Newsgroups: rec.arts.books.tolkien,alt.fan.tolkien Subject: Newsgroup History (was Re: Google Archives) References: <1178b6d1.0112110531.5312a338@posting.google.com> <9vdpm1$3j$1@panther.uwo.ca> X-Newsreader: trn 4.0-test70 (17 January 1999) From: sbjensen@midway.uchicago.edu (Steuard Jensen) Lines: 21 Message-ID: <%%KS7.133$w4.3086@news.uchicago.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.135.12.7 X-Trace: news.uchicago.edu 1008434299 128.135.12.7 (Sat, 15 Dec 2001 10:38:19 CST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2001 10:38:19 CST Organization: The University of Chicago X-SessionID: %%KS7-29105-w4-2942@news.uchicago.edu X-Hash-Info: post-filter,v:1.4 X-Hash: 5a5fac60 303f6681 87b30f20 8b03a839 a0bba79f Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2001 16:38:19 GMT Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news.mailgate.org!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsswitch.lcs.mit.edu!news.uchicago.edu!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch rec.arts.books.tolkien:63399 Quoth address@bottom.of.message (Jamie Andrews) in article <9vdpm1$3j$1@panther.uwo.ca>: > Hey, maybe *I'm* the newsgroup Bombadil! Hmm... shows up early > on... disappears through most of the story... referred to again on > the second-last page... sounds right. But whatever happened to > Klaus Ole Kristiansen? He was a real founder. I'll tell you what: I'll completely support your bid to become newsgroup Bombadil if you spend a couple of days telling us tales about ancient history. :) I wasn't even online back when RABT and AFT were founded, and I've always been very interested in the groups' early history. So, what can you tell us? Who was here at the Beginning? What other Tolkien discussion fora existed before these groups? Was it at all difficult to get RABT approved? What was the culture of the groups like back then? How has it changed? Er, as you can probably tell, I'm eager to hear (and not _all_ that eager to go back and just read the earliest Google archives in date order). :) Steuard "Ten years behind!" Jensen ###### From: suzieflame Newsgroups: rec.arts.books.tolkien,alt.fan.tolkien Subject: Re: Newsgroup History (was Re: Google Archives) Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2001 21:11:08 +0100 Organization: suzieflame Lines: 230 Message-ID: <8ibn1ugb1kve4epk6d1ft047dmr4b0msf4@4ax.com> References: <1178b6d1.0112110531.5312a338@posting.google.com> <9vdpm1$3j$1@panther.uwo.ca> <%%KS7.133$w4.3086@news.uchicago.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.8/32.548 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news.mailgate.org!out.nntp.be!propagator-SanJose!in.nntp.be!feedwest.news.agis.net!aleron.net!news.alt.net!usenet Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch rec.arts.books.tolkien:63507 On Sat, 15 Dec 2001 16:38:19 GMT, sbjensen@midway.uchicago.edu (Steuard Jensen) wrote: >Quoth address@bottom.of.message (Jamie Andrews) in article ><9vdpm1$3j$1@panther.uwo.ca>: >> Hey, maybe *I'm* the newsgroup Bombadil! Hmm... shows up early >> on... disappears through most of the story... referred to again on >> the second-last page... sounds right. But whatever happened to >> Klaus Ole Kristiansen? He was a real founder. > >I'll tell you what: I'll completely support your bid to become >newsgroup Bombadil if you spend a couple of days telling us tales >about ancient history. :) I wasn't even online back when RABT and AFT >were founded, and I've always been very interested in the groups' >early history. So, what can you tell us? Who was here at the >Beginning? What other Tolkien discussion fora existed before these >groups? Was it at all difficult to get RABT approved? What was the >culture of the groups like back then? How has it changed? > >Er, as you can probably tell, I'm eager to hear (and not _all_ that >eager to go back and just read the earliest Google archives in date >order). :) > > Steuard "Ten years behind!" Jensen Here you go:- T H E A L T . F A N . T O L K I E N F A Q --------------------------------------------- Welcome to the official alt.fan.tolkien FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). This FAQ is designed to help you understand the newsgroup better before you post. Please refer to this FAQ before posting to the group. This is the only meaningful reference for new posters to the group. -------------------------------------------------------------- 1. What is alt.fan.tolkien? --------------------------- alt.fan.tolkien (aft) is a Usenet newsgroup devoted to the discussion of anything. Absolutely anything. Especially flames, which are are for historical reasons particularly on-topic for the group. We welcome contributors from all other areas of Usenet, commenting on anything they want to. Think of it as the Usenet equivalent of a WCW tag team contest. It's a free-for-all. A mud fight. Feel free to crosspost to anywhere else it might be on-topic too, if you want to. There are no rules here. 2. Wait a minute. Anything?!??! ------------------------------- Yep. Anything. You name it, we got it. You got it, we want it. 3. How can that be? ------------------- It's quite simple. Historically, aft was created as a flame group. The idea was to trap newbies into seemingly sweet and innocent discussions about JRR Tolkien, Hobbits, Frodo, Bilbo Baggins and all that hogwash, and then lash them for being so utterly lame as to have to live in a dream world created by an Oxford University English Professor in 1937. The very name of the group was designed as a massive troll for newbies, to lull them into a false sense of security during their first tentative steps onto the 'net. Then we pounce. 