I gotta say that most of the usenet forums are unmoderated which lends itself to inappropriate behavior, flaming, trolling and general dissent amongst the ranks.
They're a wonderful source for that obscure bit of intel you need to uninstall POSIX on your Win2K Advanced Server, find and remove virus entries in your XP Pro registry, download all manner of women, men and beasts engaged in various states of dress and undress, and in various poses and states of physical communion. MP3 files abound along with your favorite television serials (B5 was the best space opera ever to hit TV IMNSHO) in DVD, VCD and DiVX format; in short the choices are endless.
However while there is a feeling of community in each of the different groups, the constant bickering, spamming, trolling and general one-ups-manship is really unappealing. That's what makes this a great group to post in, especially because while we all enjoy making, and drinking our mead, we all have our own approach to our craft.
To me, it really speaks volumes that we're able to disagree on tastes, techniques, processes, methods and the like, and still agree on enjoying our end product. Giving respect to people is a precious commodity in this day and age, and the posters on this board should take the time to appreciate themselves and their brethren in these forums for doing precisely that. Everyone here seems to really embrace being helpful, courteous and respectful.
It is such an easy thing to criticise and point out what everyone does wrong. It's much more difficult to smile and catch someone in the act of doing something right, and add some helpful suggestions. I like that about this community!
Cheers,
Oskaar
without yet making his first Mead 
