OPN May 94                     -opn--opn--opn--op
    _                      -opn--opn--opn--opn--opn--
 ==| |==1600             -opn--opn--opn--opn--opn--opn-
   | |                 -opn--opn__________--opn--opn--opn
 __|$|__1400         -opn--opn-/  ____   /opn--opn--opn--op
   |$|              -opn--opn-/  /--o/  /opn--opn--opn--opn-
 __|$|__1200       -opn--opn-/  /--o/  /opn--opn--opn--opn--o
   |$|            -opn--opn-/  /--o/  /__________opn--opn--opn
 __|$|__1000     -opn--opn-/  /--o/  //  ____   /pn--opn--opn--
   |$|           -opn--opn/  /n--/  //  /--o/  /opn--opn--opn--
 __|$|__800      -opn--op/  /pn-/  //  /n--/  /-opn--opn--opn--
   |$|          -opn--op/  /___/  //  /___/  /___n--opn-___n--op
 __|$|__600      -opn--/_________//  _______/    |n--op/  /pn--
   |$|           -opn--opn--opn--/  /-opn--/     |n--o/  /opn--
 __|$|__400      -opn--opn--opn-/  /--opn-/  /|  |n--/  /-opn--
   |$|            -opn--opn--op/  /pn--op/  /p|  |pn/  /n--opn
 __|$|__200        -opn--opn--/__/-opn--/  /-o|  |o/  /opn--o
   |$|              -opn--opn--opn--opn/  /n--|  |/  /--opn-
 __|$|__0            -opn--opn--opn--o/  /opn-|     /pn--op
  /$$$\                -opn--opn--opn/  /n--op|    /--opn
 ($$$$$)                 -opn--opn--/__/-opn--|___/opn-
  \OPN/                    -opn--opn--opn--opn--opn--
Oregon Public Networking       -opn--opn--opn--op       Population: 725


FUNDING GOAL FOR MAY NEARLY REACHED; AUSPICIOUS HOROSCOPE WORTHY OF NOTE

We've come very close to reaching our May goal of $1600.  A few (very)
last minute checks plus a few already in the mail should put us over
the top, and then we'll be on to June.  Please skip to the bottom and
send in a check (for either May or June) if you're not interested in
humor, horoscopes or flaming.

The following is my *personal* (well, okay me and every other Pisces)
horoscope from Brezny's Real Astrology (zenpride@well.sf.ca.us) which
appears in the renowned publication, "Northwest Comic News":

	"The communication wars are raging, and that's not necessarily
	bad.  If you're a flexible and persuasive warrior, your
	triumphs this week could be legendary.  I predict that gossip
	guerrillas who've undermined your interests will be in retreat,
	and your credibility as a networking spokesperson will soar.

	"Allah and Jehovah may not be on your side, but the messenger
	god Mercury definitely is.  Invoke his blessing as you speak
	the voluptuous truths no one else has the courage or clarity to
	articulate."

So I was thinking about just letting the fundraising stuff slide a
while longer, but how could I after that? 8)

Now that I've put myself on the spot, I'll try to sum up what I know
about flaming and misinformation on the internet and hope it's worthy
of the blessings of the forementioned deities :-)

You'll find messages of every human flavor on the internet.  Most
writers are straightforward, friendly, helpful and as informative as
they can be.  Some, however, are deceptive.  They use lies, pseudonyms,
and innuendo instead of facts, real names and plain-speaking.  Some are
hostile.  They insult, harass and make personal attacks on-line.  Some
are unhelpful and provide information that is irrelevant, incomplete,
or inaccurate.

Like most technologies, the internet can be used for good or ill.
Those of us who are volunteers at OPN are driven to a great extent by
the hope that this technology will mostly be used for good, and there
are many encouraging things happening on-line that help us keep the
faith.  Nonetheless, we are saddened to learn that our little network
of over 700 people includes a handful of bad apples.  

What can you do?  First, THINK CRITICALLY.  Mainstream media often
tries to make critical thinking unnecessary by *supposedly* providing
you with unbiased, complete, appropriately emphasized slices of life so
that you can just take their stories in at face value.  By being close
to the target much of the time, they cultivate trust in their editorial
opinions and decisions about what is or isn't newsworthy and in their
reporting.  They endeavor to adhere to at least some journalistic
principles and codes of ethics, with varying degrees of success.

