[Cornelious Jerome Garcia Oppenheimer]

Originally Posted by nameloc01

Torrenting=not good.

-It enables and encourages the "instant gratification" mentality.

Do you grow your own food? How about your own weed? Build your own car? Paint all of your own artwork?

Instant gratification does not always equate to laziness. The internet has given all of us the ability to get some things quickly, be it shows, information, airline tickets, porn, or casual encounters with strangers

Yes, some will always exploit that. But stating that as a whole bit torrent is not good because of those few. I just don't understand. I see plenty of ratios on bt sites that show there are still people that give very generously, and kind enough to explain it to newbies in a way that is not self-righteous or attacking them.

I also can't grasp how someone can say that this medium for trading/exchanging is bad. I used to go through a boatload of bubble mailers, postage, and in essence a lot of resources (postal workers salaries, gas, vehicles, CDR's, sometimes planes I imagine) just to get a nice set of SHN's to someone on the east coast or out of the country. Now, I can serve them and access them in a much more eco friendly way IMO.

-It does not foster a sense of community that is present amongst "real" traders.

Disagree. I have been a 'real' trader for a very long time, before online trading. I have fostered more friendships and been a part of, and help create communities that people choose the level they wish to participate in. If someone wants to become a part of any online community, it is rather simple and easier than hoping that you may have something that is worthy to the person that holding the show you are interested in. Before Sharingthegroove, I had a limited Jazz collection, and I love prince and that snail mail community was almost impossible to get into and I had a hard time even getting a couple of shows. I think if anything it broke up the elitist trading circles and brought a lot of great shows out of woodwork.

-It demotes the hobby of taping. People realize they can sit in their basement and push a few buttons thus getting them practically any show they want,without giving the slightest bit of anything back to the "community".

Once again, big generalization. I have been duped a handful of times trading with 'real' traders. Snail Mail leechers are out there too.

I think it actually has brought the hobby of taping to a whole new level. From access to information about equipment to hints/tricks for getting the best out of whatever gear you have. We have a whole sub-forum here dedicated to the hobby of taping. I have seen quite a few people post from their initial questions about equipment, taping, seeding all the way through purchasing the equipment and then eventually posting their first show and watching them get better, posting more shows, and love their new hobby.