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***The alt.fan.afda FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)***

Version 1.4 / Last changes 22 Feb 2001 / This posted 22 Feb 2001

Welcome to alt.fan.afda!

In this little corner of Usenet we discuss things. That's about all we can tell you -- this is fairly new, so no one round here has really got the hang of what it is we're supposed to talk about. Traffic has been quiet as of late, postings infrequent, crosspostings even more so.

A few notes about this froup: It is completely, totally, and in all other means unmoderated. All sorts of things could crop up here, from random diatribes involving spinach to long treatises on the nature of life to wandering spammers to the occasional Bug-Blatter Beast of Traal. The advice is all the same: if you don't like it, you always have the option to run away. Terribly fast. If you are completely new to Usenet and stumbled upon us by accidentally hitting "subscribe to all," then no, we can't help you with your programming problems, but we can point you to some netiquette advice, at http://songweaver.com/netiquette.html, and things that you absolutely should not do under any circumstances whatsoever no matter what anyone may tell you at http://www.biblos.pk.edu.pl/cgi-bin/plconv/isoTwin/bib.biblos.pk.edu.pl/fun/cnlist/101ways.txt

Speaking of HTML, it would be wise not to post in this froup in that particular format. People tend to get a bit upset, and when people get upset, it's time to strap you down and flog your writhing mass with wet noodles. Or perhaps something even more horrendous. Binaries are definitely frowned upon, but if you're the type that doesn't let something like a dire threat of imminent destruction deter you from sharing your favourite wallpaper designs, then you'll get what you deserve. Spamming -- that is, the act of sending unsolicited e-mails to this or any other newsfroup declaring a way to MAKE MONEY FAST or any derivation thereof that no one, probably including yourself, could ever seriously believe -- is not just frowned upon, but hated. Any and all messengers of spam will suffer at the wrath of Daphene, our laser-sighted goat that seeks out and destroys the originating e-mail address; and there's the small matter that most, if not all, ISPs consider such as a breach of the Terms of Service (that bit with a lot of words that comes up when you first install the connection software that most people only notice the "Accept" button for). You will be reported to the proper authorities! Beware!

For the innocent among our numbers: more details about what spam is and what to do about it, you might want to check out http://www.salon.com/tech/special/spam_package/

And now ... on with the ANSWERS!

**The questions/contents (order? Who said anything about order?!)**

  1. What is this place?
  2. What's the topic round here?
  3. Is this froup completely separate from afda?
  4. Why is this FAQ so darn short?

     

  1. What is this place?

  2. Not too long ago, in a place disturbingly close by, there is a place, or rather a froup, called alt.fan.douglas-adams. In this location there is an ongoing debate of who and what is going to appear in the upcoming movie, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

    With this sort of debate, there comes speculation, including various theories that have very little to do with the movie as a whole, and more to do with less than you might think. Someone, as a half-joke, posted a message declaring that just before the movie comes out, and word really started getting around, afda (as the froup is called) would no doubt be flooded with newbies. Lots of them. Imagine, if you will, the regular September rush on steroids. Something needs to be done, it was said, some kind of haven set up for all the "regulars." After all, there's only so many Salmon of Doubt questions a person can handle.

    Hence the birth of the idea of alt.fan.afda, and the creation of such by none other than our resident webmaster and fellow froupie iain.

     

  3. What's the topic round here?

  4. We seem to gradually be coming up with a vague semblance of an idea, but we honestly don't know. The name of the froup would suggest that this would be prime real estate for those who are fans of fans of Douglas Adams, which (one can only assume) would be the whole of existence. After all, who -couldn't- love us? Since this froup is, in a sense, the "child" of afda, it would only make sense that it continue along the same lines. Thus: mainly Douglas Adams and his work, but since information about either is few and far between, pretty much anything is up for grabs.

    The idea of a haven from newbies is a bit premature, at best, seeing as how the movie isn't due to come out for a couple years at the least, and Douglas Adams has, after all, been quoted as saying, "I love deadlines. I like the 'whoosh' noise they make as they go by." Opening day may be later than even the most pessimistic man may dream.

    That being the case, it has been suggested that this be the "dumping ground" for anything not having to do specifically with Douglas Adams. The parent froup is usually chock full of various messages, from birthdays to randomly distributed urls to hats to foolhardy laughter. But most of all there are people who would dare to crosspost to other froups, such as the now-infamous afda/rhod portal. There is an organization to stop just this sort of behaviour, and make afda "pure" once more: they call themselves the Campaign for Real Afda, or Camafda. Now that this newsfroup has been set up, there is nothing to stop them from herding multi-faceted conversations in this direction if they dare.

     

  5. Is this froup completely separate from afda?

  6. By no means should any of the above be construed as the reason for making these two mutually exclusive. There will still be Adams references abounding in the posts, as most of the "regulars" just can't seem to constrain themselves. As such, anyone welcome in one place is certainly welcome in the other, as well as any topics, off-base or no. It would only be fair to see how this froup evolves into something magically delicious -- or if, in fact, it just falls on its face and dies a horrible death.

    Either way, it should be fun to watch!

    It shall be further complicated, however, by the fact that this is supposedly a haven. It is Extremely Unwise to mention this froup by its name in any way, shape, or form in any other newsgroup, lest the very newbies we wish to escape from manage to stumble onto a reference and go hunting. It shall only be referred to as The Froup That Shall Not Be Named, or TFTSNBN. Pronunciation is up to the individual.

    Also, TFTSNBN does not seem to be on all servers at present. Write to your administrator today! -- er, those of you who can't see this message, that is.

     

  7. Why is this FAQ so darn short?

  8. This froup is still unfledged, and thus questions are far and few between. "Frequent" currently means "asked once or twice, perhaps in passing," seeing as how the traffic is a bit thin. Look, we can make right-hand turns from the left-hand lane without signaling, and not even risk an accident! How's that for the ol' small town feel?

    At any rate, we're still a bit young. If you have any additional queries or some clarification you would like to have made on a specific point, go ahead and send an e-mail to afdafaq@pieceoftheworld.com.

 

Thanks for reading!

That's all we have for now. We would like to thank Caleb Huitt, iain, Kasatka, and of course Greg Pacek (CrazyOne) for their contributions -- and, in some cases, outright theft (you know who you are).

 

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