The Ground Zero Bistro is an asynchronous threaded discussion
forum. It lets people who aren't in the same place at the same time actively
engage each other in a discussion via email. The more active they are, the more
they learn.
In another sense, it's a form of open email, open to the public
to read and open to registered users to post messages. The email is organized
into threads of successive replies.
The software on the server organizes the email. The metaphor
that's often used is a cork bulletin board.
This page, the Lobby, and the
other FAQ pages explain the Bistro's options. Except for the section on cookies, this FAQ assumes that you comfortably use email and
the latest Web browser.
This FAQ has two target audiences, those who have never
participated in:
any threaded discussion
this threaded discussion
What it is
Ground Zero Bistro is serious. You can engage your peers
and instructors in an informal discussion.
It's safe. You can try out new vocabulary -- the jargon
of marketing, history, mathematics, new media -- whatever you're studying.
It's a model. In the future, you may develop personal
avatars, streaming audio, and 3D spaces, but some form of threaded discussion
will be basic to community-building in the 21st century marketplace and
workplace. The skills you develop here will hold you in good stead there.
What it's similar to ...
...
a cork bulletin-board divided into sections. You tack up little index
cards (your replies) in the relevant section.
... letters to the editor, except the turn-around is
quicker and you can follow the threads more easily.
... a class discussion, except you can pause to cool off
before you contribute.
... a pub or coffee house in that many conversations are
going on at once, only some of which interest you.
... any noisy crowded place where it's easy to be
misunderstood.
What it's not
For
many of you, an on-line discussion is a new way of communicating.
Ground Zero Bistro is not a class discussion because
everyone's not in the same room.
It's not writing letters or essays because a posted
message is shorter and less formal.
It's not yackety-yak in those extra hours you have to
waste. (Right!)
It's not quite email because anyone can read it.
It's not a chat room or instant message because
it's asynchronous. You can do it anytime.
Why it's called Ground Zero
"Aren't there too many negative connotations?" writes
Brian Wiley.
At Dictionary.com,
you'll find the negative martial meanings as well as:
Ground Zero
The center of rapid
or intense development or change.
The starting point or
most basic level.
'Ground
Zero' has moved from military lexicon to awful new civilian meaning
by Kevin Dougherty
Stars and Stripes, October 3, 2001
U.S. servicemembers past and present have mixed emotions
about the media’s constant use of the term "Ground Zero" to describe
the World Trade Center site.
Some believe it’s the perfect description, given the magnitude of the damage
in such a confined area.
Others believe the term is historically inaccurate and has become such a cliché
as to be insensitive to the people who died there. ...
The first time the phrase Ground Zero was seen in print was in July 1946, when a
New York Times reporter used the term in a story about the bombs that won the
war in the Pacific.
Since the dawn of the nuclear age, the term has more routinely been used to
describe the center or origin of a rapid, intense, or violent activity or
change.
What is a bulletin board?
It's made of cork and it's covered with push pinned index cards
and torn corners of notebook paper. So this one doesn't get messy, Ground Zero
Bistro is divided into categories of forums. You'll see them listed on
the Bistro's main
page.
The forums are divided into topics. You'll see them
listed after you click on the name of a forum. A thread of messages is listed in
the order of posting, most recent first.
What is the difference between a bulletin board and a newsgroup?
The USENET newsgroups
have developed during the past fifteen years into a major form of Internet
communication. They're totally open to the public and largely unmoderated. They
are thus full of spam and unreliable nonsense. If you use a software filter for
the first and your critical judgment for the second, newsgroups are a great
source of information not found elsewhere.
A bulletin board, in contrast, is moderated and is housed
at a web site. It thus uses a different protocol -- HTTP --
than USENET newsgroups, which use NNTP.
Dejanews will let you browse
the newsgroup hierarchies, search the archives of tens of thousands of
newsgroups, and learn more about newsgroup etiquette.
What is the difference between a bulletin board and a mailing list?
A mailing list
gets sent to those who subscribe. It is often moderated, digested, and archived.
It is seldom threaded. It is not open to the public as newsgroups are. The
messages can't be found via a search engine, as can messages on newsgroups and
bulletin boards.
A mailing list gets sent as email, so it uses a mail protocol, different from the
HTTP of the web and the NNTP of newsgroups. But it's still basically organized
email.
Because of their privacy and their tight focus, mailing lists
attract the expert and the passionate. They are great places for research. Liszt will tell you more.
Why is the Bistro public?
The idea is to exchange information and ideas and resources. If
it's shut up like a book on a faraway library shelf or whispered like a private
conversation, it's not as useful to as many.
What is so good about the Bistro?
Dozens of options are available if you're looking
for forum software, from Java applets to Perl scripts, from very expensive to
free. The Bistro is based on a collection of CGI scripts adapted by Ted O'Neill. We
bought them from his company, Infopop, which markets them as the Ultimate
Bulletin Board. I hope Mr. O'Neill is making some money, because he's done a
great job.
UltimateBB seems like the best package of features for
the price. We have customized the interface and some of the features. As you can
see on the Ultimate Bulletin Board
site, the software is used by sites with a lot more traffic than the Bistro.
What are the latest Web browsers?
November 2001: Netscape and Microsoft's browsers are both up to
version 6.
To determine your browser's version: pull down the Help menu and
choose About Navigator or About Internet Explorer.
To determine whether your browser is set for cookies
(optional), JavaScript (recommended) and style sheets
(recommended), look in Edit | Preferences | Advanced in Navigator and View |
Options | Advanced in Internet Explorer 4 and Tool | Internet Options | Advanced
in Internet Explorer 5.
If you're using AOL's browser, it's a stripped-down
version of Internet Explorer. I recommend that you download and use Netscape's or Microsoft's latest.
They're free.
Note | This FAQ looks better in Navigator than in
Internet Explorer.
If you don't find your question answered here, please ask it
individually. We'll reply as soon as possible and perhaps add your question to
this FAQ.
Help the Bistro help everyone
report a problem, a glitch, or an offensive
message
ask questions not on this FAQ
suggest ways to improve the Bistro's
navigation? a forum's content? this FAQ?
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Bistro FAQ