Exploring New York City's On-Line Community: A Snapshot of NYC.GENERAL By Michael Hauben Something new is gradually sneaking into every part of human society, our world. The agent of change is the global computer communications network(1) or the "largest machine that man has ever constructed", of which "the full map of it no one knows; it changes every day."(2) This "global telecommunications network"(3) is being used by man and in the process, social communities are being redefined. This paper aims to present the effect of the global on- line community on human communities from the local standpoint of New York City. The topic of community is one of the themes which Sally Banes explores in her book, Greenwich Village 1963. Banes study of Greenwich Village community in 1963 presents some interesting foundations upon which to compare today's growing on-line community in New York City. Community has traditionally been understood to mean a body of people which affiliates among that grouping based on family ties, location, shared religious practices and common work places(4). There are of course other definitions, as Banes presents the view held by historian Thomas Bender, "Bender prefers to reconceptualize community, suggesting that it is not a static social form that is disappearing, but rather that new, dynamic, overlapping forms of small-scale networks have arisen..." (5) The structure behind Bender's view of community reflects the technological structure upon which today's on-line communities exist. The Internet is the interconnection of smaller networks. As such, the Internet provides the glue which connects other networks together. This means by being on NYSERNET(6) in New York, I can send electronic mail (e-mail) to someone on a different network, say Michnet in Michigan, because the networks automatically route my message from my network to the intended recipients network through intermediate networks. As such, the global computer communications network consists of small-scale networks of computers (and in turn people) which connect to each other. Banes's beginning definition of community translates to saying people living in New York City are part of the community of New York City. New York City is a large place. People are still proud to say they are from New York City and relate to things New York. However, New York can also be an isolated and alienating place. The contemporary concept of community is evolving similarly to Bender's model thanks to developing technology. The 60s had the soapbox, the 90s has computer networks. People are communicating with other people both locally and globally on public discussion areas such as Usenet newsgroups and mailing lists and through private e-mail.(7) Many of the possible benefits of on- line communities were thought out by the late Dr. J.C.R. Licklider in his paper "The Computer as a Communications Device" with Robert Taylor before these communities spread. Bender's idea of ever changing overlapping communities is similar to what Licklider foresaw computer communications making possible for social communities. To add to this, I explained the dynamics of human communication via computer assisted communications when I previously wrote: "The networking of various human connections quickly forms, changes its goals, disbands and reforms into new collaborations. The fluidity of such group dynamics leads to a quickening of the creation of new ideas. Groups can form to discuss an idea, focus in or broaden out and reform to fit the new ideas that have resulted from the process."(9) In these new forms of communication technologies, the distinction between a stranger and a friend is becoming blurred. Strangers are no longer strange, rather they are people who might prove to be a valuable resource(10). One example of the public discussion areas is a usenet newsgroup called New York City general or nyc.general.(11) I will present to you but a little of what I found in one day, which was discussed in this public space for about a course of a week or more. Just a warning, you are about to witness a composite of life in New York City. "My boss is going to fire me,"(12) begins the first of discussions I decided to read. The subject line read "Getting Unemployment," but the message left that as a last recourse. The person continued in the request for help: "What can I do? I'm not a minority or member of a protected group so that rules out the labor board, EEOC, etc. . . Could I find a lawyer to take the case on contingency? Else, how easy is it to get unemployment after being fired. No questions asked or do they give you the third degree? Thanks in advance!"(13) A genuine problem was posted. As such, responses were likely sent by others, and indeed they were. The first public response went: "If you're being fired by your boss, and you've been on the job for a certain period of time (6 months possibly?), and you were being paid legally on the books, unemployment compensation is guaranteed. Just go to the unemployment office and do the bureaucracy dance."(14) Conceivably neither the original poster nor the person who responded knew the other. The fact that these two are probably strangers and before this point totally unconnected could be why the response was done publicly. The time and effort the person put into responding publicly could potentially be helpful to yet another person reading this discussion. The next public response in sequence provided some clarification which could or could not be seen as being unfriendly. This man added that unemployment insurance could not be collected if that person was "fired for cause, such as stealing."