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How to make rec.eq work for you!
(updated 3/15/01)
Martha's Tips for New Users Part 1
In general, when deciding whether or not to post, think of
the newsgroup as a group at a party engaged in conversation.
The conversation works well when subjects have some general
interest. You wouldn't walk up to a group at a party and
launch into selling insurance, or berating someone in front
of the whole group, or correcting their mispronunciation
(misspelling in this case). Many posters do not use English
as a first language, no need to discourage their input. It
is a good idea to read the group for a while to get a feel
for it before posting.
1) Please subscribe to news.announce.newusers it has lots of good
stuff to keep one from embarrassing oneself here. Or take a
look at:
http://sunsite.unc.edu/usenet-i/usenet-help.html
Be sure to read Emily Postnews Answers your Questions
on Netiquette, which is posted there.
FAQs:
-----
Rec.equestrian has collected a lot of good info into FAQs
which you may want to check before asking a routine
question. The site is ucssun1.sdsu.edu or the alias
rohan.sdsu.edu. The FAQ's are in the directory
pub/equestrian.
The World Wide Web invocation is
http://rohan.sdsu.edu/
then use the mouse to scroll down and select "ROHAN'S
Anonymous FTP archive", then the directory "pub", then the
directory "equestrian"
* kcarroll's Horse Country also has the rec.equestrian FAQs
* http://www.horse-country.com/faqs/
* On the Web, search Google News archives
* (http://groups.google.com/)
* for previous posts on topics of interest to you
* Click on "Advanced Groups Search". Put rec.equestrian in the
* "Newsgroup" slot, put any limit you like as to subject or
* author or dates, and put some keywords in the main slot by
* the "search" button; hit that button and enjoy. Refine and
* repeat at will. (When you're looking at an article, often
* the "view by thread" option is useful.)
2) Understand the difference between email which goes to one
person and posting here which involves storing your
contribution on disks on thousands of machines around the
world. Don't post a letter to an individual, orient it to
the group or if it is not of interest to thousands: send it email.
* Save bandwidth - don't post gifs. The net is overloaded as
* it is. If you have an image to share, offer to email it to
* anyone interested or put it on your own web site and post the url.
Rec.eq's topic, officially, is "Discussion of Things
Equestrian" There are newsgroups on politics, circumcision,
game hunting, and animal rights and Sheila-bashing.
3) Learn your newsreader and editor BEFORE you post. Cut
out sig lines, summarize lengthy discourse, keep the
attributions correct (who wrote what). Quoting more than a
screenful is considered bad form. Usually a few lines
suffice, or a sentence of your own summarizing what you are
replying to. Many people pay for access by the page or
line.
Newsreaders are all different. The rec.eq group is not the
place to ask for help in using yours -- the provider should
help you with that. In a university, try the computer
science department.
4) Use lines of 80 characters or less. With a hard return
at the end. Ie, just cuz it wraps around in your editor
doesn't mean that it will be at all readable when posted.
5) Use blank lines for Paragraphs, articles w/o them
are difficult to read.
6) Don't SCREAM, uppercase is for yelling.
7) Use test newsgroups to test your ability to post. Or
post here about a short horsey topic to test. Test
newsgroups are nice because they automatically send you a
reply, so we are spared 7A:
7A) Do not reply to a test post by posting. Send them
mail.
8) Nasty people sometimes put out bait in a deliberate
attempt to get your SCREAMING reaction. They go away if you
ignore them. These are called Trolls. Responding to a
troll is definitely not net cool ;-)
Flames -- what are they? How does one respond? A flame
is not an opinion that you disagree with. That is a
discussion, and it adds to Rec.eq, as long as it is _on the
topic_.
A flame is a personal attack, it is off topic and it is a
waste of other peoples time here, and money. Do you hate
someone on the group? Want to upbraid them for using
language you don't like? EMAIL, ignore or killfile them.
The R.E topic is not what.I.think.of.sheila or Tom or Terry ;-)
Having read this group for 8? years, I would honestly state that
flames are the most important current threat to the usefulness of
the group. R.e used to be flame free. Completely. Which meant
a higher signal to noise ratio -- better information.
Last comment on the topic -- you may find someone offensive,
but after you read them for a while, come to realize they have a
poor keyboard-side manner, but valuable opinions & aid to
offer. Reading for a while (weeks or months, frankly), and
refraining from personal off topic posts could be your
finest contribution to the community that makes up rec.eq.
9) Purchase and sale ads from individuals are ok. Please
state in the subject line that you are selling, and put in
your geographic location. Commercial ads are prohibited.
Make a Web page, and then just post once here to let us know
where it is.
