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Alt.halloween.boo Rules
FAQ is an acronym for Frequently Asked Questions. A Usenet
newsgroup FAQ
contains guidelines for the newsgroup and other helpful
information about that group. |
I. INTRODUCTION
Alt.halloween.boo was created by Halloween enthusiasts for
enthusiast of Halloween.
II. CHARTERS
1. A charter is part of the control message used to create a
Usenet newsgroup and cannot be changed. The charter for
alt.halloween.boo is presented here for informational purposes.
While the text of this FAQ may change from time to time as
updates become necessary, the charters will not change.
2. This group, alt.halloween.boo, is a text only newsgroup
III. APPROPRIATE POSTS
1. The newsgroup alt.halloween.boo was created to exchange
information and ideas related to Halloween. It is a discussion
(text-only) group.
2. Discussions should be related primarily to the celebration of
Halloween. On topic posts include, but are not limited to,
costumes, decorations, make up, props, prop building, special
effects, Trick or Treat, candy, pumpkins, haunts, associated
websites, customs (ancient, traditional and modern) and most
things macabre.3. The roots of Halloween are adopted primarily
from various pagan beliefs. It is acknowledged that the modern
celebration of Halloween, as it was popularized in America in
the early 1900s, is a mix of various sources and cultures (from
Pagan to Christian), and is viewed as a
neutral holiday, not exclusive to any one Faith or belief
system For the purpose of the history and evolution of the
holiday, religious topics directly related to Halloween may be
discussed. However, this is not a religious group and, while
interesting, discussions of a religious nature not pertaining
directly to Halloween should be avoided.
4. Loosely relating a topic to Halloween does not automatically
make it on topic. i.e. Mentioning how animal byproducts are
used in certain candy to promote P.E.T.A. agendas would not be
acceptable, nor would claiming demonic origins to Halloween to
push religious dogma.
5. Although the Usenet is a planet wide forum, Halloween (as it
is currently celebrated) is a uniquely American holiday. While
we recognize that this celebration is slowly spreading to other
countries, posts to this newsgroup will be made in English so
the majority of members can participate in the discussions.
Posters whose primary language is not English should use
translation programs (widely available for free on the Web) or
limit their discussions to private emails.
IV. OUR COMMUNITY
1. Regular members of this group form a small community sharing
a common interest in Halloween. To most, it is an enjoyable
hobby that involves much more than just handing out candy or
wearing cheesy costumes.
2. If you decide to join our community and become a "Halloweenie"
yourself, you are encouraged to join in and help us all have
more fun. If you have questions, feel free to ask for advice.
There are plenty of people here willing to help with any
Halloween topic. As your interest grows, you may wish to
contribute as well. Assisting with requests for help is an
excellent starting place.
V. LURK AND LEARN
1. Every newsgroup on Usenet is its own community with its own
standards. Going against the standards or guidelines of a
community will only upset the residents. On Usenet, that means
you will most likely be flamed by the newsgroup regulars, and
may have complaints sent to your ISP (Internet Service Provider)
which can terminate your account. The standards and guidelines
for alt.halloween.boo are explained in this Charter/FAQ. Read it
completely and follow it. Monitor the group for a while before
posting. If you make a mistake through ignorance of the
group's
customs and courtesies, post an apology to the group. Unless
the mistake was really horrible, most will understand and accept
it.
VI. BASIC NETIQUETTE
1. Post on topic.
2. Do not cross post. (Post to more than one group at a time)
3. Keep subject lines short, no more than 70 characters and
fewer if possible. Members using lower screen resolutions have
difficulty viewing very long subject lines
4. Do not try to put your entire message in the subject line
(see above).
5. Do not 'shout' (ALL CAPS).
6. At least attempting to use proper punctuation makes your
messages easier to read. One long, half page run on sentence
tends to make little sense.
7. Use 'spell check'. It's easy to do and, this is a worldwide
forum, no need to look like an illiterate moron.
8. Do not post abusive or threatening messages. Not only is it
most likely a violation of you ISP's AUP (Acceptable Use
Policy), it may also be a violation of law. (Federal Statutes
make it illegal to threaten violence via electronic medium,
i.e., telephone, email, etc.)
9. Specific newsgroups are set up for test posts. For straight
text articles, use alt.test and for binary articles, use
alt.binaries.test.
If you suspect your News Service Provider (NSP) is blocking
posts to alt.halloween.boo and need to verify this, post a
comment to an ongoing discussion in alt.halloween.boo
VII. ALT.HALLOWEEN.BOO GENERAL GUIDELINES
1. HTML does not belong in the Usenet or on alt.halloween.boo.
While it will work, it was designed for the World Wide Web where
storage and bandwidth are not usually a problem. Also, many
people pay by the kilobyte for Usenet access and any unnecessary
additions or attachments to posts can cost someone money. If
you do post HTML, you will more than likely end up in a kill
filter, or your posts will be ignored or, if answered at all, it
will most likely be in the form of a flame. WebTV users please
turn off your HTML option.
2. Do not cross post. Cross posting is
undesirable because it often has the side affect of attracting
SPAM as well as unwanted cross posted replies.
3. Do not post encrypted or password-protected files. This means
PGP or similar encryption software, and does not refer to normal
encoding required to post files on Usenet.
4. Do not post binary attachments (i.e. pictures, word
documents, sound files, etc.). This is a text-only group and
most servers will not
propagate the attachments. In other words; only the people on
your server will see the attachments but everyone else on the
planet won't know what you're talking about.
5. Violating a newsgroup's charter or FAQ is typically a Terms
Of Service (TOS) violation with. Those who post in violation of
the FAQ may have complaints sent to their ISP, which can result
in account termination or loss of posting privileges.
VIII. SPAM
1. SPAM has many definitions. For alt.halloween.boo, SPAM is
defined as advertising for services, products or websites,
whether or not money is involved, and whether the post is 'on
topic' or not. This is not meant to exclude personal websites
related to Halloween that may have advertising or commercial
links associated with them.
2. alt.halloween.boo has a zero tolerance policy towards SPAM.
We must all help keep the newsgroups free of these unwanted
posts by sending complaints to the spammers' ISPs. Often it
takes a number of complaints to get an ISP to take action. SPAM
currently makes up 55% of all email traffic and a large chunk of
all internet traffic combined and is the primary reason for the
rising
cost of internet service. YOU are paying for someone else to
advertise!
3. An ISP needs specific information from a spammer's post in
order to identify the offender. Copy all headers including
'path', 'posting
host', 'message ID', etc. and paste it into the body of the
email. Address your complaints to abuse@______ or
postmaster@______. (If you need help identifying the ISP, please
ask.) On the subject line type something like 'Spam, off topic
post, NG charter and FAQ violation'. Hit the send button. It's
best to acquire and use a throw-away email address through
Hotmail, Yahoo, etc. for this purpose, because if you
accidentally send the complaint to the spammer, you may end up
with a mailbox full of SPAM.
IX. GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS SPECIFIC TO AHB NEWSGROUP
AHB - alt.halloween.boo
Halloweenie - A Halloween enthusiast
JOL - Jack O' Lantern
Samhain - The pagan harvest festival from which Halloween is
adopted
(Pronounced "Sow-in")
RTF - Read The FAQ - If you read this, you just did that.
TOT - Trick Or Treat X. COMMON NON-COMMERCIAL
WEBSITES
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