Let's talk about BT

[sear]

Nice thread mate.

Why do you use bit torrent, and why to the degree that you use it?

I started using BT just as a means to get media that's not available to me. Where I live it takes a long time for good things to come out. It's gotten better but when I started it wasn't uncommon for movies to be about a year behind the US pretty much the same for music while TV could take 2-3 years if it ever arrives at all. Once I learned about filesharing I started using Napster though that was at the end of its run and I quickly moved on to Kazza (gnutella) and when that turned to shit I started using BT.

I pretty much still use BT for those reasons though I like the community and interaction it entails that other forms of file sharing haven't offered me.

What do you feel is the ideal tracker for you, and are you a member of a site that fills those requirements?

The ideal tracker for me is one that has the content I want to download within a reasonable time frame at reasonable speeds without sacrificing what I see as the spirit of sharing. By that I mean I'm not interested in money making p2l p2i sites that spend thousands a month on their scene access and servers just to be a second or two faster than their competitors. Even worse are the few sites that are actually geared towards making money. That for me is completely evil and turns BT from sharing into stealing.

And yes my needs are filled quite nicely, but then again I've been around a while so I would expect them to be.

Do you feel you are on enough trackers, and what do you think is too many trackers?

IMO I'm on too many trackers. I've culled them down over the years and I have a few that I use regularly. The rest that I haven't abandoned I keep because of personal relationships.

Generally I think 5-6 trackers is about right. You'll want two 0-day in case one goes down then a few that are specialised to meet your particular needs. In my case I have a few music trackers. One that has everything and others that specialise in the type of music I like to listen to. On top of that you'll want a good user upload site for interesting different content and of course demonoid for all the rare stuff you can't find.

There is a tendency for people to become obsessed with getting on as many trackers as they can. Members always think the next tracker could have that upload the others don't and when you first get on the BT scene you'll find that you quickly have 20-30.

Now most people will look at this and say to themselves well they actually all have the same stuff and I don't really need all these sites to fulfill my needs and start letting them go inactive. Others however get caught up in level chasing and treat them like Pokemon cards for collecting and trading.

I actually see it as a kind of sickness and it's done a lot of harm to the BT world. People never end up giving back to the communities they're members of and just do the bare minimum. It's actually quite sad because there are some good friendships to be had and it can be quite satisfying to focus your efforts and see a positive result.

There's also the tendency to allow this hobby to interfere with RL. If you can't find that balance then get out now. Nothing on torrents is worth sacrificing a second of real life for.

What do you see the politics of BT entailing, and does it affect your actions in this field?

Now this is a massive question. I'm going to try not to go into a long rant on the politics of BT, but it's a doozy.

The worst part of BT is the ugly side of the politics and the egos. Too many times I've seen people's character assassinated and the massive shit storms that ensue can I admit be fun to watch but are sickening to be a part of. I guess it comes down to a large group of people interacting. Once that happens you're bound to have some ugly politics because lets face it the world is full of people with low scruples or who are just downright vindictive.

Part of the problem as I see it is the age and maturity level of members of the community. As the age of BT users has gotten younger and it's become the dominant form of file sharing the politics have become much harsher and there's a tendency to gang up on people much like in high school. Personally I try to stay out of it, but that's not always possible for whatever reason.

Do you think there is an ethos necessary when interacting, and if so, what does it consist of? By this I mean what do you think the "morals" of BT are, if you think there should be.

Yes I think there is personal ethos and morals to be adhered too as part of this community. It's important that people (particularly site staff) treat everyone with respect and as a fellow human. It's too easy to start writing people off because you're in a position of power or even just because you're sitting behind a computer.

For me it's all about treating people as I want to be treated, but I guess that attitude is important for all aspects of life not just this online hobby. When it comes to getting along in the BT world remember sharing is caring

Thanks again for the good topic mate it's been quite some time since I've been inspired to actually write a post on this board that's more than one line or isn't because someone made me angry.

[Albo Da Kid]

Intr4ns1t, thanks for opening such a thread.. After all the innactivity and unproductive threads that have been going here lately, this is what was missing

I don't have time atm to reply or read everyone's opinion but I'm definitely going to drop by later and throw in a few paraghraphs of my history with bt

[Funkin']

Why do you use bit torrent, and why to the degree that you use it?

I use it to illegally download any copyrighted material that I want.

I don't use bittorrent as much as I once did since I've kind of moved on to other methods of file sharing. But I still download from a tracker usually once or twice a week.

