What, do you think, makes a good member of a private tracker different from a bad...

[OlegL]

The original purpose of this thread was to discuss something different from what we are discussing now, but maybe I shouldn't have created this thread. Maybe it's just another dumb FST thread and I apologize if you feel I should never have created it.

[IdolEyes787]

well, if you talk about privilege, it implies that they actually do people a favor by letting them join their tracker.

Actually they are but the notion shouldn't be taken to extremes .
I think the problem with the word privilege is that it drums up images of special entitlement ,which belonging to a bt tracker should never , but obviously often does, constitute.

[megabyteme]

Maybe I am a bit cynical today, but it appears to me as if the notions of "good member", and "community" seem to be dying out.

Trading (and selling) of invites are rampant, pay-to-leech and profiteering are "accepted", and anyone who says otherwise is "naive". The sites that have made these practices "acceptable" are gutting it, and will be the (legal) reasoning why filesharing needs to be regulated/eliminated. If these trends continue, the MPAA and RIAA are correct- these actions are counter to a notion of "library" and sharing, and amount to selling stolen goods. This is a problem on both the user, and tracker ends.

The corruption present in this community is wretched. If there is not a massive call for change, what is the point of private sites, rules, and "acceptable etiquette" on a site? The growing attitudes seems to be, "Take what you want. Who cares, it's just BT".

I would like to be wrong here, but rarely does anyone even bring up the question (like in this thread) of how someone should conduct themselves in the community. Sad.

[cinephilia]

good user: on fst, someone who does not cheat. on sb-i, someone who does.

[Intr4ns1t]

I'll say again, bandwidth. It's a simple question, deserving of a simple answer. The big problem is that the vast majority of people, who play all too frequently, in this field don't torrent to torrent, they torrent to gain the esteem of peers. What makes these private trackers go around is bandwidth. Bandwidth. BANDWIDTH.

How that bandwidth is spent by the people who play is a revolving cycle of backstabbing and asslicking, yes, usually done simultaneously. Granted, there are a good number of people who work their asses off for the enjoyment of others, yeah, but they are the ones who do it for the sharing, not the recognition, and they are vastly outnumbered by the people who accord too much value to the social interactions they have on a daily basis online, and the weight their nickname carries.

The smaller the group, the more weight each individual voice has, and the more empowered those individual voices feel. That feeling of empowerment can be pretty addictive, and I think that gets demonstrated every day in bt.

So, I guess if I am going to give a wordy answer to your query OleGL, it would be that a good user has the sense to not over-invest themselves, while actually using all these flipping trackers. A bad user is anyone else, because they are not using the tool of the torrenting protocol as it is intended, and that makes them a waste of resources(which, despite all outward appearances, are NOT limitless). If people of like interest gather around that interest, the community is inevitable.

[Night0wl]

It's really simple. Seed

It doesn't matter if you post on forums, play on IRC etc. Just download, (maybe even upload if safe) and SEED

It doesn't matter if you know your shit. Fuck, even if I could soldermod any console with complex instructions, I'm not good enough to be at BCG, because unlike the tracker shit, I do know my electronics shit, so guess we're in the same boat Olegl BTW this has nothing to do with stoi, who is a standup guy. It was one of his Nazi admins.

[bijoy]

Go to ratioless trackers and you will not see any cheats there.

Not true, many people cheat on ratio-free trackers just for the hell of it. Specially when their name begins with an F and they offer promotions and perks based on your uploaded amount, even if they don't keep track of ratios.

Well, but the most important part of that tracker, invite, is almost impossible to get without donation. So, what's the point of cheating?? just to have larger & harder e-penis?

I'll say again, bandwidth. It's a simple question, deserving of a simple answer. The big problem is that the vast majority of people, who play all too frequently, in this field don't torrent to torrent, they torrent to gain the esteem of peers. What makes these private trackers go around is bandwidth. Bandwidth. BANDWIDTH.

But I, myself saw 3-4 users cheating the ratio in some torrents, even though they use ovh boxes for some torrents at the same time.
So, I don't think it is only the bandwidth that makes user(s) good or bad.

[Quarterquack]

...

Did you expect a collective of thieves to thrive by upholding outstanding morals and values? You're naive. And no, I'm not just being ironic. There are more things that fit into the equation than what the eye sees. There has to be time put in to the websites. Money for the hosting. Money for the uploading. Money for the quality. So fuck all of that, if people think that you shouldn't be repaid for your work in anyway you deem fit. Either in time, appreciation, or (oh my-) money.

There are probably members of certain trackers that don't post much or aren't blessed with blazing upload speed but would probably rather lose a pinky than see harm done to the site . That may not be an ultraleet userclass member but that a great member as I see it.

good user: on fst, someone who does not cheat. on sb-i, someone who does.

You guys made me happy for posts that aren't as shallow as the rest.
To be honest, this is what I agree with the most, and what I'd assume is true. Absolute dedication is not necessary, but I'd say admiration/time given/respect for a website is what makes one member valued over another. In this day and age, the protocol has become about requiring more members, as opposed to each member making a true difference. (see Tranny's post, for example). How could they not, every member has umpteen trackers and aims to keep a good ratio on all of them. However, I doubt any tracker staff can deny that it's their dedicated/exclusive collection of members who adore and truly give back to the tracker (in terms of money, time and uploads/seeds/bandwidth) are the ones that truly make a difference. Someone who agrees with the way the website is headed/its foundational motives (Cine's sb-i example) and someone who is willing to love and give everything they can back to the website. A good member isn't empirical, it's just a member who isn't treating the place like he does everywhere, someone who actually gives back care to the website (the ideal members give into the tracker as much as staff do). My definition of a good member isn't that he dedicates 2TB of his monthly unlimited bandwidth to SCC, but that he dedicates 70 or 80gb's of bandwidth over his bandwidth cap in order to see the site thrive.

...

While you and I will disagree on the bandwidth issue, as that is disposable, anyone can provide it, I will nod my head to everything else you said. Anyone can provide the bandwidth you need, even you, but it takes a "special" someone to dedicate their time and effort. I'm sure you don't call bandwidth whores that do it for the e-fame, or the big numbers under the nickname or the user classes "good members". That's reserved for the people that do stuff for PTN. Stuff out of the ordinary, that as you said, was a dying/over-swamped breed.

[megabyteme]

Did you expect a collective of thieves to thrive by upholding outstanding morals and values? You're naive. And no, I'm not just being ironic. There are more things that fit into the equation than what the eye sees. There has to be time put in to the websites. Money for the hosting. Money for the uploading. Money for the quality. So fuck all of that, if people think that you shouldn't be repaid for your work in anyway you deem fit. Either in time, appreciation, or (oh my-) money.

I base my views of the community on a library model. Yes, it is necessary for libraries/trackers to receive money to keep the lights on, and provide services. What keeps popping up is the "I am selling a product" mentality that will be the death to our ability to continue this vast collection of media long-term.

The more of these mega-profit trackers that get busted, the more it hurts the small, FSC-type tracker that seeks operating expenses. All will be lumped into the same category, and that is not right. There are right and wrong ways for this community to conduct itself. We are crossing a point of no return- and you are not helping, ringhunter.

[Funkin']

Sometimes I feel mentally retarded 'cause I don't understand how people view me as a person...

Wasn't it suggested before that you need to stop caring what a bunch of douchebag strangers online think of you? It's a little saddening to see that you haven't yet put that into practice, OlegL.

Just download whatever you want, seed it back the best you can, and don't worry about anything else. BT is simply a means to obtain files. Not something that you should allow to make you feel "mentally retarded".