Subject: 0. Table of Contents

1. About this document
2. About a.v.lv
3. About posts
4. About trolls
5. About the FAQ-maintainers


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Subject: 1. About this document

(Q) What is this document?
(A) This is a list of frequently asked questions about the Usenet
group alt.vacation.las-vegas. Note that is not a list of
frequently asked questions about Las Vegas vacations.

(Q) Why not?
(A) A majority of questions about Las Vegas vacations fall into
two categories, which do not lend themselves well to the FAQ
format. The first group is "What are the hours/cost/etc. of
(something)?" Price lists and time schedules tend to change
frequently in Las Vegas; trying to maintain up to date
information is somewhat futile. The second group of non-FAQable
questions involve personal opinions - "What's the best
(something), or Is (somewhere) a good place to stay?" There are
varied opinions on almost all such questions. At best, a FAQ
would answer, "some people like it, others don't," and we see
little value in that.

(Q) Is this an official FAQ?
(A) No. However, if there are no objections from the a.v.lv
community, the FAQ-maintainers are considering filing for
official status.

(Q) What website are mentioned in this FAQ? 
(A) We mention a few websites with Las Vegas information that are 
maintained by members of the a.v.lv community. We make no claim
that these are the best sites out there - these are just ones we
happen to visit. We also include a few sites with basic
information about usenet. Suggested changes are always welcome.

(Q) This FAQ isn't very good.
(A) That isn't a question.

(Q) OK, what should I do if I think this FAQ isn't very good?
(A) You have a number of options, including writing your own FAQ,
submitting suggestions for improvement, or simply taking over
this work from the current maintainers. As mentioned, the
maintainers are inherently lazy and would have no objections if
someone with more talent and dedication wants to take over this
project. 

(Q) But I really want a Las Vegas FAQ, does one exist?
(A) Patti Shock has a tremendous amount of information (including
several FAQs) on her website, All Things Las Vegas!

(Q) Can I put a copy of this FAQ on my website?
(A) As long as this document is unedited and kept whole, it can
be copied or reproduced in any form in any location. Copyright is
reserved by the FAQ maintainers.


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Subject: 2. About a.v.lv

(Q) What is a.v.lv?
(A) A.v.lv is alt.vacation.las-vegas, a community on Usenet
dedicated to discussing, strangely enough, Las Vegas vacations.
The discussions are often lively with both newcomers and
old-timers welcome. Many discussions revolve around asking for
and receiving vacation advice. Other discussions of general
interest to the community go on as well. Although virtual, a.v.lv
shares many characteristics with "real" communities - friends are
made, some enemies too, good times are had, and people will
usually go out of their way to help people in any way they can.

(Q) What is Usenet?
(A) More information that you ever wanted to know can be found on
faqs.org's Usenet Resource Page

(Q) Who owns a.v.lv? What is its charter?
(A) As with most groups in the alt. domain, a.v.lv has no owner or charter.

(Q) Who are all these people posting to a.v.lv? What are they
like?
(A) One good way to learn about us is to look at some of the web
pages set up by frequent contributors. These usually have
practical information about Las Vegas, as well as pictures, trip
reports, and other "personal" information. A couple we like are
Brian K's Las Vegas and Sonya's Travel 2 Vegas. If you just want
to see what we look like, be sure to check out
Vic's a.v.lv Picture Gallery


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Subject: 3. About postings

(Q) What is best tip on asking questions on a.v.lv?
(A) Be as specific as possible. Generic questions about what is
the best (something) do not usually receive the most useful
answers. For example, if you want help picking a hotel, tell
people what you are looking for in a hotel. How important is
location? Do you care about the pool? If so, for sunbathing,
swimming, or people watching? Are you looking for tranquil
respite from your day, or action and excitement? Will you be
going back and forth to your room frequently or just leave in
the morning and come back at night? What is your price range?
Will you be in town during the week, over the weekend, or both?
Is there anything special about you or your tastes? The same
goes advice on restaurants or other topics. The citizens of
a.v.lv are incredibly knowledgeable - the more you tell them,
more they can help you. 

