Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!apple!oliveb!orc!mipos3!omepd!littlei!percy!qiclab!m2xenix!legion!Steven.Furber
From: Steven.Furber@legion.fidonet.org (Steven Furber)
Newsgroups: alt.bbs
Subject: Re: Re: More on birthday information.
Message-ID: <286.25B66950@legion.fidonet.org>
Date: 18 Jan 90 20:33:24 GMT
Organization: Legion EchoBarf Cafe BBS
Lines: 72

WWIVnet: Legion (MailOnly) [503-223-1314] - Node 5300


I said your method was on par with racism, not that you were a racist.

If I was born on April 11, 1972 and I called a BBS on April 5, 1990, how old 
would I be? 17 years old. If I called back 10 days later (April 15, 1990) how 
old would I be? 18.

>All you want to know is that I am over 18. 90 days from now I will still be
>over 18. You don't need to even know my birth-year.

See the second paragraph of this message. Some BBSes, like WWIV, plan for the 
future and plan on `growing' with the user. I really don't care how old 
someone really is, in fact I'd rather not know how old someone was-- IF (and 
get this-- there is an IF) my BBS database had their age.

You suggested discussing what information was really warrented for BBSes. You 
need to split that into three groupings (at least):
    * What is warrented for the public to know about user X ?
    * What is warrented for the sysop  to know about user X ?
    * What is warrented fir the dBase  to know about user X ?

To begin with, the public only needs to know a username and/or number. The 
discussions (should there ever be any, after all: BBSes seem to be more 
oriented towards who has the latest k-rad warez these days) will give everyone 
chances to `get to know' one another. Users need to know the usernam and/or 
number of other users so it is possible to identify who wrote what message and 
to leave E-Mail.

The sysop needs to know what the public knows (username and/or number) as well 
as information on what that user has done (ie: logons, d\load k, u\load k, 
time spent on, messages posted, etc..).

The dBase needs to have a bit more information if security is one of the 
features you wish to implement on your BBS; some people really don't care, and 
a lot of BBS programs completely overlook this. A birthday is useful to know 
how old someone is at a given time. This also allows the user to have more age 
restricted areas as they get older, instead of always being the same age or 
having their age increment every 365 days of their original call regardless of 
their birthday. The dBase should also contain all of the information the sysop 
has.

There is no need for a drivers' ID, SS#, address, or many of the other 
worthless pieces of information required by sysops these days. I don't even 
care about phone numbers. If someone *wants* you to know their phone number 
then they'll E-Mail it to you. That's how non-sysops do it after all.

....
....


It is true that sometimes `anonymous' users will be obnoxious, but then the 
same percentage of people using `real names' seem to be engaging in the same 
amount of behavior.

My primary network is WWIVnet, where anything goes when it comes to names. I 
have seen more slamming and flaming done by the `real name' people than the 
`anonymous' people, in comparison to one another. This is an example where 
anything goes and goes well.


There is no reason why BBSes can't work the same way. When users learn to have 
respect for BBSes they will either go away or use the BBS in way appropriate 
to the different areas on the BBS. Restrictions are censorship are not needed 
when people can learn that appropriate behavior provides mopre possibilities 
than just being an obnoxious jerk.

--  
Legion EchoBarf Cafe/Pet Cemetary BBS
Steven Furber - via FidoNet node 1:105/50
UUCP: uunet!m2xenix!legion!Steven.Furber