Welcome "Neighbour"

I here plan to give you some insight into the alt.fan.eddings newsgroup. For those of you who know nothing about newsgroups, or those that have just started on the newsgroup, here are some basic, and frequently asked questions that are sometimes asked, as an idea of what things are. To skip over this part then just click here.

"What is that?" I hear you cry

The usenet newsgroups are basically a set of noticeboards where anyone with the right software can read and post messages, posting either new messages or in reply to those already there.

"How do I access them?"

Ask you systems administrator, suport people first to check that you have access to the newsgroups (some systems don't, or only have very limited access). Then all you need is the appropiate software.

"What appropiate software is that?"

Any newsreader will do the job. I prefer "free-agent" from www.forteinc.com. Though Netscape and I believe Internet Explorer both have newsreaders bundled in with the browser.

"What can I find on the Usenet Newsgroups?"

Newsgroups cover virtually any subject imaginable (and then some). You name it, there's probably a group that covers it.

"And what about this Eddings group"

Well, it's called alt.fan.eddings, do a search (which depends on the newsreader you are using) on just "eddings". There's only the one group with Eddings in the title. Join the group (Subscribe) - and no, it doesn't cost anything to join., and hey presto.

"Anything else I need to know?"

Well, it's generally advisible to ensure that the following rules are kept, just while you start on the newsgroup.

1. Read the articles for a few weeks or so before you post anything. This gives you an idea of the level of discussion, and the sort of things expected on the newgroup, as well as probably telling you what things not to discuss!

2. Try only to quote the relevant bits of a previously posted messgae if at all possible, this saves wading through lots and lots of old stuff, to get at what may only be a three line response. Annoys alot of people when you do this.

3. Always try to ensure that the subject line is relevant to the matter in hand. If you take a topic on a divergent path, please change the subject line to reflect that change.

4. ALWAYS read the FAQ, it should be posted regularly to the group. It will contain alot of information. If you don't understand anything in the FAQ, ask the newsgroup - Aphrael has probably got enough to deal with, without answering every question on her own.

"I keep hearing about this thing called spam - what is it?"

Spam is generally off topic, and posted in mass to alot of newsgroups. Frequent ones are adult phonelines, or "get rich quick schemes". Fortunately here at alt.fan.eddings, we are blessed that for the most part we have a relatively low level of spam. And we would like to keep it that way

"What is the newsgroup like?"

Generally the newsgroup is a nice, fun place to be. If you need help, or anything regarding anything whatsoever to do with the works of "David Eddings" then this is the place to be.

"Anything else"

Well, we most be the only group with their own Goddess - Aphrael. A very sweet person indeed, who has done alot of work on the newsgroup, and recently taken over the running of the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), and will also be working on the user directory very soon, as well as written the regular short quiz on the newsgroup, and probably alot of oher things beside. We also have a channel wolf known as Rumor, who will bare teeth and sometimes even attack if provoked. There's a few others on the
newsgroup that will seem to post alot, but basically everyone knows of Rumor and Aphrael.

I was going to write alot more about the newsgroup, but I've basically covered everything there is to know at present in the guides above. But along with the links on my own personal David Eddings page (not the alt.fan.eddings page which you are reading now) I'm going to add a few more below. This set of links will grow, as and when I get a chance to work on the pages, so keep visiting please...

The alt.fan.eddings FAQ (Frequently Asked Question list) can be found here. This masterpiece is kept by Aphrael one of the more regular posters on the newsgroup.

The alt.fan.eddings newsgroup user directory, detailing all those that have added their details to the list will be here on completion.

Also on the newsgroup, we have tried to set up our own regular meeting place on IRC. A "vote" was organised by myself, and a channel set up on Espernet. For more information, including servers, times, etc, please click here

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