freep, freeping

[Laurence Horn]

At 7:51 PM -0400 10/16/04, Sam Clements wrote:
>"Freep" goes back to at least the 1970's to mean "Free Press."  Small,
>alternative newspapers, to me.

"The Freep" was in standard use in the mid-60's for the L.A. Free
Press, which was one of the earlier such alternative papers (along
with its northern sibling, the Berkeley Barb).

Larry

>
>These days it means people who subscribe to the views of the Free Republic.
>At least, that's my take on it.
>
>Sam Clements
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Clai Rice" <cxr1086 at LOUISIANA.EDU>
>To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Sent: Saturday, October 16, 2004 5:18 PM
>Subject: freep, freeping
>
>
>>  Just ran across this word and don't see it in the ADS
>>  archives: to freep, freeped, freeping. Also freepers.
>>
>>  Looks like it means "to influence online polls by voting
>>  many times" or an organized attempt to do such. An article
>>  from the June 4, 2004 Grand Forks Herald, "Online activists
>>  defend freeping's ethics", says that the practice is named
>>  after the FreeRepublic.com whose members have been
>>  practicing this for some time.
>>  http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/8834070.htm
>>
>>  I hope it is either bad polling (or freeping if this is
>>  based off their internet poll) but it has me a bit concerned.
>>  http://www.mydd.com/story/2004/10/16/91159/845
>>
>>  --Clai Rice
>>