X-ALSM-FAQ: http://www.alt-life-sucks.org/alsm/
X-ALSM-Info-1: Send submissions to             [email protected]
X-ALSM-Info-2: Send technical complaints to    [email protected]
X-ALSM-Info-3: Send complaints about policy to [email protected]
X-Comment: moderators do not necessarily agree or disagree with this article.
X-Robomod: STUMP, [email protected] (Igor Chudov), C++/Perl/Unix Consulting
Date: Sun, 5 Dec 1999 03:25:00 EST
From: [email protected] (Robert ASF.)
Newsgroups: alt.life.sucks.moderated,alt.answers,news.answers,alt.life.sucks
Subject: ALSM FAQ
Organization: Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
NNTP-Posting-User: ra_forti
X-Newsreader: slrn (0.9.4.3 UNIX)
Approved: ALSM Approval Key <[email protected]>
X-Auth: PGPMoose V1.1 PGP alt.life.sucks.moderated
  iQBVAwUBOEohXuLmbRGWTe7hAQG+eQH/cTKEIW/17QguaGC12vUK4lERjfR3LW3M
  8hn7Y4zKxwtpKdpjGntMJTdfyrZ532iA3HtQ24Nq7fSQxI5yH/cGAQ==
  =mUqc
Originator: [email protected] (Joe Simmons)
NNTP-Posting-Host: 206.112.192.132
X-Trace: 5 Dec 1999 03:25:02 -0500, 206.112.192.132
Lines: 264
Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!howland.erols.net!newspeer.monmouth.com!news.new-york.net!uunet!ffx.uu.net!news2.one.net!moderator@alt-life-sucks.org!robomod!not-for-mail
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.life.sucks.moderated:782 alt.answers:45772 news.answers:171887 alt.life.sucks:81021

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      The alt.life.sucks.moderated FAQ
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Version 1.1
Last updated: 09/06/99
FAQ maintainer: Robert Fortin, on behalf of F.O.A
Contact [email protected] with questions or suggestions

Hello and welcome to alt.life.sucks.moderated.  a.l.s.m is a group
created by the netizens of alt.life.sucks to provide a forum for ranting,
venting, discussing and conversing without the interference of trolls,
flooders, flamers, or other net abusers. This FAQ outlines what is
considered acceptable behavior on a.l.s.m and details the moderation
criteria.

Who may post to a.l.s.m?

Anyone who wishes to, provided they are not doing so with the
intention of disrupting the group or attacking its users and abide by this
FAQ. If you think a.l.s.m looks like your kind of place then it probably
is!

I. The purpose of alt.life.sucks.moderated

a.l.s.m was created to provide a forum on Usenet for the
following:

1) Affirming that life sucks.

This belief is not open to discussion here. Anyone who doesn't
think life sucks probably doesn't belong on a newsgroup called
alt.life.sucks.moderated in the first place. If you believe life is great,
there are newsgroups that share your belief where you will be welcomed.
This is not one of them.

2) Venting the frustrations of life.

This is the newsgroup established as a forum for people who want
to vent, bitch, moan, whine, and release the frustrations of their lives
in a constructive (or non-harmful at least) manner, in a place where they
won't get flamed or attacked for doing so. Useful suggestions on improving
one's life are optional, but aren't always on the wanted list. Venting
with humorous responses can quite easily annoy some people here as well,
so be forewarned. This is a grouchy NG.

II. What a.l.s.m is also for

Friendship, communication and chatter among the netizens of the
newsgroup. A.l.s.m is also a place for like-minded people to gather and
associate with each other. This doesn't have to be strictly topical as
long as it doesn't infringe on anyone's right to use the newsgroup in a
topical manner, which is the foremost purpose of a.l.s.m.  New people are
always welcome and encouraged in a.l.s.m as long as they follow the
guidelines outlined in this FAQ.

III. What a.l.s.m is not for:

This is not the place for the following:

1) Crossposting to or from groups that are not approved by the
FOA. Currently alt.life.sucks and alt.life.sucks.pets are the only groups
approved for crossposting.

2) Advertising of any sort

3) Spamming of any sort

4) Religious posts that seek to convert or chastise a.l.s'ers, or
promote a religion on a.l.s.m (Posts that otherwise deal with religion,
i.e. in a topical manner, are acceptable.)

5) Posts that criticize the existence of this NG or the people who
use a.l.s.m for using it in its intended manner

6) Posts of any sort encouraging suicide

7) Other, non-helpful posts (this can include flaming, trolling,
baiting, postbombing, or other forms of net-abuse or abuse of newsgroup
users)

IV. Who determines what's appropriate in a.l.s.m?

With a few exceptions (outlined in the moderation criteria),
that's up to each individual to decide. One might think a post is
perfectly okay, while another could well consider it ridiculously far
off-topic or otherwise inappropriate. If that happens, well...life sucks.
This is by definition a bitchy NG, so be prepared for that.  If after
reading the group for a while you are still unsure as to what sort of
posts are acceptable in a.l.s.m, check out the als archives on our website
www.alt-life-sucks.org.

The a.l.s. and a.l.s.m organization known as F.O.A is responsible
for making decisions that affect the overall newsgroup, selecting the
moderators of the newsgroup, determining the moderation criteria, and
maintaining the a.l.s.m FAQ. F.O.A is a democratic assembly which is open
to anyone on the newsgroup to join. The organization conducts its business
through e-mail. Contact any a.l.s'er with "F.O.A" in their sig for
information or visit the F.O.A web site at www.alt-life-sucks.org/foa.

C.A.S.H.P (The Crusade Against Shiny Happy People) is the defense
arm of a.l.s. and is responsible for dealing with any threats to the
newsgroup, be it spam, trollers, shinyhappies, or any other threat.
C.A.S.H.P uses whatever resources are at the disposal of its individual
members to repel troublemakers from the newsgroup.

