Posted by Japan has been producing animated media since 1917 and anime has since become a global hit. So it comes as no surprise that the English-speaking world has been viewing and engaging with various media for quite some time. On one Usenet newsgroup, people facilitated discussions as early as in 2000. Through the moderation regulations of one specific newgroup, the alt anime cardcaptor sakura (AACCS) newsgroup, we can take a peak into the various meaning behind their rules.
In one post, Rob, the author, makes a FAQ of 14 questions that forms the regulations that govern this digital space.
We can see that these questions not only explain the basics of how the posts and replies work, but also explain the proper etiquette a member should uphold.
In question number three, six and seven, Rob explains the meaning behind these strange new verbs and the behaviors that results in these actions. Being “flamed” means to be criticized by other members of the group. To avoid being “flamed” one must adhere by the following rules.
We can see that many items here describe requirements for writing with proper language rules. To avoid being “flamed,” one must use proper capitalization, perform spellcheck, and avoid coded slang languages like kewlspeak, which is a general name for a style of typing with such features as substituting the number “0” for the letter “o” like “d00d” instead of “dude” or text language commonly used today like “u,” “r,” and “lol.” In their messages, we can see that they try to speak formally, with proper grammar and sentence structures, like how people today write formal emails.
What will happen if a user disregards these rules despite being “flamed?” Usenet has another strategy. “Kill filing” is when a member will block a user personally to prevent that person’s posts and information from showing up in their version of the newsgroup. This is the predecessor to today’s blocking and muting functions. When many people block that person, they are “mass kill filed.”
Even worst than being “mass kill filed” is “plonk.” This is when a user is publicly mass killed by a possibly popular author, which might encourage others to do the same.
These rules form an environment where users and writers are encouraged to speak formally and politely. The use of blocking acts as an auto-moderation against undesired content. This could be useful in combating spam (advertisement) and trolls. At the same time, since each newsgroup act as mini, automated chat groups, if a user is blocked by a large population of the group, they are essentially shadow banned with no return. There is no process or outside moderation that removes unwanted posts or can process appeals by wrongfully banned individuals. This is a two-sided blade where a group of users can keep out rightfully undesirable material but can also turn into one-sided bullying if in a small group, a popular user convinces others to block the new user, essentially gatekeeping them away from engagement. In this scenario, while the user is not blocked from any content, and can choose to lurk in the space, they are denied the ability to add anything of their own and may not even know why no one replies to their posts.
Under question number nine Rob states that posters should avoid posting spoilers, which are information that reveals plot points in Cardcaptor Sakura that should be a surprise or hidden information for first time viewers. If spoilers cannot be avoided, they should use a spoiler space. This is a little trick created specifically in the context of the internet where a user will leave a large space, usually with a text warning, to block the viewer from seeing anything underneath the spoiler space without scrolling first.
These rules allows the alt anime cardcaptor sakura newsgroup to foster a forum with only relevant, well-written posts and polite replies. Outsiders who disregard the rules will be at best ignored at worst kill filed if they test post (question 3), make post for the sole purpose of getting others riled up (question 11) and make irrelevant posts that are not related to Cardcaptor Sakura but are also not labelled with [OT] for off topic (question 13) as well as many other additional faux pas.
We can see that in the early days of public internet communication, while there is no moderation done by the platform, it is also not a wild west where anyone can say and post anything anywhere. Hobbyists and interest groups ban together to create self governing spaces with rules for conduct and punishment for bad behavior. This system is similar to old reddit, which had a similar aversion to textspeak, slang, and is composed of discrete groups formed through a common topic.
Posts taken from alt.anime.cardcaptor_sakura at 2000 08 15
Cultural History of the Internet 