1.2 a.g.f. survival tips

Sande's Guide to Surviving the Newsgroup
These are just some tidbits compiled from [meta] threads designed to help you not incur the wrath of other a.g.f.ers. If you don't know what [meta] stands for (and even if you do know), read on!

[Tags]
The [tags] system was chosen so that some people could avoid certain topics with a kill-file. (For more information on kill-files, see the a.g. Troll FAQ in the resources section.)

For example, if I hate [meta] threads, I can kill-file the word 'meta' and all subject headers tagged [meta] will be immediately deleted from my sight. Conversely, some people have newsreaders that highlight certain threads. Why, suppose if I luvluv [meta] threads, then all subject headers tagged [meta] will be immediately brought to my attention.

Unfortunately, if no one uses the proper tags, then the system wouldn't work too effectively. So it's very important to use the correct tags.

Some tags you'll see aren't required tags. They're used as a shorthand. For example, a person might write "[bought] Target" as a subject header instead of "What I bought at Target today." Or you'll see "[wore] Prom" instead of "What I wore to my prom." Other non-required tags include [craft], [hair], and [sewing]. It helps in providing a more descriptive subject header.

Remember to take out the [tag] when it is no longer applicable. For instance, if you reply to a [long] thread and your reply isn't [long], then delete [long] from the subject header. You want people to read your posts, right?

In addition, don't crowd your header with five different [tags]. Some newsreaders cut off really long subject headers, so people won't see [eBay] [hair] [bought] [review] [rant]. Pick the most appropriate tags please! Below, I've stated the more important ones.

Required Tags

• [meta] -- for discussions about newsgroup administration or upkeep; complaints about guidelines
  e.g. [meta] These stupid tags!!!
• [rant] -- for strong emotions or opinions about a topic; writer may not be clear-headed
  e.g. [rant] Why Hot Topic s*cks
• [long] -- for long posts (use your judgment)
  e.g. [long] My hair dye experience
• [swap] -- for swap announcements; posts about swaps. A swap is a newsgroup activity whereby many ppl create or buy stvf in an exchange led by a swap-meister.
  e.g. [swap] Ribbon Goodies

  Please note that most swaps have deadlines and limited space. If you want to participate in a swap, email the swap-meister directly. If you post to the newsgroup, the swap-meister may miss it. If you have a problem or question about a swap, email the swap-meister directly (git it?).

  After the initial swap announcement, any goings-on about a particular swap are usually taken off the newsgroup to a mailing list. The swap announcement may be repeated on a webpage, and usually the swap haul or goodies are posted to the newsgroup (or on a webpage) to make the rest of us envious.

  If you wish to meister a swap, I recommend participating in a couple before striking out on your own. There can be many unexpected pitfalls for the uninitiated swap-meister. Also, query first with your swap idea. Someone may already be doing a similar swap.

• [poll] -- for polls. A poll is a question which tends to lead to a bunch of lists from various ppl rather than advice or a discussion. A caveat: Polls tend to annoy some people. Try a Google search first to make sure a similar poll wasn't done a month ago.
  e.g. [poll] Your fave goth mail-order company
• [eBay] -- for all discussions about eBay or auction sites; problems with deadbeat bidders; mailing costs, etc.
  e.g. [eBay] Compared to Amazon
• [eBayAD] -- for persons posting ADs about auctions on eBay or other sites; please see the a.g.f. AD policy, which is appended to the a.g.f. FAQ
  e.g. [eBayAD] My auctions for September

  ***Special Note***
  The agf Tag on eBay
  Some a.g.f.ers who use eBay add 'agf' to the subject headings. While the tag's usage has been debated and not definitively settled, in practice, regulars on a.g.f. seem to use the agf tag on all auctions and newbies/lurkers use the agf tag for specific auctions that would interest the readership of a.g.f.

  Newbies/lurkers who use the agf tag should realize that they will be held to extra scrutiny and 'outed' on a.g.f. if a transaction goes sour. In general, the agf tag is not much benefit to newbies or lurkers because their user IDs or net.names will not be well-known enough to impart any sort of added 'trust bonus.'

