Page "Backbone cabal" Paragraph 2

As Usenet has few technologically or legally enforced hierarchies, just about the only ones that formed were social hierarchies.

People acquired power through persuasion, exerted both publicly and privately, public debate, force of will ( often via aggressive flames ), garnering authority and respect by spending much time and effort contributing to the community ( by being a maintainer of a FAQ, for example ; see also Kibo, etc.

).