Excuse me if this post apears twice. I posted over an hour ago and th
first is not showing up....So again:

I think this group is approprately active for 300-400 memebers. Has
there been a loss of memebership recently?

Also, I moderate a Yahoo! group called "Signal and Image Processing."
I occasionally do a memeberhsip drive by posting to related groups
Perhaps someone in this group should do that. I'm a newbie so I think
one of the senior members should do that.

Finally, I notice that the group desciption doesn't contain the word
"kayak." If google searches use the description, then, perhaps someone
should add it.

On Feb 8, 8:19 pm, "JohnKuthe" wrote:
On Feb 8, 2:44 pm, "Fred Klingener"
wrote:

Gets real quiet here, when there's no water running.

Fred

It's real quiet here even when there is water running!

Compared to what RBP was before the Web, anyway!! :-( RBP is a mere
shell of it's former pre-WWW existence. :-(

John Kuthe...

Moby Dick wrote:

Finally, I notice that the group desciption doesn't contain the word
"kayak." If google searches use the description, then, perhaps someone
should add it.

It doesn't contain the word "kayak" because it is not exclusively about
kayaking - it is a paddling newsgroup and includes canoeists and other
paddlers.

The main reasons for it's demise over time have largely gone - Uncle
Timmy is no longer an issue (his health isn't what would be required to
post here) and the Snot Weiner seems to have trucked off for other
venues to annoy. I can't think of a reason for the paddlers to migrate
back here.

Mike

On Feb 11, 5:14 pm, Michael Daly wrote:
Moby Dick wrote:
Finally, I notice that the group desciption doesn't contain the word
"kayak." If google searches use the description, then, perhaps someone
should add it.

It doesn't contain the word "kayak" because it is not exclusively about
kayaking - it is a paddling newsgroup and includes canoeists and other
paddlers.

The main reasons for it's demise over time have largely gone - Uncle
Timmy is no longer an issue (his health isn't what would be required to
post here) and the Snot Weiner seems to have trucked off for other
venues to annoy. I can't think of a reason for the paddlers to migrate
back here.

Mike

Hi Michael. Don't forget The Burning Man. I think Njall proboably
did as much damage to r.b.p as Sponson-boy did.

I was just reading a profile of Rocky Contos in the American
Whitewater journal. It brought back memories of a vibrant and useful
r.b.p, and then it actually referred to Rockies posts of his exploits
during the halcyon years of r.b.p in the late '90s. Worth a read if
you have access to a copy.

-Richard, His Kanubic Travesty
--

================================================== ====================
Richard Hopley Winston-Salem, NC, USA
Nothing really matters except Boats, Sex, and Rock'n'Roll
rhopley[at]earthlink[dot]net
OK, OK; computer programming for scientific research also matters
rhopley[at]wfubmc[dot]edu
================================================== ====================

Thanks Mike. If the group is for more than kayakers (and that's fine),
then use all the dang keywords: "kayaking", "canoing", "paddling".
That way people searching for any of the above will stumble upon the
group.




On Feb 11, 3:14 pm, Michael Daly wrote:
Moby Dick wrote:
Finally, I notice that the group desciption doesn't contain the word
"kayak." If google searches use the description, then, perhaps someone
should add it.

It doesn't contain the word "kayak" because it is not exclusively about
kayaking - it is a paddling newsgroup and includes canoeists and other
paddlers.

The main reasons for it's demise over time have largely gone - Uncle
Timmy is no longer an issue (his health isn't what would be required to
post here) and the Snot Weiner seems to have trucked off for other
venues to annoy. I can't think of a reason for the paddlers to migrate
back here.

Mike

"Moby Dick" wrote in news:1171238268.607939.4800
@h3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

Thanks Mike. If the group is for more than kayakers (and that's fine),
then use all the dang keywords: "kayaking", "canoing", "paddling".
That way people searching for any of the above will stumble upon the
group.

This group isn't a Google group or Yahoo group in the same sense that you
may be familiar with. It's a usenet newsgroup and doesn't have any
associated keywords. Usenet was around long before Google or Yahoe or any
other web site (I've been participating on Usenet since 1985). This group
has been around for well over a decade (that's how long I've been
participating and there are several here that were around long before I). I
don't want to discourage you from particpating but it's not wise to jump
into a group that's been around for a long time and dictate to those that
have been partipating in it for many years how to use the group.

On Feb 11, 6:26 pm, John Fereira wrote:
"Moby Dick" wrote in news:1171238268.607939.4800
@h3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

I'm dictating anything. I was responding to your condescending tone.
Now, I think I see why membership is down.

Thanks Mike. If the group is for more than kayakers (and that's fine),
then use all the dang keywords: "kayaking", "canoing", "paddling".
That way people searching for any of the above will stumble upon the
group.

This group isn't a Google group or Yahoo group in the same sense that you
may be familiar with. It's a usenet newsgroup and doesn't have any
associated keywords. Usenet was around long before Google or Yahoe or any
other web site (I've been participating on Usenet since 1985). This group
has been around for well over a decade (that's how long I've been
participating and there are several here that were around long before I). I
don't want to discourage you from particpating but it's not wise to jump
into a group that's been around for a long time and dictate to those that
have been partipating in it for many years how to use the group.

Moby Dick wrote:
On Feb 11, 6:26 pm, John Fereira wrote:
"Moby Dick" wrote in news:1171238268.607939.4800
@h3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

I'm dictating anything. I was responding to your condescending tone.
Now, I think I see why membership is down.

John was simply reacting to your approach and lack of relevant knwoledge
about how usenet functions. Read up a bit about what newsgroups are and
what is involved in forming them before coming on and suggesting things
that aren't relevant or appropriate. Also, RBP has been around for a
long time, and the reasons you gave for wanting to change the name
aren't going to change the usenet conventions that it adheres to.