• [c#] -- for Convergence #-related posts. Convergence is the yearly North American net.goth convention.
  e.g. [c6] a.g.f. events?
• [review] -- for reviews of products or companies; issues such as quality, service, availability, etc.
  e.g. [review] Nutrisse Plumberry hair dye

  On Reviews -- From Kris Dow
  Reviews of products beyond a "yes, I liked it" or "it turned green on me" type comment about a cosmetic (which are much much more personally subjective than a review about a product like clothing or a service) shouldn't be posted with the same write-it-and-send-it type style that most of us probably use in posting other things to Usenet.
  I think this is particularly important if it's a review which goes contrary to the general public impression of the company, as it's likely to be read more carefully and perhaps valued more than Yet Another "I liked them too!" post. Treat it like an essay or something for school. Write a list of points about your experience, pros and cons.

  Write down everything important (in this case, things like dates when the order was placed, the date the garment was promised to be delivered, date the garment was needed, date the company was contacted about the problems, etc.) *THEN* compose your actual post. Then sit on the post for a day and read it again before posting it.

  In this day and age, with Deja.com [now Google] archiving, your post *will* stay out there, and other people wondering about a company *will* read it, and make decisions based on it. Those people will not necessarily read the entire thread that ensues, and, as an honest reviewer, I think it is important to realize that. I understand how hard it can be to write something fair and unbiased when you're unhappy about how something you were looking forward to, and perhaps paid a lot of money for, and wanted for a special occasion, but if that's the case, again, write it, then sit on it for a while, and read it again objectively.

• [delurk] -- for newbies introducing themselves to the newsgroup
  e.g. [delurk] Romantigoth

  If you're delurking on a thread, simply add [delurk] to the subject header. With delurks, try to give more info than your basic "hi, I'm here." Talk about your interests, your personal style, why you want to participate on the newsgroup, how a.g.f. can help you or vice versa, what special talents you may have, etc. Remember, this will be ppl's first impression of you :) If you have a question to ask, be sure to point out that you've read the FAQ already (if you have).

• [spoiler] -- for posts which give away an ending or important part to a TV show, movie, or book and will generally get everyone grouchy; all such posts should include spoiler space, a big enough blank space so that if someone accidentally sees your post and doesn't want to, all that person will see is SPOILER SPACE.
  e.g. [spoiler] Boots in the Buffy Finale
• [fluff] -- for posts which you think some people may find amusing, but others may not.
  e.g. [fluff] Goth News of the Weird

  If a thread goes fluffy with an in-joke or something else, simply append [fluff] to the subject header.

• [AD] -- for companies posting ADs; please see the a.g.f. AD policy, which is appended to the a.g.f. FAQ
  e.g. [AD] Sale on boots
• [OT] -- for posts about subjects beyond the scope of the newsgroup.
  e.g. [OT] Economics policies of Peru

  In general, some amount of OTness is tolerated, especially if the OTness is an outgrowth of an on-topic thread, but to be extra careful, do not meander beyond the topic of gothic fashion. In the past, certain subjects, such as animal rights or religion, have been the cause of much flaming, so unless one wants to be the target of annoyed people, this is a tread-wisely zone. However, what is on-topic and what is OT has been subject to debate.

  On a.g.f.'s Scope -- From Jo Styles
  I guess I think of the NG along the lines of a fashion magazine -- fashion, shopping, hair, an agony aunt column (and we all need that now and again :), and the odd feature on gardening, home decor, and cooking.

Subject Headers
There are a lot of us that skim through the subject headers deciding what to read and what not to read. If you need help on hair dye, typing "Help! Help!" in the subject header will not get a rush of hair dye specialists to your rescue. Instead, try to be descriptive (sometimes those tags will help) as possible.
e.g. [hair] Highlighting help

If you see that the subject heading no longer reflects the topic of discussion, simply modify the subject heading to a more appropriate one. You'll see this happen often. Unfortunately, if you use Deja to read the newsgroup, it won't make any difference, but for the rest of us, it will! Take out any unnecessary [tags].
e.g. Robert Smith's hair (was: Aquanet)

For a regional post, try to limit your distribution to the specified region. For instance, sales in L.A. can be limited to the city [LA], to the state [CA], or to the country [US]. At least specify the city of interest in your subject heading.
e.g. [Boston] Allston Beat Sale

Quoting
Most of this is covered in the welcome message of the FAQ or in a Netiquette guide. Just some quickie reminders: When you're replying to a post, it'll be easier to follow if you keep some reference material from the originating post.

Include the person's name (e.g. Arachne wrote:), but if there's a X-no-archive-yes header, it's considered impolite to include the person's email address on the reply. X-no-archive-yes headers are used by people who don't want their email addresses recorded by Deja.

