Nice thread mate.
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.Originally Posted by Intr4ns1t
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.
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.Originally Posted by Intr4ns1t
And yes my needs are filled quite nicely, but then again I've been around a while so I would expect them to be.
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.Originally Posted by Intr4ns1t
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.
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.Originally Posted by Intr4ns1t
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.
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.Originally Posted by Intr4ns1t
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.
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