🚀 go-pugleaf

Greetings!

This is the AZ.SF group, 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 Trekies, 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.  Enjoy, Have fun!

Periodically, club lists and planned conventions will be posted.  Select the 
posts and threads that appeal to you most.  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. 

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 above suggested topics.

Why is this group "az.sf" instead of "az.phoenix"?
     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?
     Send a post to their Internet News Administrator and request that they 
carry it.  If they claim that they can't,  tell them that 
Primenet/GlobalCenter has offered to share their AZ newsgroup feed with any 
other ISP (Internet Service Provider) as 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.  

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 a "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.