Announcing a RAS Sister Group

[John DeRosa OHM Ω http://aviation.derosaweb.net]

About a month ago after the new year a RAS conversation started concerning the foibles, limitations, and conundrums, of our beloved USENET group.

During that conversation I announced the existence of what I consider a sister group, not a replacement for, the venerable RAS group. RAS has a very long history and the content is a very valuable historical resource going back decades.

But RAS has its issues. One is that there is no method to block within a USENET group the various forms of SPAM that we see infiltrating our group. I have witnessed this issue kill several of my favorite USENET groups over the years.

The sister group that I speak of is called RAS_Prime and exists in the Google cloud. This new group is devoted to the free exchange of information on all glider related topics. Anyone can join the RAS_Prime Google group!

We now have about 90 users. We may fall on our face. Call this an experiment.

Give it a try. You might just like it.

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/rasprime/join

====================

RAS_Prime is dedicated to trying its very best to be a respectful place for everyone to talk about the sport that they love. As I mentioned above RAS_Prime lives alongside the venerable Usenet Network News group informally known as "RAS" (rec.aviation.soaring).

Google Groups has several advantages over Usenet Groups;

- Web based access to the group as well as email reading and responding
- Integration with the Google universe of applications
- SPAM/SPAMers limiting/removal capability
- File and image attachment and storage

See more details on the advantages of a Google group versus a Usenet group at https://usenetreviewz.com/usenet-newsgroups-vs-google-groups.

Here are some common sense guidelines (thus far) for the use of RAS_Prime;

- Postings should be related to gliders and soaring. Important and fun general aviation topics are also encouraged.
- Be respectful of everyone. Disagreements will happen but must be discussed in a courteous fashion. No flaming is allowed.
- Please stay on topic in a posting. Don't sideline a discussion with unrelated information. Instead start a new conversation.
- Non-aviation topics are not allowed. No political discussions. No hateful or discriminatory postings are allowed. No spamming of any sort.
- Please limit commercial postings to announcing new aviation products or services.
- Advertise for sale, or wanted, personal owned aviation items which are primarily glider related. Start the post's subject line with "FS:" ("For Sale") or "WTB:" (Want to Buy"). Also use glidersource.com to advertise.

The moderators do not want to limit any discussions. We will give everyone the benefit of the doubt and will provide warnings to those that stray away from our guidelines. However, the moderators may need to remove posts that do not follow the guidelines or, in egregious cases, the moderator may remove users that continually break the rules.

[youngbl...@gmail.com]

What ever happened to this new and exciting group. I searched the archives and made note of the fact that there has been very little activity in the RASPrime. I do see John, and Eric back here on the main station posting and enjoying the discussions. Good to see you guys back on the home team! Old Bob, The Purist

[Eric Greenwell]

On 6/29/2022 1:48 PM, youngbl...@gmail.com wrote:

>> The moderators do not want to limit any discussions. We will give everyone the benefit of the doubt and will provide warnings to those that stray away from our guidelines. However, the moderators may need to remove posts that do not follow the guidelines or, in egregious cases, the moderator may remove users that continually break the rules.

> What ever happened to this new and exciting group. I searched the archives and made note of the fact that there has been very little activity in the RASPrime. I do see John, and Eric back here on the main station posting and enjoying the discussions. Good to see you guys back on the home team! Old Bob, The Purist

I never left, Bob, and discouraged the new group out of concerns it would fragment the
discussions. I did read the postings, just in case something good came up.
--
Eric Greenwell - USA
- "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorgliders/publications

[youngbl...@gmail.com]

Eric, I watched this new and exciting group from the beginning, although there were good intentions yet people really don't like change. The activity was well below what I expected it to be and those whom did not like the content of some of the existing threads often came back to drink from the watering hole.
The group started with 4 replies in January, February had a huge following at 12, March was 6, April 3, May 2 , and only 1 for June. What exactly would you contribute the failure of this new RAS group to? I originally thought the new group would be a wonderful new platform for the motorglider guys, I guess they enjoy the humor and activity of train wreck. Old Bob, The Purist

[Eric Greenwell]

I think most people didn't mind the perceived problems RAS Prime was set up to fix, or at
least, not enough to bother changing.

