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NEWS GROUP RULES
NEWS GROUP RULES



Do not spam!
Spam is any message or file that is off topic to the group posted, plain and simple.

1) A binary file posted to a discussion group is spam.

2) A text file posted to a binary group is spam.

3) Any post you reply to with a "me too" reply is spam.

4) Any flame or attack on any contributing member of a group is spam.

5) Get rich quick schemes are spam.

6) Any commercial advertisement is spam.

7) Anything not specifically on topic is spam.

Do your part to keep Usenet clean and useful.


Common newbie mistakes.

1) Posting "me too" replies to a message.

2) Posting files found on a newsgroup after changing the file names.

3) Constant requests for anything.  Patience is king, give your request time to get seen before sending it again.

4) Defending AOL in a news group.  AOL users (I USE AOL) have made their mark on Usenet, and it was not a good one.  If someone complains about AOL users, ignore the post, do not add fuel to the fire.


General Rules

1) Binary groups should have binary files, encoded correctly, and labeled correctly.

2) Test your first post to alt.test, believe it or not, but that is what the group is for!

3) Discussion groups are for discussion, a .d at the end of a group name signifies it as a discussion group, no binary files are allowed, not even small ones.

4) Do not post a virus infected file to a group, you will not be happy with the results.

5) Scan all files before uploading them to a group.

6) Do not cross post to more than 3 groups, and all those groups should have a direct connection to your post.

7) Do not flood a group with a large file split into small parts.  If you start a post and see it is not right, cancel it right away.


8) If you have a question, ask, but be sure to give enough general info so that someone may help you.


Common Rules

Proper way to ask for a file:

In the header field:

REQ: File01.zip  TIA

Simple, yet very effective.



Common way to get someone attention:

In the header field:

ATTN: Joe schmo Please contact me about the faucet.

Simple yet effective.




Proper way to post a file:

In the header field:

FILE: True Romance the game part 1\20  read the 0 file for info

You want to give as much clear info as you can about the file.  The name, how many parts (zips) and all info in a 0 file, not included in the main post.  Post at 15,000 lines, and cancel any incomplete posts as soon as possible.



Common way to fill a request:

In the header field:

BY REQ: True Romance the game  part 6/20 as requested.

Notice in the above we used a /  instead of \  for telling how many parts, the reason for this is that Agent (and many newsreaders) will get confused by the \, so use \ for everything.



More common rules

Do not post your personal info, such as passwords, phone number, address etc. into newsgroups.

Along those lines, do not post other folks personal info either.

If you disagree with an author, e mail that person, don't clutter the group with it.

Flame with caution, there are some folks who put out flame bait just to see who is stupid enough to respond.

There is no such thing as anonymity on the net, you can be found, using finger, whois, the data trail a post leaves, etc., anyone with time can find out who you are, anyone.

If you must buy something from a newsgroup, be certain you can get ahold of the person if a problem arises.  I have been selling C.D. roms on the web for 2 years now, my name and address is plainly posted all over the web site, I am proud of my work, and it shows.  If someone is willing to sell you something, they also should not have a problem giving you there name, and the city they are in, call information, is this really the persons name?  Buyer beware is the norm, there are no more con artists on the net than anywhere else, it is just a bit easier to do it on the net.

If someone is kind enough to post a file you requested, thank them.


Common file formats

.arj  arj is a compression method used to make files smaller, use a program like Winarj to unpack and use these files.  They come in many styles, with extensions like:

.arj
.a01
.001

all are parts of an arj compressed file.



.zip  The most common compression format, use Winzip, Pkzip or similar to unpack them.


.exe Is an executable file, double clicking will run the file.

.gif  An image format, use a viewer like Vuepro or LviewPro to view them.

.jpg  Same as above.

.tif  Same as above.

See also How to use files for more info. 


