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The following is one sysop's idea on flame warring. It is developed over the
course of one summer in heated debates ranging from anarchy, socialism to
xenophobic FIDOnet sysops. Please read the with an open mind and anylize
them. I claim no responsibility for anyone that choses to use the following
tips, but I feel that if used the way I perscribe that no harm will result,
except maybe hyperventalation from the humor or irony.
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                              OTTO'S FLAME TIPS
                         How to conduct a flame war
                                     or
                   How to piss off FIDOnet sysops in 105

Note to the reader: This document is one on how to conduct a proper flame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  war, and is in no way directed at any BBS in particular.
A person that DL'd this Gfile and then UL'd onto a NET 105 BBS has been
making wild accusationg about this, by titleing it "Otto's Tips on how to
piss of NET 105 sysops". The only name that this document may go by is
"Otto's Tips on Flame Warring" Why go through all of the troubles of
renaming it and breaking a copyright law?

Introduction: This document was created over the course of a few messages. I
~~~~~~~~~~~~  found that it was in the best interest of the entire community
to hear my tips on flame warring. I HIGHLY suggest that you do try a few of
the tips, however: I will take no responsibility for any trouble that you
get into. If anyone calls under my names, make SURE that they are me and
not just some imposteur trying to use my name.

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

Well, after my immersion on the NET 105, I thought that it would be a good
idea to write down a very simple thing about flame warring. These are all
ideas, and I do not reccomend trying them.

============================================================================
I. The Target

        Perhaps the most important thing in a flame war is deciding who to
        hit with your words. Depending on the results wanted, I would
        suggest the following as a guide, and the pro's and con's are
        listed:

        GENERAL USER- this is the best choice if you are looking for some
           fun with almost no chances of it getting you burned. The only
           problem (if this is one) is that you will almost never get
           anything (if you are trying) done. I highly
           recommend this for practice.

        SYSOP- this is the fun one. What you do is find a sysop that is very
           conservative and a jerk (the best ones are the sysops that are
           doing it for the power trip and that constanly break the rules).
           The problem here is that you may be thrown off of the system (oh
           no!) and if it is a NETed system, you may have problems throughout
           the net. The pro's of this target is that the sysops will notice 
           you from now on, and will most likely want to kill you. If you are
           going for a cause, this is the best target.

II. The Subject

        The best subject to use is dependant upon your cause. If you
        are trying to get a place to debate, use high risk [Ø·6®[c¹ (i.e.
        A.I.D.S., Government, Womens Lib.) Eventualy they will end up 
        involved in a flame-war (the other users and the sysops) and WILL
        HAVE TO GIVE IN or lose all of their users.

        If you are looking to shut down a few nodes, the best way to go is
        constant bickering. You want people to have to read whatever you are
        saying no matter where they go. Once the sysop realizes that you
        will not give up, he will give in or the people will withdraw.

III. The Way to Do It

        Ok, first off you need to log in. Use a fake name (make sure that
        you use a name in the phone book), and make sure that the phone
        number is correct. You will not want to stay with an alias for too
        long.

        In the beginning, just read. After you get the feel for the weak
        spots start posting. I do not suggest (and in fact will kill anyone
        doing this) complaining about BBS types being better or worse, or
        the grammer and spelling of another person. Keep the first few posts
        fairly civil, and slowly build up the flames. After a few days the
        message bases will be very hot and you will have mega-attention.
        Remember to post on as many bases as you can to maximize your
        effectivity in your cause. ( We call this the blanket / smother effect 
)

               *note: never flame about something that you know 
                nothing about. It is best to be very knowledgable
                in whatever thing you flame about.


IV. Writing the Message

        A: Check the Spelling
        B: Do not swear
        C: Quote!
        D: Provide sources (fake are cool too) to back up your side
        E: Site examples from other states and regions
        F: Never give in unless it is just as a ruse
        G: You are a psychologist
        H: Everyone is always out to kill you.
        I: Everyone is on your side, they just are so taken in by you
              messgages that they are at a lack of words.

        *note: H and I do contradict, TRUST ME.


        The above should be some good pointers on flaming. I would suggest
        that you always keep the words clean and do not swear, as swearing
        really ruins the messages and makes you look uneducated.

INSERT #1:
     When the flames start getting hot the users will get mad. When the
     users get mad, they complain. Once that happens- the sysop is in a
     tough position. If he is net'd he will have to drop the NET or get
     dropped. There is almost NO way to completely eliminate the flame-
     artists from loggin in. I never went away, probably because no one
     ever kicked me off of their system.



The HOT topic list:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        -CENSORSHIP: call the sysop a "censorsop". Tell eveyone that the sysop
           is removing messages for no reason. For proof enter a really
           normal message, screen copy it..then delete the online message. Wait
           for a day and scream bloody murder for this injustice.

        -VIOLATION OF POLICY: now this is the easiest. There are sysops and
           users out there that just cannot follow the rules. Don't worry
           about the users-- just get the sysop because he is supposed to be
           the roll model (or she).

