🚀 go-pugleaf

Greetings!

This is a routine explanation of the AZ.SF newsgroup, created 2/20/96.  The 
SF stands for Science Fiction.  But it shouldn't be that limited.  This 
group is here for the Science Fiction / Fantasy and vaguely related fan.  
If you are enthralled by the dream of other worlds and alternate existences 
and wish to communicate with others locally who feel the same, then this 
group is for you.  There are many other groups that communicate 
internationally on every variation of SF/F.  But those people will never 
meet.  If you wish to meet other fans, find out about clubs, what stores 
sell what memorabilia, what conventions are planned, when a favorite SF/F 
show is scheduled on TV, what events are coming up, what 
stars/authors/artists are going to be in Arizona and where, want to try to 
organize a role playing game with others, want to announce your club 
meetings to others, want to buy or sell Star Trek memorabilia, want help in 
organizing something, then you are in the right place.  This is for 
Trekkies, SF literary fans, Whovians, knights of olde, RPG gamers, Japanese 
animation fans, cavaliers, or anyone with an imagination,  . . .  free 
thinkers.  This group is unrestricted.  What I have described is the intent 
of this group's creation.  No one person or group has precedence.  Everyone 
should use as their own.   Enjoy, Have fun!

Periodically, club listings and planned conventions/events will be posted.  
Select the posts and threads that appeal to you most.  Reply. You are urged 
to take advantage of this group.   Hopefully the intent will somewhat guide 
the content.  No promises.  

=======================================
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):

Can I post club information here?
    Yes.   Please.

Can I post commercial information here?
    Yes, as long as it is on topic and not offensive to a general audience. 

Can I post pictures or large files here?
    Please don't.  Many don't know how to decode the pictures.  ISP's only 
allow so much space for posts.  However, if you can keep such pictures on 
your site (ie. ftp site or web page) and include the URL to it, it would be 
much appreciated.  

What is an ISP?
    Internet Service Provider.  This is the service that you signed up with 
to read this post (AOL, Cox@home, CompuServe, Frontier 
GlobalCenter/Primenet, asu.edu, web tv, etc.). 

What are appropriate topics for this group?
     Suggested topics might relate to (but not limited to): Science 
Fiction, Fantasy, Animation, Japanese Animation, Horror, Science, 
speculative literature, movies, clubs, conventions, RPG/board gaming, 
costuming, adventure computer games, Fan/Pro fiction, events, sales, 
imagination in general, the world of "IF".   

What kind of topics would this group not be good for?
     Any topic which would be better discussed on other newsgroups 
(az.politics, az.jobs, az.teens, az.internet, etc).  "For sale" and 
"Wanted" posts appropriate to SciFi, Fantasy, Horror, and related would be 
appropriate here.  Prior experience has suggested topics related sports, 
pure computer tech, and government related may not be best here.  Ask 
yourself if your post is at least vaguely related any of the previously 
suggested topics.

Why is this group "az.sf" instead of "phoenix.sf"?
     SF/F fans are spread out and are not localized to one community.  No 
one is preferential.  Clubs may want to coordinate.  One person may wish to 
travel to events in another community.  Experiences from one city may apply 
to another community.   

Why not use one of the global/national newsgroups?
     The audience is smaller here.  Many posters here may wish to meet with 
each other face to face.  Posts about events in other states will often be 
out of reach to readers of this group.  Some topics would be meaningless to 
someone in other states.  

If I post something off-topic, what will happen?
    Probably nothing.  Others might complain.  You will waste your time and 
the others who read your post.

My friend can not get az.sf on his/her Internet service.  What can they do?
     They should send a post to their Internet News Administrator and 
request that they carry it.  If the ISP claims that they can't,  tell them 
that Primenet/Frontier GlobalCenter has offered to share their AZ newsgroup 
feed with any other ISP (Internet Service Provider) as a courtesy.  They 
can e-mail them at: news-support@primenet.com.

Why is this group so dead?
    This group was formed after a prior large listserver went down.  That 
listserver reached peaks of 70 posts a day.  The listserver worked ok but 
was limited to just those that knew about it and could easily be 
subscribed.  It was limited to the administrator's time.  This newsgroup 
has no owner, is perpetual, and available to any ISP that will carry it.  
However, it is only carried by a relative few ISP's in Arizona.  Also most 
users find it more awkward to check and respond to news then to E-mail.  
Thus, less posts.  Generally once a topic of interest is started many 
replies follow.  Post something thought provoking and you will probably get 
a response.  

Why did my post take so long to get read by the others?
     The az.sf newsgroup may be echoed in low priority through many other 
ISP's systems.  You might want to contact the news administrator of your 
own ISP to have them track down the bottleneck for you.  

Why was this group not started as an "alt.*" group?
     This would have been easier, but would not have served a central 
purpose of being the primary point for coordination between local fans and 
clubs.  There are not very many az.* newsgroups.  There is only one az.sf 
newsgroup.  There could be many alt.* groups that might be appropriate to 
reach the right audience.  

Why don't you or someone stop X ?
     I don't own az.sf.  No one does.  I don't control it?  No one does.  I 
only helped spearhead its creation.  Now it is on its own.  If something 
here offends you don't read it.  Personally, censorship offends me.