4. Wow. ------- Yeah. Neat, isn't it? 5. But I see all these posts about Tolkien... --------------------------------------------- Of course you do. Firstly, they are on-topic for the group. We allow anything, remember? Secondly, we have to have a bit of Tolkien as flamouflage, to pull the fresh meat into the group. Otherwise, they would suss instantly that all was not as it should be, wouldn't they? 6. I guess so. -------------- Exactly. So, you'll find a lot of the regulars here will post what look like intelligent, thoughtful, on-topic posts relating to a well-worn aspect of Tolkien's work in order to troll a response from an unsuspecting newbie. Quite often they will be followed-up by other regulars in order to give the appearance of an ongoing discussion. You don't really think there is still any argument going on about Balrog's wings, do you? 7. I see what you mean. ----------------------- Good. 8. So flaming is on-topic then? ------------------------------- Damn straight it's on-topic. That's the whole point of the group. 9. What about crossposting? ---------------------------- We totally and utterly recommend cross-posting to any other group where the subject matter will be on-topic. Alt.flame is a good choice as a lot of the regulars hang out there too, although we would suggest waiting until the newbies are well and truely sold on the idea of it being a Tolkien group first. 10. Do I need to know anything about Tolkien? --------------------------------------------- No. In fact, the less you know, and the more ill-informed your initial Tolkien-related troll post is, the more likely you are to get a newbie sitting up to correct your 'ignorance'. That's when the fun starts. 11. But wouldn't it help to... ------------------------------ Listen. Everybody over the age of 8 has read The Hobbit, right? 12. Yes.. --------- And everybody who's read The Hobbit remembers some names like Frodo, Bilbo, Gollum, and Ganbdalf right? 13. Yes.. --------- OK then, you have all the ammunition you need to succeed in this group. Get to it, tiger. 14. Great! But how will I know the newbies? ------------------------------------------- They are easy to spot. Firstly, they nearly always have a .signature file that gives them the persona of an orc, a dragon, or whatever other preposterous Middle Earth creature they imagine themselves to be. Either that or it contains an ASCII art magic sword, or a really sad little Tolkien quotation (look for words like "hath" and "knoweth") that is supposed to illuminate real life for the rest of us. Heh. Secondly, if the topic is Tolkien, it's probably flamebait, for two reasons; they are either newbies posting real Tolkien comments, in which case they are fair game, or they are regular group members trolling newbies, in which case they are in it for the flamage anyway, and they will enjoy your lively, on-topic brow-beating. Thirdly, remember that this is a flame group. Just make sure you choose a thread that includes anything relating to Tolkien and you can't go wrong. 15. So basically I can flame anyone? ------------------------------------ You're a quick study. 16. I've heard about 'perennial newbies'. What are they? -------------------------------------------------------- Perennial newbies are people who came to the group expecting a lively discussion of all subjects Tolkien, and, upon being flamed or discovering posts that contain other subjects, start yelling "TROLL!" and "OFF-TOPIC!" to anyone who will listen, usually other perennial newbies. They stubbornly refuse to accept that the group is an open forum, despite this FAQ and the history of the group. They regularly threaten to netcop those posting 'off-topic', but, as you now know, nothing is off-topic for the group, so feel free to flame away. 17. Why are these guys tolerated? --------------------------------- Entertainment value. You'll see. 18. Who are they? ----------------- Despite the naming convention 'perennial', it changes from year to year. No-one can be that net.clueless forever. 19. No-one? Really? ------------------- OK, OK. Michael O'Neill (onq@indigo.ie) is pretty much the ultimate perennial newbie trollbait. Mikey particularly likes it when you call him "fuckhead". Or "O'Nil". 20. Thanks. I'll bear that in mind. ----------------------------------- Don't forget. "Fuckhead". As often as you like. He loves it. 21. Great! What else do I need to know? --------------------------------------- That's it. Hold tight, and enjoy the ride. ----------------------------------------------------------------- The Official alt.fan.tolkien Frequently Asked Questions. (C) 1998 suzieflame. Online reproduction of this FAQ encouraged. -- Suzieflame, voted alt.flame's 9th Most Entertaining Writer 1998. -----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==---------- http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own