Text on Text

The other day I searching the internet for teletext information (Boredom and not wanting to do coursework in cas your asking.) And I found that there were a few pages that would get responses much more than others. Also they could be split into two groups if you so wished, Cult Text and Pop Text. Cult text is the letters pages with a tiny following but a following is something most Teletext pages don't have. And if you have a look you'll find attempts at internet covcersions or simply sites devoted to the page. Pop text is the text that has seeped into everyday life and society. The best example being Teletext holidays which everyone knows of and has been extenivly used in a Peter Kay stand up act. Today I'm talking about Cult text though and thats a different animal.

It's pretty hard to define what is cult and what isn't but my criteria will be that it must be mentioned when I search Google(I prefer Yahoo! but Google does give more results) and I must have heard people talk about it in real life. Nearly all of the cult pages seem to be to channel four mainly as it's got alot of free pages as it has very little newsor sport. If you wish to make an addition feel free to add a comment. So here is an examination of the cult pages of all British teletext services(excluding Five which I don't get on anolouge) No particular order here though I may choose a winner later.

Backchat-Ceefax 1-P577Looks like this will be Ceefax's only entry and even it's dubious. I have heard it mentioned in real life but the Internet only threw up people who hate it. Mostly Mega-Ziners who we'll get onto later. It's been around since at least the mid-ninties and does have a few regular writers though the short coment system means you don't really get to know them. I believe they should be cult though ig only because people on the pages call themselves backchatters and chat to the editor. A sure sign of a cult. Or maybe Backchat is the ant-cult text. Hated by everyone for no real reason, like Geri Halliwel
Mega-Zine-Chanel 4-p382 Got far more responses than anything else. Many broken web-sites but still. A realitivly obscure page on 4 which has a very devoted following. A proper letters page means the regular writers get far more of their personality across. Of course the most obvious difference between Mega-zine and other letters pages is the bizare abstract humor that lies with-in each little. Sometimes their not at all funny and are just gibberish. But even then it's great in it's own way. Right now I'm looking at a letter from Farmer Jaws( Usually referred to as Farmer Jack) who has decided to turn into a shark as he dubiously claims they never get ill. Prehabs most importantly a teletext shark has been drawen beside the letter. In case you forgot what one looks like. Not that the drawing would help. The editor always responds in the banners usually reserved for refernes to other pages or ads. It also avoids the twatish supoirty complex that adorns so many intenet message boards(see the Football Manager fourms, I used to use them but the people are just unbearbale) I can't praise it enough. Well I could but I won't. Most Ziners as their called seem to demiss backchatters is idiots and despise the fourom itself.

Bamber Boozler-CH 4-P140Many refernces to this on the Internet. Most remember being addicted to it at some point or absolutley hating it. I did hate it mainly as my Dad isisted we played it whenever we went to my granda's house(we didn't have teletext) but after a sabbitical I can now appricate what an excellent waste of time it is. He was wearing a green coat this week for St Patricks day. Classic. He used to have a son, Buster Boozler who did a kids version of the quiz but I havn't seen it in a while which is a pity

Digiester-C4-No page but replaced by the much worse but, to use sporting cliches, Ernest and workmanlike. Steady and Solid.The now defunct channel four games review section. I only seen it a few times but it often strayed from games to write strange little jokes that involved the reveal button. This was appeartly hated by the teletext management who tried to destroy it repeatly, attempts where stopped(I should use a better word but it's getting late) With 1.5 millon viewers weekly before it closed in 2003 it accully got better ratings than alot of the crap the BBC churns out which often records zero viewers. An early ninties creation of Mr Biffo he eventully left in 2003 to write childrens TV amost other things. I'll stick I link to a web-site with it's history. It's an intersting story told in a very digiester way. For the record the first time I heard of digiester was around 2001 when a PC magazine I was reading said it was "A humorless page run on the poor mans internet, teletext" the word dated was also used but I forget where. I later found out this was jealously by a team of people who couldn't define "Interesting" with flashing neon lights.

The Void-p352-C4- Great fourm for music discusson, both obscure and mainstream. Well I say mainstream mention Britney Spears and you likly to be maulded by text wolves. Which surley must exsist. Or not get published. Usually an interesting top 10 list. Yesterday it was 2 letter bands. It's lso quite funny, the whole planent sound thing has a very laid back style of writing. What keeps teletext alive. Much like Mega-zine hates backchat The Void hates The Vibe. Broken down to the lowest level I suppose it's just that the Ceefax services boast more normal people talking about more normal things in a more normal way on a more noraml teletext service. The Void does serve a purpose though, something which can't really be said of Mega-zine(apart from keeping strange people of the streets) and it's the best place on teletext for intelligent music discussion and to discover new bands. The Void has it's fair share of idiots though who believe they know everything about music. They are ususally savaged by readers in the next edition though and rarley come back.

Winner? Oh let's leave that for tomorrow. I'd say it's Digiester(which is damm hard to spell, so theres one point agasint it) and Mega-zine(which has a Z point for) I might stick up some pictures later if I can get money on my phone. Tomorrow Pop text. Which will hopefuly not take an hour to write.