What do you feel is the ideal tracker for you, and are you a member of a site that fills those requirements?

My ideal tracker is one that would have every single file that I, personally, would ever be interested in. Combined with nice and understanding staff, and without having to worry about ratio requirements.

And no. There's not one single tracker that exists(not even Demonoid) that has every single file that I would ever want. I do belong to a tracker or two that have some of THE nicest and most understanding staff that you could ever want, along with basically no heavy ratio requirements. But no tracker will ever have all the content that I'm interested in.

Do you feel you are on enough trackers, and what do you think is too many trackers?

Yes. I am on more than enough of trackers. I personally think a handful of trackers is all a person needs to belong to. One tracker, maybe two, for each type of content that you are interested in is more than enough. These people that belong to ten, twenty, or more trackers are, well...obviously collecting. There's no need to be a member at that many sites.

What do you see the politics of BT entailing, and does it affect your actions in this field?

"Bt politics" interest me none. I just do my thing and try to stay within the rules of each tracker I belong to(whether I agree with them or not).

By this I mean what do you think the "morals" of BT are, if you think there should be.

I think kallieb said it best with consideration and respect.

Nice thread.

[Intr4ns1t]

To begin, a lot of people call Bit Torrenting a hobby. That's fine, but i think that's just a crutch or a safety blanket people use to comfort themselves from the truth that they are breaking the law.

This point is part of why I included the "moral" question, as all of it is based on the fact that we are unequivocally stealing. There is an accompanying excitement when you start stealing better, faster, longer higher quality, so it's really no surprise that people get worked up I guess. The question becomes what lengths would you go to sate a desire for rebelliousness and the rush that comes from it. But that's kind of veering toward human psychology and prolly left out of this thread for now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Intr4ns1t
What do you see the politics of BT entailing, and does it affect your actions in this field?

Now this is a massive question. I'm going to try not to go into a long rant on the politics of BT, but it's a doozy.

The worst part of BT is the ugly side of the politics and the egos. Too many times I've seen people's character assassinated and the massive shit storms that ensue can I admit be fun to watch but are sickening to be a part of. I guess it comes down to a large group of people interacting. Once that happens you're bound to have some ugly politics because lets face it the world is full of people with low scruples or who are just downright vindictive.

Part of the problem as I see it is the age and maturity level of members of the community. As the age of BT users has gotten younger and it's become the dominant form of file sharing the politics have become much harsher and there's a tendency to gang up on people much like in high school. Personally I try to stay out of it, but that's not always possible for whatever reason.

First off, awesome post sear, and yeah the politics is a doozy indeed As I see it, politics is natural. It's the execution that leaves something to be desired and I fully agree that the boom of BT has dramaticly lowered the mean age of torrenters, and hell even staffers for that matter. Not to disparage any younger members, but with age often comes the experience to know how to respond in different circumstances.

So how to temper that lack of experience? I personally try to be at least a moderate role model ( not trying to sound self righteous, really) for newer members of the BT world in the hopes that it'll sink in and help raise the quality of everyones interactions. I know there are a few folks that inhabit this section here and other forums as well, that do try to be a betterment to the bt community, and they are often the people that have been around for a good bit of time. Now, I'm no perfect example by any stretch of the imagination, but I try, and that is important to me. Most likely it's the sole reason I still enjoy this "hobby".

IMO I'm on too many trackers. I've culled them down over the years and I have a few that I use regularly. The rest that I haven't abandoned I keep because of personal relationships.

Generally I think 5-6 trackers is about right. You'll want two 0-day in case one goes down then a few that are specialised to meet your particular needs. In my case I have a few music trackers. One that has everything and others that specialise in the type of music I like to listen to. On top of that you'll want a good user upload site for interesting different content and of course demonoid for all the rare stuff you can't find.

There is a tendency for people to become obsessed with getting on as many trackers as they can. Members always think the next tracker could have that upload the others don't and when you first get on the BT scene you'll find that you quickly have 20-30.

Now most people will look at this and say to themselves well they actually all have the same stuff and I don't really need all these sites to fulfill my needs and start letting them go inactive. Others however get caught up in level chasing and treat them like Pokemon cards for collecting and trading.

I actually see it as a kind of sickness and it's done a lot of harm to the BT world. People never end up giving back to the communities they're members of and just do the bare minimum. It's actually quite sad because there are some good friendships to be had and it can be quite satisfying to focus your efforts and see a positive result.

There's also the tendency to allow this hobby to interfere with RL. If you can't find that balance then get out now. Nothing on torrents is worth sacrificing a second of real life for.