(15) The last public response I saved to this discussion brought up the right of the boss to contest the granting of unemployment insurance. The response ends with some support: "It is just another long, tedious hassle to get you to give up and forget about it. But if you feel you deserve the unemployment benefits because he/she did not fire you with just cause, fight till the very end...Good luck." (16) All in all, these three public responses helped to define the previously tenuous concept of unemployment held by the original poster. However, the picture is not complete. I am sure the person with the question, who could be reached via an e-mail address at the on-line service Delphi, probably received private e-mail with suggestions and comments which are not available as part of the public record of nyc.general. What other things are discussed? Concerns about public living conditions, such as discussions about the past, present, and future of the subway system happen on a regular basis. Even better is that an employee of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, who claims to be acting in an unofficial capacity, replies to questions and concerns about the subway. Nyc.general has presented an open public forum where this person can talk about his job in a way he feels can be helpful to many people. Such is not yet apparently true with any New York politicians entrusted to represent their constituency. However, attempts to do so are happening. Governor Cuomo ran a gopher information server in his campaign for re- election, and New York State law and pending State Assembly bills will be on-line in the next few months. (17) Some examples of questions by people on how to survive in Manhattan range from where to get cheap checking accounts (18), what dentist or doctor to visit for particular problems, what rights tenants have, and how and when to approach the Department of Motor Vehicles to opinions on the best pizza slice in New York.(19) Others raise issues which are not so cut and dry. The pros and cons of rent control were discussed in the following exchange: "Well, having just moved from the West Coast, I can tell you this about New York in general: there is no such thing as a nice place for a reasonable rent. This place is absurdly expensive - God only knows how rents can be so high in a place where roughly 10 million people live." (20) The first response was not much of a discussion, but would definitely start one. The person wrote in answer: "Two words: Rent control." (21) A second answer about rent control went like this: "Your solutions might be okay for the burbs, but this is New York you're talking about. These regulations were not the *cause* of high rents, they were enacted *because* of high rents. Removing them will harm the city in the short term and cause unpredictable results in the long term, as deregulation always does." (22) In these and other cases, the open quality of debate and discussion makes nyc.general a living newspaper in addition to a helpful neighborhood. A living newspaper which both criticizes current newspapers and provides features. My last examples are a post about the quality of the New York Times, and a piece I could not pass up. The Subject of the message was "New York Times technology coverage" "No one should expect the NY Times ... to cover underlying technology well -- that's not their specialty. The Times is a general-interest paper" (23) One of the responses was "Sorry, they should do a better job. That they don't is an indication of the generally low level of scientific literacy in the US. Cutting them slack over stuff like this just reinforces this tendency."(24) From this criticism of the New York Times, we go to an unusual experience that I could call a feature. The person wrote: "Reminds me when I was homeless and still had a valid VISA card which was maxed out. Apparently, between approximately 2:50AM and 4:25AM at night, Safeway stores would not check the validity of the transaction, and would just put it through. All the charges would show up on my VISA bill (which I never paid), and I would eat that day. It's funny because the bank decided that I needed a higher limit, and raised the limit twice, even after seven months of delinquency! My card wasn't canceled until one day I called and asked what the balance was -- and a letter was promptly sent saying there was suspicious activity, and the card was thus cancelled. Thank god I've since filled in the missing links between me and a job, and may even start making enough to pay past debts. Depends on a few factors ..." (25) These examples paint a picture of people today with a common interest, and only secondarily of a common location, making themselves available to be helpful to others with that interest. The obvious interest is life in New York City. These exchanges appear familiar to both the Village Community presented in Greenwich Village 1963 and to Licklider's observations on on-line communities in the 1960s. Greenwich Village in 1963 was made up partially by a community of artists and intellectuals who "formed a constructed network, based on work, school, and other interests." (26) Licklider asked the question, "What will on-line interactive communities be like?" (27) He answers by writing, "They will be communities not of common location, but of common interest." (28) The community life made available in Greenwich Village gave residents "the warmth of face-to-face, 'authentic' experience in the midst of escalating metropolitan anonymity." (29) Villagers also felt a part of the community because people were actively politically to protect their community from large