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What I'd like to know is: Is Usenet worth bothering with?
In my opinion, it probably is. Depends on how satisfied you are with your current sources. Are you "set for life" on some nice private trackers or was the closing of RARBG a problem for you?
I've been on IPTorrents for a year but only used it when I couldn't find what I wanted elsewhere, but in the weeks following the shutdown of RARBG, I've been relying on it much more. I also got in to TorrentLeech when they opened signups for RARBG refugees and I like it.
So, based on that, I guess Usenet isn't worth it? I'd much rather try to use my footing in these two private trackers to get access to other ones. Perhaps I should be asking if there's a good place to do invitation exchanges? I have three IPTorrent invites that I'd be willing to exchange for invites to other trackers.
I've never used IPTorrents but I've heard it's similar to TorrentLeech, which I think is quite good for a general private tracker. Unfortunately, these two are kind of a dead end regarding getting into others. Also unfortunately, every private tracker I've seen has very strict rules against invite trading/selling. I'm sure it still happens, but people can have their accounts banned for it.
Getting into the private trackers you want usually takes time and effort. Many use RED as a stepping stone, but it definitely requires a lot of patience. This can be more than many are willing to put up with, and usenet becomes a very decent alternative for some types of content, mostly movies and tv shows.
Aww that is very sad. :( Why are these two dead ends for getting in to others? Is it because they are "easy" to get in to? In the case of TorrentLeech I can understand since they apparently do open signups now and then, but as far as I know, IPTorrents never does open signups and you can only get in through an invite.
I can totally understand prohibiting invite selling, but I don't understand why invite trading would be considered illegitimate. I would think that it would be a great way for good users on private trackers to help recruit each other. For what it's worth, here's a screenshot of the IPTorrent invitation rules. They make it sound like invitations are only for people you know in real life, but that isn't how I got mine, so it's not like that rule is very strictly followed.
I have never heard of RED. It sounds like they have an "interview" process where they ask to review your history on other trackers? My IPTorrents ratio is pretty good because most of the stuff that I download is Free Leech, so maybe that would be enough to get in?
I think IPTorrents has kind of a bad reputation because you can buy your way on by donating. You can see the info about that on their signup page.
There are official and unofficial recruitment threads on most big private trackers. They usually have certain criteria such as account age, rank, uploaded torrents, etc. These are allowed unless a tracker forbids their users to provide invites this way. But still, no trading happens. Just a user is deemed worthy by having good enough stats and is allowed to request the invite on the specific thread for that tracker.
RED is the biggest private music tracker. I think it was created in the wake of whatCD's demise. Most of the interview is about the content on their interview prep site. I think it's mostly to weed out people who would probably fail to maintain a healthy ratio and follow site rules since RED is kind of seen as a gateway to the rest of the private tracker world. If books are more your thing, you could consider MAM. It's also an interview, but more laid back and a really friendly community. There are less invite threads, but still an okay amount.
Ohh well that's sad. I didn't know that you could buy your way in. ☹️
Got it. I haven't used the IPTorrents or TorrentLeech forums at all. I'll have to check to see if they have anything like that.
Do you know of any private trackers that specialize in software? I'm not really big on music piracy, and as far as books go, everything I've ever wanted is on LibGen, so I don't know that I'd be meaningfully contributing to either of these trackers even if I did get in.
TL doesn't have an invite forum and I don't think IPT does either unfortunately. This is why most people will start in RED, MAM or sometimes OPS (another music tracker). RED also has comics and some audiobooks. MAM has about every audiobook you'd ever want. I think a lot of people on RED don't really listen to all the music they download. Many seed and upload in order to meet the criteria for the invite forums. This is still useful because some people really do use it for their music. Most uploaders get their content from Deezer, Qobuz, or Tidal because these offer FLACs (lossless quality audio). However many people rip CDs and even old vinyl albums using expensive equipment. In the forums and chats on RED and MAM you can easily find suggestions for things to listen to and read.
Basically this is what everyone goes through unless they have a friend who is already in.
I'm don't think there is one that specializes in Windows software, but there is a lot on TL and other general trackers like that. For Mac there is iAnon and BrokenStones, but both require invites.
Got it. I was just took a look at the RED interview prep site, and I'm afraid my knowledge of digital audio is far too limited for me to pass it. I'll take a look to see if I can find something elsewhere.
Well that's what the interview prep site is for. Everything you could be asked is on that site. So you can just familiarize yourself with the concepts.