On the net, few are trained journalists, most have an axe to grind, and
many have both above-board and hidden agendas (just like in "real
life").  The net seems to have the ability to reduce inhibitions and
people who would otherwise not speak up for fear of ridicule or waiting
for the proper time & place "speak" out on the net.  The disadvantages
are bad information and heated discussions.  The advantages are more
subtle:  The ice is broken, the "grid-lock" of silence and denial of
problems and differences of opinions is shattered and opinions are
offered in their roughest forms.  People can't easily back-track and
hold conflicting views at different/convenient times because it's so
easy to quote them back at themselves.

It's easy to find non-sequiturs, biases, misinformation and sometimes
even prejudice on the net.  This provides a training ground for our
critical thinking.  You may wish, as an exercise, to call people on
their information mistakes and transgressions and identify the type(s)
of misinformation they are participating in.  You may wish to alert
others if you find someone who consistently misinforms with intent to
deceive.  You may wish to simply ignore many sources of information.
Despite the rants and raves, there are many good sources out there on
the net, including a number of EFN members.  For example, I received
excellent information on the Ozone layer and CFC's from EFN members who
were active in the Eugene CFC ban initiative.

As you become more discerning of electronic sources, you may also find
yourself becoming more critical of mainstream media.  Their tricks are
often the same as the ones used by ordinary people on the net, just a
little more subtle and cleverly disguised.  At this point you're well
on your way to truly thinking for yourself.  The ultimate task is to
think critically about your own views and opinions, recognize your own
values/biases and find your place in the constellations of human
opinions.  We all, like early astronomers, tend to think our "world" is
at the center of the universe and are profoundly shocked to learn that
we occupy a small ideological speck circling one of 100 billion stars
in one of 100 million galaxies.  This realization can lead to greater
understanding of other people's views and even reconciliation.

In your own messages, speak plainly, succinctly.  Avoid repeating
yourself or what others have already said.  Forward the best
information you find to friends and forums that you know will be
interested.  Use facts, whenever possible, to back up your arguments
and try to cite your sources.  Avoid repeating hearsay and go to the
person in question if/when you want to decide the truth of a rumor or
controversial opinion.  Consider: "Is this message worthy of me?  What
does it say about me that I would publish this message?  Is my message
unbiased, or have I at least been honest about my biases in presenting
my views?  Will this message reflect well on me or will it tend to
repel people and cause them to cast doubt on the views expressed?  Does
this message indicate that I am a helpful, truthful, concise source of
information? (Oops, I'm repeating myself :-)  Does my message serve as
an example of a good posting and how I'd like others to respond to
and inform me?".

In electronics, the analogy would be how to share a signal bus between
many components without saturating the bandwidth.  In Quaker meetings,
the analogy might be speaking only when "moved" by your highest
consciousness.  In "The Media Lab" Stewart Brand quoted someone as
saying "Information is the difference that makes a difference".  This
ethic holds that you should try to know your audience well enough to
gauge if what you say stands a good chance of actually changing
someone's behavior, thinking or accomplishments.  If not, why say it?

The key is for each of us to hold high standards for both what we "say"
on the net and require information we accept (read and believe) to meet
these high standards as well.  If we are successful in this, we will
create an environment where truth is dispersed widely and
misinformation is not propagated, where authority is earned by being a
faithful "reporter" and where deceivers are quickly identified and
discredited so that it becomes very difficult or nearly impossible to
gain anything through misinformation.

The potential for good is immense.  The ideal democracy where most
people are informed and participate fully in decision making may be
attainable with the assistance of this medium or something close to
it.  New levels of collaboration on scientific, academic and artistic
projects are made possible.

I hope this was helpful.  It's the best I have to offer anyway.  Maybe
a different OPN pisces could have done better :-) Thanks for reading.


Please mail a check today (payable "Oregon Public Networking" or "OPN")
to:

            OPN, Attn: Fundraising
            PO Box 1914
            Eugene OR 97440-1914

Write your user-id (login name) on the check so we can give you proper
credit and add you to our priority access list.  Thanks for your support.

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      Oregon Public Networking  --  OPNing the gates to the Internet
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