For more on why ads can destroy a discussion group, try the
news. hierarchy of groups.
10) Speaking of locations, rec.eq is rather like a
community. To facilitate that, most contributors put their
name and city in their sig and introduce themselves in their
first post. Also, please put your email address in your text.
Automatic replies don't always work correctly.
11) Check the date of the posting to which you are replying.
You may be helping to name a baby colt that has already been
saddle broke!
12) Surveys are discouraged on Usenet newsgroups, since they
tend to add tremendous redundant traffic on already high
traffic groups (since every respondent reposts the same
questions). If you read one and want to respond -- use
email, and the surveyor should summarize responses.
13) Quoting newsgroup discussions in printed form w/o
permission of the authors is very rude, and may be a
violation of copyright law. For more on copyright law and
myths, check out the postings on the subject on
news.announce.newusers Fortunately, most people will gladly
give permission for their stories, anecdotes, advice, etc to
be printed elsewhere. Please ask.
* 14) Be specific in the subject title - short & to the point
* so readers can easily see what the article is about and so it
* can be found when searching the archives for a particular topic.
* When replying to a post that was originally on subject "XYZ" and the
* subject has strayed significantly from the original and is now subject
* "ABC", you may wish to revise the subject title, putting the old
* title in brackets. (eg) Subject ABC (was Subject XYZ).
* 15) Publishing your own or someone else's email address may
* increase the amount of spam you/they receive. Write out the
* address instead of us the word instead of @ and .
* ex: use moron at stalking dot com vrs moron@stalking.com
* emailing posters must take that into consideration. You might
* have to substitute a corrected address to reach a person who
* spamblocks
These hints are simply here to improve the readability of
the newsgroup in light of the population explosions,
and to help new readers get a smooth start. I hope they are
useful. Reply to me with any comments or additions; this is
periodically reposted.
Welcome to rec.eq!
Martha Sellers
sellers at kmv dot com
* Martha has disappeared on us after a parental leave with her firstborn.
Lines marked with * are my updates and/or additions from rec.eqers
If you don't like 'em, send me a rewrite kcarroll@horse-country.com
------
Kris's Not Martha's Tip for New Users Part 2
The Unofficial Rules of rec.equestrian
(warning for the humor impaired - heavy sarcasm ahead)
1) Integrity applies only to horse care - you can treat anyone here in any
manner you like if your ego is on the extreme fringe in either
direction. Misrepresent any opposition post, with lies if necessary;
there is no one in charge who will stop you.
2) Mind your own business - if you have an opinion about a post, keep
it to yourself. If you have actual knowledge on any topic you must
cite the publications in which it was first presented. Without peer
review, your information will be discounted immediately as opposed to
eventually.
3) Formal university training, A-circuit show experience or
professional standing is considered grounds for dismissal.
4) S/he who owns or has access to the largest library wins. The
Library of Congress counts. Citing the bible as a training manual is
allowed only if you arrange an appearance by the first author.
5) This forum is for adults only - those who can take the "real world"
- according to USENET standards, as defined by anyone but you.
6) Horse discussion should be confined to OBhorsey addenda - do not
attempt a new thread on any equestrian topic with out prior
written permission. (The person in charge of this will contact you.)
7) Helmet laws are not allowed here - vote with your feet and wear
boots at all times - highest points for jack boots, lowest for custom
made.
8) Jump into any discussion without reading previous posts or
researching the thread in Dejanews. Context means nothing here.
9) Follow up by including everything that was ever posted in a thread,
add your one line comment at the end. Hide vicious personal remarks
somewhere in the middle.
10) When replying to a post, consider changing the subject line to something a
little more endearing (for example, "lying sack o' sh*t" is ever popular).
But NEVER, I repeat NEVER change the subject line if you're having an off-topic
conversation. That would be almost as bad as taking a personal argument to
email, and depriving the rest of the rec.eq. community of your wit and wisdom.
11) The JH amendment states you may hire a detective agency to stalk
the background on anybody who raises your hackles, call their
employers, post 2nd hand email from ISPs, disregard all ethics in your
effort to shut them up or down.
12) Aspire to greatness, take on the evil forces of rec.equestrian by
posting 75+ off topic messages With God On Your Side. Flame, insult and
belittle the people you're trying to protect. Dare anyone to contact your
ISP. Then find a new ISP. Aspire to greatness, take on the evil forces of
rec.equestrian......
13) If you don't like it here, start your own newsgroup but be sure to
return often to tell everyone how much better, smarter, prettier your
group is, even though that's a total lie. Invite all the newbie whiners
to join your group and trash rec.eq as often as possible. Sheila does
it, why not you.
Kris Carroll
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