ATTN JMS: The lost hours of work and the worried people as a result of THE RUMOR

[B5JMS Poster]

Subject: ATTN JMS: The lost hours of work and the worried people as a result of THE RUMOR
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 No. | DATE        |  FROM
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s  1: Nov  4, 1996: shmuel at os2bbs.com
*  2: Nov  5, 1996: jmsatb5 at aol.com

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From: shmuel at os2bbs.com
Lines: 34

	I am a very lucky person.  Because I was busy Thursday night and Friday, I
didn't catch the whole rumor thread until the whole truth was revealed.  Otherwise,
I might have worried, and added to the chaos.  But I did see the post you did to the
James fellow, and I though, "I really don't want to see you angry...." as you implied
that you were just warming up.  Uf.
	Anyway, I would just like to say that it really isn't just his fualt.  It's everybody's.
All he did was pass along information -- whether it was correct or not.  That's the 
point of the internet -- the swift passage of info.  We were the people who believed
it (well, and why not -- we don't want anything to happen to the Great Maker).  You
used an analogy of throwing a grenade into the horses -- well, that would make us
the horses.  We should have stuck around until we realized that it wasn't a grenade, 
but a water pistol that made a really loud noise.  
	Information is dangerous.  It causes people to worry, and lose sleep and time.
But it's also useful, and you can't differentiate between what's real and what isn't,
here on the internet.  If I were you, I would be flattered (well, annoyed too....) -- I
mean, people were really worried.  As much as you hate to admit it, you're an important
person, not just out there, but in the lives -- right there, in our faces, guiding us for
a small, or large part of the day -- in the lives of millions of people.  We care about
you enough to cause chaos.  But it's not any one person's fualt.  I would have done
the same (not that I like IRC, but....).  Quite frankly, when it comes to B5, I find that
the people are a lot more polite and honest than other 'netters, and I have come to 
trust people.  So it's my fualt, too, for believing, for accepting information that's not
certified.  ::shrug::  It happens.  A lot of people were worried, and instead of pointing
fingers and cyber-yelling, we should all be thinking "it's a good thing it was only a
rumor.  At least it didn't happen."  We're very lucky in that respect.
	Well, take care that you *don't* end up in a hospital.  We wouldn't want that.
Trust me.  You'd never see the end of the get-well cards.
	
								tlm
P.S. Would a nice, cute, sweet, Bab-bear-lon teddy bear help make up for lost time?
        <eg>




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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com
Lines: 29

"As much as you hate to admit it, you're an important person, not just out
there, but in the lives -- right there, in our faces, guiding us for a
small, or large part of the day -- in the lives of millions of people.  We
care about you enough to cause chaos.  But it's not any one person's
fualt."

I'm not important.  The story, yes, maybe...but not me.

James was the one who initially posted it, having been exposed to the one
person in IRC who wanted to do this.  If B5 is about choices, consequences
and responsibility, we have to own up to making a choice to go public with
something rather than check it out, recognize that there are consequences
to other people when you do this, and then accept the responsibility for
those consequences.

"Quite frankly, when it comes to B5, I find that the people are a lot more
polite and honest than other 'netters, and I have come to trust people."

This part I agree with.  I can't tell you how often I've had convention
organizers, from Worldcon and elsewhere, tell me how pleasantly surprised
and pleased they were that the B5 fans were invariably well-spoken,
polite, intelligent, and friendly.  We've got a good rep, and I guess I
want to protect that.


 jms



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