How do I post to A.L.S.M?

Our goal is to make this as open a newsgroup as possible while
retaining the ability to eliminate disruptive elements.  Sincere newbies
and occasional posters should feel welcome to participate.

All posts sent to this newsgroup will be diverted to the
moderators via email. In many cases your news server will do this
automatically. You can also send submissions to
[email protected].  This address should be used for submissions
only, as the moderation process is largely automated. Submissions sent to
other a-l-s.org addresses may not make it onto the group.

All messages posted to a.l.s.m must include a valid email address.
This address may use obvious spamblocks but must go to an email account
owned by the poster.

Because of the nature of moderation, new posters may experience a
delay of up to 24 hours.  This is in addition to whatever delays you may
normally experience due to the unpredictable nature of usenet.

If your posts does not appear on the group, there are a number of
possible reasons, including those outlined above. If in doubt, please
check the a.l.s.m website, which contains a list of all rejected posts,
and a list of blacklisted individuals. If you are still unclear as to why
your post has not appeared or you have any other questions relating to
moderation you can email the moderators at [email protected]

***Note to newbies:  Don't be intimidated by all this
administrivia. It is necessary to prevent disruptive elements, but is not
in any way intended to discourage new people from joining the group.***

--------------------------------------
MODERATION CRITERIA

All moderation criteria for a.l.s.m shall be approved by the FOA.
All members of the FOA will be able to act as moderators of the group,
with the ability to approve or reject posts based on the criteria in this
FAQ.

The FOA shall select the head moderators for the group, and may
vote to replace them as they see fit. Their duties will include the
administrative aspects of moderation and ensuring the timely posting of
submitted articles. There shall be a minimum of three head moderators at
any time. If a head moderator is temporarily unable to perform his or her
duties (i.e. while on vacation) he or she may select a temporary
replacement who would then be voted on by the FOA, or ask the FOA to
select one.

All messages rejected by the moderators shall be posted to a web
site and the location of the website shall be included in this FAQ and a
link provided form the als website.  The moderators shall not under any
circumstances edit or alter the text of a post.

The FOA may vote to automatically reject all messages from an
individual or any aliases used by that individual for a period of up to 6
months. This is a very serious matter, and will only be considered when an
individual has repeatedly abused als, a.l.s.m, or the netizens of either
group.  At the end of this period the FOA shall vote to either remove them
from the blacklist or extend the ban.  They will remain on the blacklist
while the vote is conducted. The FOA may also vote to reject all messages
from a specific domain if necessary to protect the group and make the job
of moderation easier.

Messages that will be rejected:

1. Any message crossposted to or from a group not approved by the
FOA will be rejected without comment.

2. Any advertisement will be rejected without comment.

3. Any binary post will be rejected without comment. Note that for
the purposes of this FAQ messages encoded with pgp are not considered
binaries.

4. Any message without a valid email address will be rejected
without comment. Obvious spamblocks are permitted.

5. Any messages from posters on the FOA 'blacklist' will be
rejected without comment.

6. Any message that is off topic as described in section III of
this FAQ and by the current standards of the group may be rejected by the
moderators.

Any messages that are posted using a forged approval will be
cancelled, and whatever action possible will be taken to prevent a
reoccurrence.

Messages that will be approved:

1. Messages from a 'white list' of posters who are regular
participants or who have demonstrated a willingness to post according to
the FAQ and the current standards of the group will be approved
automatically. Moderators are encouraged to add new posters to the 'white
list' if they appear to be posting on topic or are recommended by a
regular poster.

Posters may be removed from the 'white list' if they begin posting
in a manner that is disruptive to the group. This could include flaming,
ridiculing other users, or any of the other activities mentioned in
section II of this FAQ.  This does not mean that the poster is
blacklisted, only that their posts will be reviewed by human moderators.

2. All other messages that are on topic as described in sections I
and II of this FAQ.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

V. What does a.l.s.m do when problems arise?

Alt.life.sucks.moderated was created to solve many of the problems
that can make an unmoderated newsgroup difficult to use and enjoy.  We
a.l.s'ers don't regard this as just a newsgroup, but as a community of
like-minded people. There are few places where people who think the way
a.l.s'ers do can go on Usenet, or anywhere in the world, for that matter.
This is therefore a valuable creation that we will protect. F.O.A's motto,
"This We'll Defend", says it all.  The moderators and denizens of this
group will do everything in their power to protect it, as anyone would to
protect their home.

VI. I want more information. Where do I go?

For more information about alt.life.sucks,
alt.life.sucks.moderated or its organisations, check out these URLs:

*web.life.sucks (The official alt.life.sucks web site)*
 http://www.alt-life-sucks.org/

Contains an a.l.s archive, profiles of a.l.s.m netizens, the a.l.s
awards winners, copies of the original and current a.l.s and a.l.s.m FAQs,
a links page and a chat board.

*The Friends of alt.life.sucks (F.O.A) web site*
 http://www.alt-life-sucks.org/foa

Contains information about the Friends of a.l.s., the "legislative
body" of a.l.s, and a public list of F.O.A members.

*The Crusade Against Shiny Happy People (C.A.S.H.P) web site*
 http://www.alt-life-sucks.org/cashp

Contains information about C.A.S.H.P, which is the "defense arm"
of a.l.s, and links to CASHPies' and others' web sites.

Acknowledgements

This FAQ borrows heavily from Moonhawk's FAQ for our parent group,
alt.life.sucks.

Moderation of alsm was made possible by the hard work of Joe, who
rewrote the software and set up the moderation system.

Thanks guys!


 Just Thought I Should Mention It

You are viewing proxied material from ftp.icm.edu.pl. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.