Five AM, can't sleep, so I'm staring at a CRT until my eyes get tired. Was just lurking around some websites that I used to frequent. My, how they've changed! The first site I was ever a regular on had under 50 non-lurkers. It was a friendly, tight-knit group, very cliquey but welcoming to anyone who demonstrated a modicum of intelligence. The web was much smaller and somewhat more obscure then so there was a certain mutual noblesse oblige. I remember when, due to a temporary security issue, the email address of someone who is considered a major celebrity by this group was leaked. Several people, including me, found this celebrity's email address. Some people guarded it as a secret and didn't do anything with it, others used it to inform the person in question about the security problem. No one harrassed this person, and they felt secure enough that I understand they still use this address today. Then I look at that community as it is now, overpopulated, full of teenyboppers who don't know how to use Google, and I shudder to think what might happen if a similar leak happened now.

Sometimes I think it would be cool to track down members of the old guard of some of my former online haunts, get everyone to visit the site at once, and temporarily take over the messageboard. We'd have cool discussions, wow the current regulars, and gently push all the OMG WTF LOLOLOLOL messages down to the bottom of the board and into oblivion.

Alas, I know this wouldn't work. They outnumber us now, they'd probably just freak out and ban us, then go back to LOL OMG!