[youngbl...@gmail.com]

I think you make a very valid point, it was only a few of the choir boys that thought that restricting what people can express in a public forum was most important. Anyway, I guess it was a lesson learned. OBTP

[Eric Greenwell]

I had no problem with the intentions of RAS Prime, as there is no need for RAS to open to
every Tom, Dick, and especially Daryl. There are groups that benefit from moderation. I am
a moderator on three of them, but they were groups started for new purposes, and were not
trying to replace a long-time, popular group.

[kinsell]

I lost interest in it when I asked several times what the definition of
'spam' is, and never got an answer. How is somebody going to regulate
spam if they can't define what it is? Almost as absurd as having a
Supreme Court Justice who doesn't know what a 'woman' is, even though
she (it?) claims to be one, and she (it?) was nominated largely on the
basis of being one. She (it?) is even a birthing person, but of course
that means nothing in today's enlightened society, where even men can
have babies.

[youngbl...@gmail.com]

Kinsell, welcome to the real world, if you haven't noticed we are surrounded by crazies. Crazies coming out of law school and not having a clear understanding of the constitution, crazies that go before the congress and hake the statement that men can give birth. Now you have not entered the Twilight Zone, but RAS! Old Bob, The Purist

[youngbl...@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at 4:41:56 PM UTC-5, John DeRosa OHM Ω http://aviation.derosaweb.net wrote:

RAS Prime is basically dead and Elvis is not doing so well himself. October looked promising, and November showed improvement but then came December and January, what is going on, can't you alternative lifestyle types get things rolling? It must be a motorglider thing. Old Bob, The Purist

[Jon]

I proposed a new website that would improve upon the issues that many
have commented on regarding Usenet and Google Groups. It is still my
position that Usenet's best days are behind it and Google Groups do not
satisfy the requirements of modern website and community based
solutions. I am still working on the new website though I haven't set a
launch date as of yet.

[shaun_...@hotmail.com]

I'm going to wait for the 'purists' to weigh in on this.

While I'm working on my touring motor glider.

:)

[youngbl...@gmail.com]

Shaun, why don't you get a hot air balloon and you can do touring with a balloon podcast, that should attract thousands and take the heat off the motorglider guys. OBTP

[Gary Emerson]

> It's because you keep showing up.

Burn! Hahaha....

Old Bob, Tiny Penis

[Dan Marotta]

Excerpted from the long winded post: This new group is devoted to the
free exchange of information

If Google is involved, there's no "free exchange", only what Google
deems appropriate. And, if you don't believe that, you haven't tried to
research "inappropriate" topics which normally are defined as
"conservative".

It's just like the ancient cries for censorship on TV when it's a simple
matter to change the channel or don't watch.

I have no trouble with spam or obnoxious posters since, using an email
client, it's a simple matter to create rules to prevent annoying stuff
from coming to my laptop. The only thing keeping me from "banning"
certain threads is the silent chuckle I get from reading the continuous
pleas to "Save me from someone that I don't want to hear from."

I like the two posts following Ol' Bob's latest. If you don't agree
with someone, call him names. Very weak...

Dan
5J

[youngbl...@gmail.com]

Dan, kind of concerning when a guy is infatuated with another mans penis, looks like Gary Emerson is coming out of the closet, and for Dan Daly, it must be a Canadian thing, after all they have Trudeau, the son of Fidel. Old Bob, The Purist

[youngbl...@gmail.com]

On another note, what ever happened to Herbert, he got so ticked off when I called him Herbie?

[Dan Marotta]

How would you like to compared with a Volkswagen?

Dan
5J

[youngbl...@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at 1:11:11 PM UTC-4, Dan Marotta wrote:
> How would you like to compared with a Volkswagen?
>
> Dan
> 5J

Dan, the VW would have been an improvement over his raggedy butt motorglider. OBTP

[Charlie M. (UH, Pi & 002 owner/pilot)]

Bump up top...

On Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at 4:41:56 PM UTC-5, John DeRosa OHM Ω http://aviation.derosaweb.net wrote:

[Charlie M. (UH, Pi & 002 owner/pilot)]

On Saturday, January 20, 2024 at 8:21:13 PM UTC-5, Charlie M. (UH, Pi & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
> Bump up top...bump again before lockdown.