# Typical forum rules from 1996.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-forum-rules-from-1996/742637>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 9, 2016, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-forum-rules-from-1996/742637 "2016-01-09T23:01:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-forum-rules-from-1996/742637/1 "2016-01-09T23:01:56Z")

</div>

Anyone can post – they do not have to register. They just type their name or it displays Anon.

No moderation.

Flame wars can rage for a long time.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-forum-rules-from-1996/742637/2 "2016-01-09T23:09:43Z")

</div>

Rec. groups were the downtown district and Alt. groups were the seedier part of town usually.

If tangents got too big too often, a new sub group was spun off.

Star Trek ruled the roost in the Sci fi forums.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-forum-rules-from-1996/742637/3 "2016-01-10T01:09:33Z")

</div>

> [@Quimby](#):
>
> Rec. groups were the downtown district and Alt. groups were the seedier part of town usually.

That was Usenet. First bots appeared there.

Many groups were unmoderated and unmoderatable.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-forum-rules-from-1996/742637/4 "2016-01-10T01:15:32Z")

</div>

Yeah. Rec dots were okay and Alt dots were a bit more risky so to speak.

I seem to remember a few Sci? dots that were actually pretty damn decent.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typical-forum-rules-from-1996/742637/5 "2016-01-10T02:27:57Z")

</div>

Typical forum rule from 1999:

You don’t talk about forum club.