structural changes which other organizations wanted to make happen. (30) The on-line examples both demonstrate a friendliness of a good neighborhood in the midst of an ever growing city, along with showing the active character. To be part of the on-line community one must become a part of the discussion, otherwise that which is discussed will be less helpful, and the lurker (31) will not be in touch with anyone else. The examples of on-line activities are not provided to say there are no problems on-line, and I will not go into the whole phenomenon of flaming, but I feel the advantages are more important and overwhelm the disadvantages. I have presented a snapshot of a fairly new entity which is both making New York a much more friendly place and providing a forum for people of disparate beliefs to meet on equal grounds. In the end, on-line communications can help to enrich local community and community relations rather than diminish that ability. Taking a serious look at the actual dynamic of the communication displays the community of on-line New York City. END-NOTES: 1. or "The 'Net" 2. Ithiel de Sola Pool, Technologies Without Boundaries, Cambridge, MA: 1990, p. 56 3. IBID 4. Sally Banes, Greenwich Village 1963, Durham, NC, 1993. pp. 37 5. Banes, p.37 6. New York State Education and Research Network 7. See Michael Hauben, "The Net and the Netizens: The Impact the Net has on People's Lives", The Netizens and the Wonderful World of the Net, Detroit, MI 1994 8. Licklider, J.C.R. and Robert Taylor "Computers as a Communica- tion Device." International Science and Technology. April 1968 9. Hauben, p. 3 10. Hauben, pp.1 & 4 11. See the appendix for a partial listing of other New York City related on-line resources. 12. nyc.general, Message-ID: 13. IBID 14. nyc.general, Message-ID: 15. nyc.general, Message-ID: <3bg5nb$bbu@titan.imsi.com> 16. nyc. general, Message-ID:<3beb21$461@dockmaster.phantom.com> 17. The currently proposed method is via telnet at assembly.state.ny.us (public response by danorton@chsw.win.net) 18. The answer was the Amalgamated Bank of New York with true no- fee checking. 19. Of which there was one vote for Koronet and one for Famous Famiglia. (Local columbia slice emporiums.) 20. nyc.market.housing, Message-ID: <3bdkcr$fn5@syko.cosmic.com>) 21. nyc.market.housing, Message-ID: <3be4jp$8eo@apakabar.cc.columbia.edu> 22. nyc.general, Message-ID:<39jbfr$3bo@cmcl2.NYU.EDU> 23. nyc.general, Message-ID: 24. nyc.general, Message-ID: <3bq5hp$s0a@nntp.Stanford.EDU> 25. nyc.general, Message-ID: <3bjcvl$i9l@panix3.panix.com> 26. Banes, p. 78 27. Licklider, p. 37 28. IBID, p. 38 29. Banes, p. 15 30. IBID 31. A lurker is a person who only reads on-line discussions and does not actively post themselves. Appendix New York City On-line Resources I. Public decentralized Newsgroups A. nyc.* hierarchy (general, food, market.housing, jobs.*, politics, announce, seminars, singles, personals, transit, etc) B. ny.* hierarchy for State wide issues (general, forsale, wanted, seminars, etc) C. alt.sports.* (such as baseball.ny-mets, football.pro.ny- giants, etc C. Moderated Newsfeed (clari.local.nyc, etc clari.* groups) II. Public Listserv's and Mailing Lists A. ebikes, Metro NYC bicycle discussion list B. NYCOMNET, NY Community Networks lists C. NE-RAVES, electronic watercooler for Ravers D. Etc. III. Local newsgroup hierarchies A. panix.* B. dorsai.* C. mindvox.* D. Local hierarchies serving other communities such as universities, etc. E. Etc., All local and serving the community on the associated Internet providers. Usually only available on the particular system with which it is associated with. IV. Information Servers A. Gopher 1. Rutger's Net Person's Guide to NYC 2. CUNY graduate Center's Guide to NYC 3. NYU's New York City and Greenwich Village Communities 4. New York Book, Bike, and Art ... from Panix 5. Echo's Cool Stuff in NYC contributed by members of ECHO 5. Weather forecasts B. FTP 1. Lists of NYC Bookstores 2. Lists of NYC Record Stores 3. NYC Beer Guide C. WWW 1. Lists of WWW web sites in NYC 2. Theatre on Broadway - listings 3. Dining Information and menus 4. Web sites for performance spaces (Kitchen, Knitting Factory) 5. Mediabridge.com's NYC "Tourist" Info (previously Columbia CS Department) Look to http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/nyc-guides.html for addresses for most of these sites. Bibliography Banes, Sally. Greenwich Village 1963: Avant-Garde Performance and the Effervescent Body. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1993. Hauben, Michael and Ronda Hauben. The Net and the Netizens: An Anthology on the History and Culture of the Net. http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/project_book.html Detroit, MI: 1994 Licklider, J.C.R. and Robert Taylor. "Computers as a Communica- tion Device." International Science and Technology. April 1968 Nyc.general, etc. public response by Daniel A. Norton from danorton@chsw.win.net, Message-ID: <1694@chsw.win.net> Nyc.general, Message-ID: Nyc.general, Message-ID: Nyc.general, Message-ID: <3bg5nb$bbu@titan.imsi.com> Nyc.general, Message-ID: <3beb21$461@dockmaster.phantom.com> Nyc.general, Message-ID: Nyc.general, Message-ID: <3bq5hp$s0a@nntp.Stanford.EDU> Nyc.general, Message-ID: <3bjcvl$i9l@panix3.panix.com> Nyc.general, Message-ID: <39jbfr$3bo@cmcl2.NYU.EDU>) Nyc.general & nyc.market.housing, Message-ID: <3bdkcr$fn5@syko.cosmic.com> Nyc.general & nyc.market.housing, Message-ID: <3be4jp$8eo@apakabar.cc.columbia.edu>) Pool, Ithiel de Sola. Technologies Without Boundaries: On Telecommunications in a Global Age. Editor Eli Noam. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1990.