Delete all unnecessary lines, like the .sig at the bottom, and most people prefer your typing to be under the quoted material so that they won't have to scroll down to see what you're talking about.
e.g. Arachne wrote:
>quoted material quoted material quoted material
>quoted material quoted material quoted material

your reply your reply your reply your reply etc.

.Sig Lines
.sig lines or signature files are the bottom few lines that are automatically appended to a person's post. .sig lines can include whatever you want, including company URLs or advertisements or eBayADs. The only stipulation is that .sig lines be 4 lines or less. However, if one line of your .sig is devoted to publicizing the a.g.f. FAQ, that line will not be counted.

When to Take It to Email
There are many situations whereby one should compose an email rather than post on a public newsgroup (which goes to everywhere). Generally, if your post is directed towards one person only, then maybe it's better off through email.

• Swap Business -- All the nitty-gritty dealings to do with swaps, such as signing up or inquiring about what's happening, should be emailed to the swap-meister directly. There are exceptions. For example, if the swap-meister goes AWOL or email isn't working, then posting to the newsgroup is understandable.
• Regional Meets -- On occasion, a.g.f.ers in a region will plan to meet and (usually) go shopping. While the impetus is often set on a.g.f., the wranglings about which date is good, whose car are we taking, etc., does not have to be aired to the entire population of a.g.f. Take it to your regional mailing list or a CC: email list. If you don't have a regional mailing list, consider making one on the web. You're welcome to post an announcement about the meet once the details are set, and of course, most will be interested to know how the meet went.
• Business Transactions -- Many a.g.f.ers own or operate businesses. If you wish to do a business transaction with a person, email the person directly. The same idea holds for trades (i.e., one Wet 'n Wild np for a Revlon foundation). Please don't post long lists of trade items on the newsgroup. Instead, write it up on a webpage and post the URL.
• Personal Info -- Please take heed to protect your privacy. Don't post your postal mail address or telephone number on a newsgroup.
• Greeting Cards -- It's always nice to console someone if the cat died or send congrats if someone got engaged. It's lovely to see announcements of special events, but if there's no particular issue to discuss, it quickly becomes a creative exercise on how many different ways to say Happy B'day on a newsgroup.
• FAQ-smacking -- Sometimes, questions arise that have been covered in the FAQ. It's obvious that the person hasn't combed the FAQ, so a pointer to the FAQ is useful. When FAQ- smacking first started, many more FAQ-smacks appeared than were necessary. Email the person with the FAQ-smack and be sure that the answer is indeed in the FAQ.

  In general, if you see a format thing you don't like (i.e. WRITING IN CAPITAL LETTERS), I find it's much more useful to send a little email asking the person to stop and explaining why. I operate on the assumption that no one does these things to be annoying.

  On FAQ-Smacking -- From Trystan
  Being faq-smacked, if done properly, is not like a speeding ticket. It's like a little gift. It's like someone giving you a book you've always wanted but didn't know existed. It's like a helping hand. IMO, a proper faq-smack would be something like this:

  QUESTION: Can I dye my hair black temporarily?
  REPLY: Not really -- black dye can stain pretty bad. You might take a look in the a.g.f.faq's sections on hair dying. There's lots of info. about different types of dyes in there. The faq's at http://www.ice-princess.net/gothfash/

  Now was that so painful? If I got that kind of reply, I'd be happy and thankful. Even if it was posted in the newsgroup (although by email is probably a wee bit nicer).

• Flaming -- Alas, flaming has also entered the realm of a.g.f. If you have a particular beef with one single person, email the person directly. There's no need to involve the entire newsgroup, and frankly, I find that to be an unwise practice. Newsgroup-wide flame wars, with assorted alliances and such, are not an enjoyable experience.

Handy Acronym Guide
At times, you'll see common Usenet acronyms used on the newsgroup. Here are some that were graciously compiled by Thessaly, and added to by Ice Princess:

AFAIAC -- as far as I am concerned
AFAIK -- as far as I know
HTH -- hope that helps
HAND -- have a nice day
YMMV -- your mileage may vary
IIRC -- if I recall/remember correctly
IMHO -- in my humble opinion
GAF -- goth as fuck
WTF -- what the fuck?
FWIW -- for what it's worth
ISO--in search of
WTB--want to buy or where to buy

A Final Word of Advice -- From Artemisia
The only thing I would like people to do is reread their posts before sending them off -- just a quick scan through to make sure you get your point/question across effectively. This could save so many misunderstandings, as well as making a lot of posts much easier to read.

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