        -AGISM: everyone knows that adults are fascist pigs, so remind
           the entire BBS a few times.

        -GOVERNMENT: anarchy, socialism or communism should do the trick.
           Offer the Communist Witch Hunts of the '50s. This will cause an
           uproar. (I have actually tried this one many a time)


The DUMB topic list:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        -CLASSES: my BBS is better than your BBS messages. Very dumb, and
           a bad approach.. doesn't seem cool because you may end up
           flaming a perfectly cool sysop unknowingly.

        -SPELLING: this is the worst and lowest blow. DO not even BOTHER
           with it. This is a sign of the other side having nothing left to
           say. It is a fairly good side that you have almost won, or that
           the other side is out of ideas (for now..).

HOW TO CHOOSE A NAME:
        * Grab the phone book
        * Pick three numbers (random) 0-9.
        * Go to that page
        * Randomly grab a name and a phone number
        * Log in to the BBS
        * Use the above name
           -read a bunch of messages, find one that offers
            flame possibilities.
           -post
           -post
           -post
        * Logoff
          [wait for 12 hours or 24 hours.. depending if it is NET'd]
        * Call back
           -read
           -post
        * Repeat from [] down.

    Use the same name until you are discovered. Most sysops only check to
    see if the name exists, not if the person lives there. I would suggest
    that you use a name that sounds VERY real if you make up a new alias.
    You will need to change names periodicaly, and whatever you do: NEVER GO
    BACK TO THE SAME NAME or else you will be killed the first time; some
    BBS's have a TRASHCAN file where bad users' names are put.


TIPS ON MESSAGE FORMAT AND WRITING: Do not swear, as people with a limited
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  vocabulary must lower themselves to
        this. The way to combat bordome in drab messages: a thesaurus.
        (dictionaries are also of use)  To make the messages very interesting
        and use very long words, but not too long or else the people will just
        scan over them.

        calmness, n.: quietness,  tranquillity,  calm.

        From the above I would choose tranquillity because it sounds so
        ironic to find it in a flame message.

        Basicaly, remember that you WANT people to read these messages, and
        not just pass them by. I would suggest humor through irony, a good
        vocabulary, intelligent writing style, and ABOVE ALL: good grammer.


MISC tips:
        -never get mad
        -never try to impersonate someone
        -never use your real name or number
        -always keep a GOOD user on every BBS
        -never form an alliance with ANYONE
        -do not compromise

I suggest keeping a good user on a few BBSes because that way you can keep a
constant supply of information. Never call in with both users at the same hour
or else patterns will show and you will be discovered. I do not suggest
alliances as they will eventualy turn against you.

COMBATTING PARANOIA: In the flame you will get paranoid. By all means combat
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  this with anything that you can find. I have never been
        been able to do this. Remember that they do NOT know who you are, and
        they cannot come to your house and make you into a pudding that Bill
        Cosby will be shoving down some kid's throat.

CONFIDENTIALITY: Never believe this policy. I have been ratted on before. I
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  do not suggest letting ANYONE know who you are-- even your
        friends. A sysop may say that his records are confidential: but they
        NEVER are. I currently have my real name floating around between PDX
        and Vancouver on just about every OPUS (about 1000000 zillion.. hard to
        count because there are no identifying/charecteristic features/prop-
        erties) by a sysop who claimed to be confidential.

FILE TRANSFERS: When you have all of these names, make sure to use them to
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  get the advantage of virtualy unlimited DL/UL abilities.
        When you first start the war (user name #1) wait until it gets bad,
        then milk the DL/UL areas until you are thrown off for messages and
        DL/UL ussage (or should I say exploitation?). When you get thrown
        off just start in another day or so-- UNDER A DIFFERENT NAME.

WHEN TO STRIKE: When the sysop is on vacation. If the sysop is not answering
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  his mail, chances are he is out of town for the weekend or
        the holliday. If he is not there: he cannot delete your messages. This
        is not the best time to attack the sysop, as he will most asuradly
        read his mail once he gets back, and will be paying extra attention
        to any changes since he was gone. If you would like to play hit and
        run, while he is on vacation, while sticking to one alias, rape his
        board with massive loads of information. Once he gets back-- go on
        `vacation' for a week of so after.



WHY NOT TO FLAME: it is a pain in the butt if ANYONE finds out your real
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  name. If the sysop is cool, you will be wrong in doing
        whatever you say, but then he may be BAD. You may also find that
        the flame will mean more than anything else.

WHY TO FLAME: it is about the only way that people will read your opinions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~  It is very hard to ignore a board-wide or NET-wide flame war.
        It is also the ultimate in publicity if you run a BBS (trust me--
        everyone that is on my net and reads VANPORT knows who I am,
        and what my BBS is) what they hear may not be too cool, but they
        will eventualy if THEY are good users (to seek adventure).



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** do not alter, add or remove any portion of this text without written  **
** permission from the Author.. yeah-- that's right!                     **
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Which G-file (Q=Quit) ?