It's a huge leap from mininova to any of the myriad of private trackers that exist now and that search can be a very consuming one. I'm glad you point out the obsession factor that has to play some sort of role in how things happen especially when people get very passionate about that search.

Honesty with ourselves in how much is too much is hard to achieve when we get our eyes on a prize, and if that prize is as vaporous as the "best tracker in the world" we can maybe never know if we found that perfect place. I guess you know it when you see it.

That last bit you wrote makes me wonder where the line lays between interference and accessorization. I mean, as time progresses, life in a good portion of the world is fast becoming intrinsicly tied to the internet, and real life is intertwining with it like vines intermingling on a trellis. Makes me wonder...

What do you feel is the ideal tracker for you, and are you a member of a site that fills those requirements?

My ideal tracker is one that would have every single file that I, personally, would ever be interested in. Combined with nice and understanding staff, and without having to worry about ratio requirements.

And no. There's not one single tracker that exists(not even Demonoid) that has every single file that I would ever want. I do belong to a tracker or two that have some of THE nicest and most understanding staff that you could ever want, along with basically no heavy ratio requirements. But no tracker will ever have all the content that I'm interested in.

I like your answer as I think it's an honest one and a demonstration of the fact that no tracker is perfect. There will always be something, even if we don't know what it is at the time we ask ourselves that question, that any site is lacking. How picky we are determines when we feel we've got what we want?

[sear]

So how to temper that lack of experience? I personally try to be at least a moderate role model ( not trying to sound self righteous, really) for newer members of the BT world in the hopes that it'll sink in and help raise the quality of everyones interactions. I know there are a few folks that inhabit this section here and other forums as well, that do try to be a betterment to the bt community, and they are often the people that have been around for a good bit of time. Now, I'm no perfect example by any stretch of the imagination, but I try, and that is important to me. Most likely it's the sole reason I still enjoy this "hobby".

Indeed there are some people in BT that have an amazing amount of knowledge and experience, whether it be technical personal or both. I know some of the people that I've looked up to (and still do) have taught me some really valuable lessons that I've transported to my real life.

Leading by example is all we can do to try and raise the bar.

That last bit you wrote makes me wonder where the line lays between interference and accessorization. I mean, as time progresses, life in a good portion of the world is fast becoming intrinsicly tied to the internet, and real life is intertwining with it like vines intermingling on a trellis. Makes me wonder...

I often think about this too I think as time goes on the lines will become more and more blurred. It's an interesting new world we're forging for ourselves here.

Realistically though it can become a problem for many people (myself included). I guess it's a personal thing but for me when I'm spending more time online then I am hanging out with my family or going to parties and pubs and just generally socializing then that's how I know I need to take a step back.

[Eargasm]

Why do you use bit torrent, and why to the degree that you use it?
I'm an absolute media hog, and I can occasionally get stuck in a collecting mode where I try to collect media and sites and everything. I just hoard data. Then I reach a point where I ask myself what the benefit of that is in relation to time spent - then I take a break from the acquisition... but not from downloading media. I can't get enough of that.


What do you feel is the ideal tracker for you, and are you a member of a site that fills those requirements?
The thing I love about bit torrent is that it's never about one tracker. It's the hydra, baby. Yes, I have pretty much what I need in all my trackers though.

Do you feel you are on enough trackers, and what do you think is too many trackers?
Too many trackers is when you spend more time logging into each tracker and trying to get invites than you do perusing the contents and actually using the buggers. I've done this before when I was using something like 47 trackers on a weekly basis.

What do you see the politics of BT entailing, and does it affect your actions in this field?
As far as I know, bit torrent is not illegal. So doesn't affect me.

Do you think there is an ethos necessary when interacting, and if so, what does it consist of? By this I mean what do you think the "morals" of BT are, if you think there should be.
The morals are share, leech, and spread the joy. Pretty simple.

[Glitterstep]

Why do you use bit torrent, and why to the degree that you use it?

Initially i started off with Emule for my music!!..But then the best part about BT trackers like TT,Elek and TR are the Forums....maybe i don't post much out there,but its really fun reading those posts/comments which users post on every EP release!!
....Alos use BT for movies....but main priority would be Music,coz i got into "Torrenting mainly for EDM"..

What do you feel is the ideal tracker for you, and are you a member of a site that fills those requirements?

An Ideal tracker for ME would be a tracker with a good content of EDM.
Yup!!More than satisfied to be a member of those sites

Do you feel you are on enough trackers, and what do you think is too many trackers?

