquette"?
4) What did you like most about it?

1) When I was 4 I had an email account (actually with Revenue Canada!), but I didn't really start using the internet until I was 5 or 6 ( Compuserve ftw!). I didn't use it for anything useful until we got high speed which wasn't until I was in grade 7 methinks.

2) trial and error; but I got the hang of it real quick. Finding things since teh advent of google has been a lot easier.

3) You mean not acting like an asshat? I was using the internet before there was anyone asshat-ey online, so I either learned really quick; or I never had that problem.

4) Did? Newsgroups. Newsgroups are WAY better then forums, and if forums went the way of the Dodo I would not be sad at all. I learned many a thing by asking questions in newsgroups! Now? Bittorrent, and news. Bittorrent is self explanatory (at least to anyone who spends time in IRC...), news because it's much easier to get a wide variety of opinions and read news from multiple sources.

[rdrake]

Geminias @ Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:30 am wrote:

Why "ur" over "you're"? Suffice it to say, "ur" is quicker.

If one wishes for somebody to spend some of their time helping that person, then that person can spend a little extra time using real words.

[rizzix]

That does not mean `ur` is not a real word.

If you study a bit of linguistics, you'll know that it *is* in fact a real word.

`ur` is simply not recognized as a proper English word as prescribed by English dictionaries.

[Dan]

Also english is not realy what is in dictionaries but what is aucataly used by the peoleop. Just like how we have writen english and spoken english i think we are starting to see an online english.

I whould never use things like LOL, UR or the such in spoken or writen english however i think it is allright to use as an online english. Just like how you don't talk like you do in english easys you don't type online in an informal way like you whould in english easys.

Some say that thess short froms are desotrying the langue, however i disagrea. I think they are simpely making a new subset on english for use online. Also i don't see how it hurts any one to simplfy the langue, epstaly if the magority understands the simpifaction and it dose not add any new ambagoityes or muptial deftions.

I whould like to think that langue works very much like eveletion of species dose and if a change like your -> ur is a good one it will be accpeted by the magority. Like natrual selection of words.

[Mazer]

Well I guess that makes it double plus good, right?

[Dan]

I just mean if you don't like it don't use it and it should die out if peoleop adgrea with you.