--
Wilko van den Bergh wilkoa t)dse(d o tnl
Eindhoven The Netherlands Europe
---Look at the possibilities, don't worry about the limitations.---
http://kayaker.nl/

"Moby Dick" wrote in
ups.com:

On Feb 11, 6:26 pm, John Fereira wrote:
"Moby Dick" wrote in
news:1171238268.607939.4800 @h3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

I'm dictating anything. I was responding to your condescending tone.
Now, I think I see why membership is down.

There is no membership involved. Rec.boats.paddle is an open forum that can
be accessed numerous ways. Many use a usenet newsreader application such as
Forte free agent, Xnews, and for the really old school types, a program
called "trn". Google groups and Yahoo groups merely provide web based front
ends to the group and may provide keyword searching capabilities but all
they're really searching is the content of the posts. As is the case for
most usenet groups the content focus is defined by a charter which is voted
on when the group is initially proposed. In this case, the charter
describes a group for discussion of topics related to boats that can be
paddled, though there have been past discussions about whitewater rafting
(with uses oars rather than paddles), and the use of sails on kayaks. As is
the case for most usenet groups, topics do appear or drift outside the
scope of the original charter but most try to relate their content, even if
tangentially to paddling boats. To confuse things even more, in the UK they
call kayaks a "canoe" and when we start talking about traditional kayaking
alternative spellings appear (Qajaq) or specific types of kayaks (Baidarka)
might show up. Thus, a thread on the merits of a bifurcated bow on a
Baidarka might never contain the words kayak or canoe but it is very much
about paddling a kayak.

As I said, I (nor I doubt) anyone else here has any intention of
discouraging you or anyone else from participating in this group. The
questions that you ask regarding the materials used for kayaks are good ones
and at least a couple of people have taken the time to provide answers.
There is a vast amount of knowledge available here about kayaks, canoes, and
related topics and, for the most part, the atmosphere is quite civil. From
time to time, people do show up that only seem to want to be argumentative
and disruptive, but that's the nature of usenet.

Thanks Mike. If the group is for more than kayakers (and that's
fine), then use all the dang keywords: "kayaking", "canoing",
"paddling". That way people searching for any of the above will
stumble upon the group.

This group isn't a Google group or Yahoo group in the same sense that
you may be familiar with. It's a usenet newsgroup and doesn't have
any associated keywords. Usenet was around long before Google or
Yahoe or any other web site (I've been participating on Usenet since
1985). This group has been around for well over a decade (that's how
long I've been participating and there are several here that were
around long before I). I don't want to discourage you from
particpating but it's not wise to jump into a group that's been around
for a long time and dictate to those that have been partipating in it
for many years how to use the group.

On Feb 12, 12:56 pm, "Moby Dick" wrote:
On Feb 11, 6:26 pm, John Fereira wrote: "Moby Dick" wrote in news:1171238268.607939.4800
@h3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

I'm dictating anything. I was responding to your condescending tone.
Now, I think I see why membership is down.

Hee hee. Welcome to Usenet....a thick skin is usually pretty helpful.
Mostly because sometimes things sound worse than they are intended.

There are a host of traditions on Usenet, probably because of human
nature (when people get together, they seem to make rules), and
someone new to the medium often doesn't realize that many many many
other people have trodden that way before. John wasn't being
condescending (we get people here who ARE condescending, and you can
really tell the difference), but was mentioning that the newsgroup
doesn't have any 'keywords' per se. When people do a search of the
group, they are only getting hits on words that have been included in
people's posts. AFAIK (as far as I know), there isn't anywhere to even
PUT 'keywords'.

There IS a FAQ somewhere, and I'm sure it mentions kayaks, etc. Can
anyone provide the link?

While we're on the subject of rules and FAQs, top-posting is
discouraged also. Something to do with how the messages 'read' if you
want to look through the leading-in conversation. And also while we're
at it, I'm risking the danger of being labeled a 'net nanny' for
pointing this out....mea culpa.

Meanwhile, welcome aboard. Where do you paddle?

--riverman

On Feb 11, 9:56 pm, "Moby Dick" wrote:
On Feb 11, 6:26 pm, John Fereira wrote: "Moby Dick" wrote in news:1171238268.607939.4800
@h3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

I'm dictating anything. I was responding to your condescending tone.
Now, I think I see why membership is down.
Wow. I must have stepped on some nerves. I use Google and I used
keywords to find this group. If usenet doens't support that, then it
must be primitive. Furthermore, Google asked me to "subscribe" hence
my notion of membership.

I have no idea what "top posting" is. Am I doing that?

In my own defense, I thought I was being helpful. The thread was
bemoaning the lack of postings. I observed that perhaps the group
needed more members and suggested two possible ways to do that *which
apparently is not allowed unless you've been in the group "since
1985."

I am truely a newbie. I don't own a kayak but would like to. That's
why my other postings. My wife and I kayaked on our last vacation. We
rented.





Thanks Mike. If the group is for more than kayakers (and that's fine),
then use all the dang keywords: "kayaking", "canoing", "paddling".
That way people searching for any of the above will stumble upon the
group.

This group isn't a Google group or Yahoo group in the same sense that you
may be familiar with. It's a usenet newsgroup and doesn't have any
associated keywords. Usenet was around long before Google or Yahoe or any
other web site (I've been participating on Usenet since 1985). This group
has been around for well over a decade (that's how long I've been
participating and there are several here that were around long before I). I
don't want to discourage you from particpating but it's not wise to jump
into a group that's been around for a long time and dictate to those that
have been partipating in it for many years how to use the group.