(Q) OK, what is the second best tip? 
(A) Combine a.v.lv with research from other sources. The
FAQ-maintainers believe it best to do other research first, and
then go to a.v.lv for the final word. For example, you may use
other sources to narrow your hotel choice down to Caesars and
the Mirage, and ask the good folks at a.v.lv to help you make
the final decision (after giving them lots of information about
yourself of course.) The flip side, which is probably equally
valid, would be to ask a.v.lv for a list of possible choices,
and then do outside research on this list.

(Q) What resources are available for research?
(A) The best source may be previous discussions on a.v.lv. Go to
your favorite Usenet archive source (we like www.deja.com) and
search the alt.vacation.las-veags newsgroup for your question. If
you are interested, somebody else probably was as well. Patti
Shock has a great deal of information on her website
http://www.unlv.edu/Tourism/vegas.html and a number of
excellent, and often humorous, hotel reviews can be found at
http://www.cheapovegas.com. We also recommend that anyone interested
in Las Vegas vacations own and read at least one guidebook for
the city. The most commonly recommended book on a.v.lv is Bob
Sehlinger's The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas; most of the major
"chain" books are good as well. The FAQ-maintainers really like
Compass American Guides' Las Vegas, which is full of LV history
as well as pretty pictures.

(Q) What's a book?
(A) Sigh. Books were the most common source of information in the
days before the internet. If you've never seen one, think of
them as a whole lot of web pages printed out and bound together.
Although much of the information found in these books can be
found somewhere on the Net, books do have the advantage of being
well organized, compact, "always-on" and you just can't beat
their throw-into-the-suitcase-ability. Did we mention that some
of them have pretty pictures?

(Q) Any final word on questions?
(A) Be sure to put the gist your question in the subject field of
your post. Realize that the common subject field of "question"
is pretty useless.

(Q) Is a.v.lv just a resource for people with questions?
(A) Not at all. A.v.lv is a community and we love to talk amongst
ourselves. We do try to limit the discussions to topics of
particular interest to the a.v.lv community, and that are not
generally discussed elsewhere. Drinking, gambling and travel
tips are perennial favorites. The key is to keep the discussions
on topic. For example, the morality of *gambling* is on topic.
However, while the citizens of a.v.lv may also wish to discuss
their opinions on the morality of say, abortion, a.v.lv is not
the appropriate place to do so. 

(Q) What else should I post to a.v.lv?
(A) Trip reports - we love trip report! We love to hear the
details - the good, the bad, and the ugly - so feel free to
include as much or as little as you want. The FAQ-maintainers
(as well as many other a.v.lv-ers) prefer a somewhat condensed
story, but go ahead and list every single item you ate off the
buffet if you absolutely must. 

(Q) Can I ask questions about Atlantic City?
(A) Atlantic City vacations are not strictly on-topic, but such
questions are usually tolerated since many a.v.lv-ers enjoy
non-Las Vegas gaming vacations and since there is no good place
to discuss Atlantic City. While you will probably get a good
answer to your question, you should also expect some
good-natured ridicule for choosing a vastly inferior vacation
destination.
 
(Q) Are there any other acceptable off-topic topics?
(A) Non-vacation questions about Las Vegas are usually
acceptable. In particular, questions about moving to Las Vegas
pop up from time to time. 

(Q) Are there any on-topic topics that should NOT be discussed?
(A) Every community or family has one hot-button topic that
simply cannot be discussed without degenerating into a shouting
match. For a.v.lv, that topic is employee unions. Although the
unions have a major effect on the tourism industry in Las Vegas,
it is best we all just ignore this topic. Please.

(Q) What else should not be discussed in a.v.lv?
(A) With the few exceptions mentioned above, anything off topic
should not be posted. You may have the best news in the world, a
can't miss way to get rich, the funniest joke ever, or an
important warning about the latest computer virus - we don't
care. If it doesn't concern VACATIONS IN LAS VEGAS, don't post
it here. It's a shame that we have to mention this, but personal
attacks on fellow a.v.lv-ers are not only disturbing and rude,
they are off-topic and strictly not welcome.

