XPost: alt.books.cs-lewis, rec.arts.books.tolkien, alt.fan.tolkien   
   From: steuard@slimy.com   
      
   Stan Brown wrote:   
   > Tue, 09 Jun 2009 05:03:13 +0200 from Steve Hayes   
   > :   
   >> There don't seem to have been any new messages in the Inklings newsgroups   
   for   
   >> some time.   
      
   > It must be your news server.  Traffic has been steady, though light,   
   > in r.a.b.t.   
      
   There's activity in alt.fan.tolkien, too (it has even had Top 10   
   threads/posters lists again lately); I've posted a bit to both in the   
   past couple of weeks.   
      
   But that was using my Usenet access at work.  This thread is the first   
   new message to show up on my home newsfeed (through Verizon DSL) since   
   June 1, and the one before that was on May 15 (both posts were sent by   
   Sean_Q_).  Verizon has not supported the alt.* hierarchy for ages.  So I   
   can only reliably participate in Usenet from work, where I don't really   
   have the time for much anyway.  (I have no idea what my situation will   
   be after I move this summer, for the record.)  I get the impression that   
   this message will still show up to the outside world, though: the   
   problem is just on the receiving end.  (Right?)   
      
      
   Worse, though, is the message that just showed up here at home this   
   afternoon: "AT&T Usenet Netnews Service Shutting Down".  On or around   
   July 15, they're pulling the plug; they kindly point out that at that   
   point, we can obtain access via third-party vendors.  The message says   
   "Posted only internally to AT&T Usenet Servers", but this obviously goes   
   beyond the AT&T brand: the From address is "news-support@sbcglobal.net",   
   implying that this includes SBC, and of course it is visible to me on   
   Verizon.  It seems possible that anyone with internet access through the   
   "Baby Bells" in the US will lose access to Usenet (unless they take the   
   time to find an outside news server).   
      
   I'm honestly not sure how many more steps like this our communities can   
   survive.  As we've discussed a bit lately, for the past few years   
   there's been almost no "new blood" showing up to replace people who   
   drift away.  Even if the most dedicated of us find and pay for Usenet   
   access, and even if we put real effort into revitalizing the groups and   
   making them more active again, at best it seems like we'll have   
   established a private club for ourselves rather than the vibrant   
   ecosystem of personalities and ideas that we once had.  (I suppose we   
   could make some effort at publicizing and using the Google Groups   
   interface, but it's /so/ frustrating compared to a real newsreader.  And   
   they've been having pretty serious issues of their own lately, too.)   
      
      
   That being said, I for one do not want to see the community here vanish.   
    There are too many great people associated with these groups (currently   
   and in the past) for me to want to lose contact with them, and I think   
   our collective history of discussion and insight into Tolkien (my focus)   
   and the other Inklings is richer than any other online forum that I've   
   ever seen.  So I'm eager to hear ideas for keeping our communities   
   alive, whether that's via NNTP, Google Groups, shifting en masse to a   
   new web forum, shifting en masse to an existing web forum, or whatever   
   else.  (Gah, most web forums are a pain to follow threads in...)  Please   
   share your thoughts!   
      
   Steuard Jensen   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)