Trackers which gets me what i need,are basically enough for me!!...

Too many trackers in the sense people being a member on it and not using it all..a file on elek gets snatched only like 20 times,when there are more than 5000 members out there...most of them are either collectors and traders...its really frustrating to see a good release getting snatched only 20 times....

What do you see the politics of BT entailing, and does it affect your actions in this field?

..Have no idea about this at all!!

[ovisan]

Nice read sear.

Nothing on torrents is worth sacrificing a second of real life for.

I agree but a passion it's still s passion and for some of us this is all that we have for now. All of us like to hide between masks, we like to create/re-create an image about ourselves the way we would like us to be. This is way we spend ages posting in forums, chatting in irc channels and so on. It's the need of identity and I think that when you gain more and more BT friends gives you a dose of self esteem, that, sooner or later, will help us in real life too.

Now to quickly go thought Intr4ns1t's questions I will tell you that I use BT only because I still can't afford to pay 20 quid for a film I 'll stop watching after the first 10 minutes or for a game that will end up in the atic the next week.
My ideal tracker...it's a toght one, hmm... I used to really like file**st.org because they were only uploading filles that I wanted, that's for oday and it's forums were friendly and active. Now, like most of today's BT users i like P*N because I ve realised I don't need any of the 0day stuff and I love to discover new-old films I ve never seen before. Thanks Intr4ns1t. And to answer your question the ideal tracker for me would be a union between demoniod, P*N and old fil**ist.org.
I was a member of way to many treackers imo. It hurt when I was deleting trackers from my bookmarks and others were begging for an invite here on fst for their "dream" tracker. Now I only use one 0day tracker, one music tracker, 2 films trackers and demonoid but not as often. I had enought of all them ratio problems, silly new staffers on new trackers... in one word BT drama. Now I like to chill out on safe trackers, posting among friends, really enjoy a forum and a tracker. "and what do you think is too many trackers?" what does that supose to mean ?
We should never forghet that what we're doing its illegal and one day it may cost us. Most of us respect BT rules which I dont consider too harsh but it's silly to think that we'll all do it, its just like asking a murderer not to steal.
The "morals" of BT... Do we all agree with Robin Hood and his actions? I bet anyone reading this is so BT (illegal filesharing) its a win against multi billion corporations who don't even have the decency to give us back a bit of quallity we paid for.

Scuse My French
Tara

[Intr4ns1t]

Thanks for all the input folks, I do love a good discussion

I agree but a passion it's still s passion and for some of us this is all that we have for now. All of us like to hide between masks, we like to create/re-create an image about ourselves the way we would like us to be. This is way we spend ages posting in forums, chatting in irc channels and so on. It's the need of identity and I think that when you gain more and more BT friends gives you a dose of self esteem, that, sooner or later, will help us in real life too.

I think that's a very good observation. Especially when talking about the newer discoverers of the community side of bit torrent, and the likelihood that they are younger, still looking for their real "self". Voices carry far in this type of communication, and to find your own voice in the midst can really help hone your ability to socialize in real life. I have to say though, that it's an insightful person that sees that end in the things they do and say at trackers and forums.

The worth is in the reward of kudos when you help someone who needs it, or being treated according to what you give, not what you look like. Cumulative respect is a great ego boost, but it's easy to overvalue that respect when you get it too quickly, resulting in e-peen syndrome.

[Benjamin]

Why do you use bit torrent, and why to the degree that you use it?

What do you feel is the ideal tracker for you, and are you a member of a site that fills those requirements?

Do you feel you are on enough trackers, and what do you think is too many trackers?

What do you see the politics of BT entailing, and does it affect your actions in this field?

Do you think there is an ethos necessary when interacting, and if so, what does it consist of? By this I mean what do you think the "morals" of BT are, if you think there should be.

I use bittorent to download free stuff, obviously. I also feel more organized having everything on my computer.

My ideal tracker would have a lot of seeders/leechers, all the content I need, great speeds, and members with torrent experience. Maybe if you took ScT and added the content and members of 3-4 of my other sites, then you would have the perfect tracker.

I am on more than enough trackers, I don't even know how I ended up with so many. I remember about 3 years ago I was only on torrent damage downloading my ass off, I was so happy. But over the years you get offered sites that promise something different, then when you join them you realize you won't use any of the content at all.

I don't get involved in politics (e-drama), I just chill.

First of all torrenting is stealing, whether you sugar coat it or not, and therefore you can't really say there are morals in BT. There's being smart, and being stupid.