(Q) Are there any questions that should probably be asked elsewhere?
(A) The FAQ-maintainers believe that any question that can be
answered with a simple phone call should be asked elsewhere.
Sample questions include, "I'm staying at (some hotel); do they
have a (something) in the room?" "What time does (some
restaurant) open?" "How much does (some show) cost?" A.v.lv is
simply not the best source of information on these topics. If
you ask, a.v.lv-ers will do their best to answer, but it is
usually better and more accurate to get the information
directly.

(Q) How do I get the phone number for (someplace)?
(A) Most places in Las Vegas have 1-800 numbers, which can be
looked, up wherever you normally look up 1-800 numbers. Phone
numbers can be found by calling information (1-800-555-1212) or
through a number of websites. All the websites listed under
information contain a number of LV related phone numbers.

(Q) How "adult" can my posts be?
(A) It is impossible to discuss Las Vegas vacations without
discussing adult-only topics such as drinking and gambling.
Everyone should expect an adult (we can't say mature)
conversation here. You don't have to use code words like
make-whoopee when you mean have-sex. However, there are a number
of a.v.lv-ers with sensitive tastes so you should probably not
get more explicit than that.

(Q) Are there any special skills needed to respond to a post?
(A) In general, it's a good idea to learn how to quote original
messages when responding to them. Most newsreaders have features
to do this automatically. Do not blindly rely on these features!
They will quote the entire original message. The Cardinal Sin of
responding to posts is quoting an entire long-winded post,
followed by "I agree." You want to quote as little of the
original message as possible, while still quoting enough to let
people know what you are responding to. It is often a good idea
to indicate your editing by including the phrase (snip). 


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Subject: 4. About trolls

(Q) What are flames and trolls?
(A) Flames are rude comments, insults, personal attacks and
generally inflammatory comments on a post or poster. Flamers are
people inclined to post flames. Trolls post messages
specifically designed to induce flames. Spammers post the same
information or opinion over and over. The FAQ-maintainers will
(incorrectly, we know) use the term troll for all these annoying
people.

(Q) What should I do about trolls?
(A) The only thing you can do is ignore them and hope they go
away. I don't care if you were a champion debater in high school,
nothing you say and no amount of begging and pleading can make
them stop. In fact, the attention only encourages them. Remember
the Usenet axiom - don't feed the trolls. If you want to read
more about trolls, check out
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/net-abuse-faq/troll-faq/index.html

(Q) I can't simply ignore the trolls; is there anything I can do?
(A) Depending upon how you access a.v.lv, you may be able to set
up filters and killfiles that will prevent you from seeing
particular topics or posters. The best information we've found on
killfiles is contained in the Alt.support.childfree Killfiles FAQ

(Q) Hey, this trolling sounds like fun. Any advice for us trolls?
(A) Go away. We have enough trolls as it is.

(Q) I'm not going away, so you might as well tell me how to be a
better troll.
(A) That's not a question, but we realize trolls can't play by
the rules. If you absolutely must annoy a.v.lv with you crap
there are a few things you can do. First, try to actually post
some useful information in addition to your venom. We will still
hate you, but we will hate you somewhat less than the other
trolls. And please, oh please oh please, keep your trolls
confined to their own subject. If you absolutely must, go ahead
and start the subject (Someone) is an idiot. However, if
(someone) has posted information in a thread on, say, the best
sportsbook for hockey lovers, do not follow up his post in that
thread. The hockey betters don't care whether or not (someone)
is an idiot, they just want to know where to bet. Oh, and did I
mention - go away.


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Subject: 5. About the FAQ-maintainers

(Q) Who wrote this FAQ?
(A) For now, the FAQ-maintainers have decided to remain
anonymous. If they ever bother to get this FAQ officially
recognized, they will probably have to announce themselves.

(Q) Why anonymity?
(A) The maintainers are cowards

(Q) How can I contact the FAQ-maintainers?
(A) The maintainers welcome any and all comments and suggestions
on this FAQ. Any criticism won't offend us and any additions you
suggest have a decent chance of being included, so fire away.
Posters are encouraged to start a new thread - comments on the
FAQ - rather than responding to this post. Another option is to
send an email to thecrank1@excite.com

(Q) Can I join the FAQ-maintainers?
(A) Sure - just let us know and we will put you to work.