Usenet slowly begins to wither and die. By the turn of the century, it is not only becoming harder to post to the alt.bitterness newsgroup where all of these stories originated, it is less rewarding as well. Usenet is no longer a good place to openly share your innermost feelings. The bluntly honest cynicism we all fed on like vultures begins to have unexpected consequences. Relationships become strained when a spouse reads something wasn't meant for their eyes.
Corporate lawyers raise the ugly specter of lawsuits when an employee is a little too candid.
There are misunderstandings and hurt feelings. Then, deja.news comes along and wants to make a permanent record of thoughts that were originally meant to have a half-life of several weeks. It was probably just blind luck. All I know is that I have never met such a diverse and interesting group of people before. It's reasonably safe to say I never will again.